Friday 11/11/2016 - Chindwin River Cruise: Sittaung Village, Captain and Crew Q&A, Phan Seit Village, Farewell ShowThis morning, we went up to breakfast and immediately made our Emergen-C. So far so good, we hadn't caught the cold that was circulating among the group. When we got to our table, two cups of coffee were there, exactly how we like them. Htet had gotten them for us without us even asking. Impeccable service as always. We enjoyed rice noodle salad, fresh bread, and juice.We pulled up at Sittaung Village and immediately noticed an old ship's boiler laying on its side on the riverbank. This is a remnant of the 1942 scuttling of the Irawaddy Flotilla Company fleet in Sittaung in the midst of the Japanese invasion of World War II. As the British fled Burma to India via the India Road, they shot holes in the 600 merchant vessels in the fleet to prevent them from falling into Japanese hands as an "Act of Denial." This also made the already difficult to navigate river system even more treacherous for Japanese boats, as there were 600 submerged ships to dodge. Sittaung is a small village of only 24 families (120 people). Two of our crew members hopped off the boat onto the shore. They used a large wooden mallet to secure a wooden stake in a stable portion of the riverbank. There wasn't a enough room to use the aluminum gangway, so they set up planks of lumber along with a bamboo handrail. It looked a little sketchy, but the crew helped us across to make sure that we were safe. We climbed up another steep bank, and two met two young boys who were playing on a driftwood log, watching the arrival of the boat. In the banks, we saw small holes tinneling into the ground with balls of dirt excavated from inside. It looked like the work of some kind of burrowing beetle. We walked down a dirt path and encountered the village's primary school. Win directed our attention to the flag pole. On either side of the Myanmar flag were some smaller triangular flags. On the right side hung a single blue flag. Win explained that this means that the blue team is in charge of doing chores around the school today. We entered the single room schoolhouse, where each grade level had about half a dozen students seated at low tables on low benches. This school usually has one teacher per grade level, which is actually a great student to teacher ratio! Only three of the teachers were present today, with others attending meetings or on maternity leave. One of the teachers had her 3 year old son with her. Craig and I immediately gravitated to the kindergarteners. With me having been a former early childhood educator, little kids hold a special place in our hearts. When we approached them, they spontaneously burst into song. In typical exuberant 5-year-old fashion, the songs quickly devolved into shouting of lyrics. They were so cute, and they performed around 4 songs for us.  Our group rounded up the kids in the center of the schoolroom and taught them the hokey pokey. Then the kids taught us a Simon Says-style song, "123 will you follow me," where everyone has to mimic the actions of the leader. After each verse, they designate a new leader.  We passed animal corrals containing water buffalo and Brahma bulls. We got to a corner which intersected to the "road to India," the escape route of the British when the Japanese invaded during WWII. There was a house on the corner where a little toddler girl was shyly watching us through the window. We waved to her, and she turned and ran away, while being polite enough to throw a wave behind her. She was so cute. She eventually gathered her courage and came back, waving. In front of this house, a litte kid was playing with a very large black beetle. After he abandoned it, Craig picked it up. It started vibrating and buzzing and shrieking. It reminded us of the devices that tell you that your table is ready at a restaurant. I think it made a few people jump.  Beetle An 82-year-old woman was returning to this house after doing some errands. Many people in our group are very interested in World War II, and they had been hoping to be able to talk to residents who survived the invasion. Because 74 years have elapsed, few people are still alive who were old enough at the time to remember it. This woman recollected her experiences running and hiding from the Japanese troops. Win asked if we wanted to walk to a nearby pagoda. Craig and I followed him to where the dirt road narrowed to little more than a dirt path. Water buffalo lazed in their enclosures. In the distance, we could see a saungdan (covered walkway) ascending a hill to a gilded stupa. As we passed between vibrant green rice paddies, the path degraded to a muddy rut. We could see the hoofprints of water buffalo who had passed through here. Craig had to be very careful. The path was quite narrow, and an errant step could cause him to fall into the wet rice fields below. He had to put his arms out for balance like a tightrope walker. He thought (and not for the last time!) that he really should start traveling with a hiking pole, walking stick, or cane. We climbed up the covered cement staircase, When we got to the top, we circumambulated the pagoda in a clockwise direction, per Buddhist tradition. Multicolored carnival lights were strung around the pagoda, and incense and candles stood on the white marble base. From there, we had a beautiful view down at the rice paddies, the village, and the river. There was an enormous bees nest in a tree right next to the pagoda. Others from the group joined us, and then we descended the staircase together. We retraced our steps back to the boat, noticing some tobacco leaves drying in the sun on the side of the path. We walked by a house where a woman was playing with her kitten by fluttering a piece of white cloth on the end of a stick. When we boarded the boat, we were given our cold welcome glass of juice as well as a cool facecloth. Rather than retire to our cabines for a siesta, Win had arranged a question and answer session with the captian, purser, executive chef, and pastry chef. We got settled in the movie room / library, and took turns asking questions. The captain explained that he has been in the industry for 31 years, first working for the government and now for the tourism industry. After 7 years, he took an examination to become a CO, and then captain after that. He explained the challenges of navigating on the Chindwin, due to shallowness, obstacles, and whirlpools. We have been so impressed with the variety and quality of food on the cruise, that I was interested in who sets the menu. Is it mandated by the Pandaw cruiseline itself, or do the local chefs on the boats have autonomy? They told me that the executive chef on the ship is responsible for setting the menus. We complimented him for his excellent work. The menu naturally depends upon availability of ingredients, trying to utilize the freshest most local food sources possible. They buy fresh produce along the river, but they can't be sure that they will be able to procure enough meat along the voyage. They buy meat in Mandalay and freeze it. Everyone complimented the pastry chef on his flaky croissants, wondering how he is able to pull that off in a tiny ship's kitchen in this extreme humidity. Craig and I had not yet tried the croissants, and made a mental note to do so at our last opportunity: tomorrow's breakfast. After the Q&A, we were still very hot and sweaty from the morning's excursion. The air conditioning in the library couldn't keep up when packed with people. We went to our cabin to cool down. The air conditioning in our cabin is a godsend. We had to be very careful about hydration in this heat and humidity as well. The ship provided as much bottled water as we needed, and often Craig drank up to 6 bottles per day. Since heat and dehydration are triggers for his MS, it is essential for him to watch these things to avoid getting sick. We took showers to cool down and then went to the upper deck at 11 o'clock. We had some peanuts and butter cookies, and Craig had a beer. We passed some schoolkids under the shade of a tree and we started to wave. They all started to wave and shout and ran alongside the boat. Htet rang the gong and we sat down to enjoy another wonderful lunch:
As we pulled ashore, we saw a woman doing her laundry in the river. The villagers started to gather on the riverbanks as we approached. We disembarked, and everyone was very friendly. There were many children, and we handed out pens and pencils. One woman who had a baby monkey on a leash. It clung to her leg as we approached. Sandro had brought a small banana ashore, and he gave it to Craig to feed the little monkey. The monkey took it from Craig's hand and then swung around the woman's legs, eventually sitting on the ground. He then started to eat. 
One man told Sandro that the village has seen the tourist boats pass by, but they have never stopped there. The villagers assumed that it was because they were poor. In actuality, there are many villages along the river, and this one was not really on their radar. But it turned out to be one of everyone's favorite village stops, and Sandro made note of it in hopes that the Pandaw cruises could add it to their itineraries, perhaps combining a village walk with a tour of the pagoda. We walked along a dirt road which ran parallel to the river. It was like a parade; everyone who had greeted us on the shore joined us on our walk. The late afternoon sunlight was beautiful, giving the whole scene a surreal glow and casting long shadows. We stopped in at one house where they had a motorized rice husker, a granary, and pens of pigs and piglets. Our entourage joined us, and the yard was crowded with people. The next door neighbors wondered what all the commotion was, and ten of them came outside and watched the proceedings. One teenaged girl seemed particularly intrigued by us. She wanted a photo with Craig, and when I took it, she snuggled in and put her head on his chest. Burmese people as a whole aren't very touchy-feely, but this village seemed to be an exception. There was also a very little girl (probably around 3 years old), who was not shy at all. She waved and talked to us, and she would sneak up to Craig and lightly tap his legs or bottom (he was wearing his longyi, of course). Someone from the village would scold her and she would run away wth a mischevious smile, only to then return to do it again. She did it to me as well. We were happy that she felt comfortable enough the approach us and tease us like that. Midway through the visit, she was holding hands with Sandro. Everyone fell in love with her.  Curious 3-year-old girl We stopped in one yard which overlooked the river. Here a woman was arranging fish on woven trays, and a man was arranging the trays over a fire to smoke the small fish. We had not yet seen this practice in Myanmar. Apparently they eat these fish themselves but also export them. A young woman peeked out of her house, and of course Craig waved and said mingalaba. She motioned for him to wait, and soon reappeared with a tiny newborn. She held the baby up to show us. One of the boat crew translated for us, and she said that the baby was only a week old. This meant she probably gave birth to him while we were on the cruise! We were quite honored that she chose to share this with us, and we congratulated her and wished for good health for the baby. As we walked back toward the boat, a woman waved to us from her house and then came out to say hello. We got a nice photo of her smiling with two silver teeth. She laughed when I showed it to her. She shook both of our hands. A large flock of black birds flew overhead. Like any self-respecting village, there was a caneball game in progress. We said hello to an elderly woman in her yard. She approached us and gestured at our local clothing. She put her hands into a prayer mudra and bowed slightly to Craig, then put her hand over her heart. It was such a sweet gesture. We truly felt that we were connecting with these people, even during such a short visit. It was obvious that the village was very honored to be a stop for the boat. The girl who had gotten a photo with Craig before walked next to me. She talked to me shyly and quietly, though I couldn't make out what she was saying. I asked Craig to take a photo of me wit her and her friends. She snuggled right up against me as well, and I affectionately squeezed her arm as we posed for the photo. She walked with us all the way to the boat, and we shook her hand and said goodbye. The glow from the waning sun made it seem like we were stepping out of a dream as we boarded the boat. There were many more people on the shore now than there had been when we arrived, and they all stayed there waving until the boat was out of sight. An elderly woman even danced for us on the shore as we pulled away. Craig caught the eye of our teenaged friend and she smiled, waved, and put a hand over her heart. We were so humbled to be able to visit a village which had yearned for a boat to stop there. The people were so kind and genuine. It was one of many highlights of the trip. We saw the sunset from the boat, as well as the rising of the almost full moon. This was our last night on the boat, and as such, there was a goodbye celebration where the whole crew serenaded and thanked us, and we them. We noticed Toni furiously scribbling on a piece of paper and then rushing around. It turns out that she had been writing a poem about our adventures on the Zawgi Pandaw. Once she finished them, she photocopied them on Win's scanner. She passed them out to all of the passengers and informed us that we would be singing it to the tune of "Red River Valley." The lyrics were amazingly clever and funny. Toni should be working in the Brill building. Of course, Craig and I were unfamiliar with "Red River Valley," so we just followed along during the rehearsal, singing softly and trying to learn the tune. Htet prepared the happy hour cocktail of the night: mai tais! The drinks were flowing freely tonight. At around 7:15 p.m., the captain dropped anchor, and he and the chief engineer / first officer donned their dress whites. The entire crew assembled on the deck. Win and one other crewman had acoustic guitars, and they played three traditional songs for us. During the third song, the Chief Engineer / First Officer asked me to dance. Nearly all of the women danced and it was a lot of fun. After that, Bets read Kipling's poem "Mandalay," and then all of the guests sang Toni's verses. To cap it all off, Sandro borrowed Win's snazzy turquoise acoustic guitar and led a singalong of "We Are the World." Then the crew shook all of our hands in receiving line fashion, and we all thanked one another. When the CO got to me, I thanked him for the dance and we both mimed dancing.  Dinner consisted of:
We could see the stars clearly, including the constellation Orion on our way back to our cabin for the final night of the cruise. Sittaung |
 Boiler from one of the Irawaddy Foltilla Company's 600 ships which were scuttled when the British retreated from the Japanese in 1942  Kindergartners  Craig hikes to the pagoda  Selfie at the pagoda  Villagers gather as we approach Tha Phan Seit Village  Baby monkey  Mom and daughter, Tha Phan Seit Village  RV Zawgi Pandaw moors at Tha Phan Seit Village  Women feeding the pigs, Tha Phan Seit Village  Craig and his affectionate new friend, Tha Phan Seit Village  We attracted quite a crowd at Tha Phan Seit Village  Tha Phan Seit Village  Smoking fish over a fire, Tha Phan Seit Village  Woman brings her 7-day-old baby to show us, Tha Phan Seit Village  Steph and the girls, Tha Phan Seit Village  Returning to the boat from our excursion to Tha Phan Seit Village  Sunset on the RV Zawgi Pandaw  Win and the baker play guitar while the crew sings traditional songs for us 
|
|
 |
|
 |
