Ayeywarwaddy River cruise photo essay: Day 11

Mingun Pagoda.

 

Our last overnight stop before our arrival in Mandalay was Mingun, home to a giant pagoda whose construction was started by King Bowdawpaya in 1790 but was never finished. Had it been completed, the planned 150-meter-high structure would have been the biggest pagoda in the world.

 

A raft carries ceramic pots downriver from Kyauk Myaung, which we had visited on day four.

 

The view from the RV Paukan 2007 pilot house.

 

The ruins of a giant guardian chinthe (mythical lion-like creatures) near Mingun Pagoda.

 

Visitors walk up the stairs to the top of Mingun Pagoda. (Photo: Thandar Khine)

 

Looking south toward Mandalay from the top of Mingun Pagoda.

 

The view north from Mingun Pagoda, with Hsinbyume Myatheindan Pagoda in the foreground.

 

Hsinbyume Myatheindan Pagoda.

 

Hanging out at Hsinbyume Myatheindan Pagoda.

 

Buddhist nuns ride in a bullock cart near Mingun Pagoda.

 

Traditional Burmese dancers perform on the beach along the river near Mingun Pagoda.

Ayeywarwaddy River cruise photo essay: Day 9

Children play on a swing on Kyun Taw Island.

 

On day nine we started the anticlimactic return trip to Mandalay, traveling much faster now that we were going with the flow of the river. We passed back through the second defile and just before midday stopped at the mid-river Kyun Taw Island, home to a small village and an atmospheric pagoda.

 

A traditional house on Kyun Taw Island. (Photo: Thandar Khine)

Kyun Taw Pagoda.

 

Kyun Taw Pagoda. (Photo: Thandar Khine)

 

Ceiling details inside a monastery near Kyun Taw Pagoda. (Photo: Thandar Khine)

 

Passing rain showers in the afternoon brought rainbows to the Ayeyarwaddy River. (Photo: Thandar Khine)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ayeywarwaddy River cruise photo essay: Day 2

For breakfast, a bowl of fresh mohinga made with noodles and fish broth.

The second day of our 12-day cruise dawned overcast and drizzly as the boat got underway from its overnight anchor spot. We passed the confluence of the Ayeyarwaddy and Chindwin rivers, continuing north as the river cut through steep, sandy banks on either side.

The landscape consisted of flat farmland where cows stood in small groups in the muddy fields. The villages we passed appeared as small collections of wood houses nestled among groves of tall trees, with small pagodas, usually white or gold, near the water and standing out against the verdant backdrop. The river traffic was light, consisting of local rowboats that hugged the shore, and the occasional barge barreling down the middle of the river carrying gravel or teak logs.

The main stop of the day was Yandabo village, famous as the site where a peace treaty was signed ending the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1826. A white monument marks the spot where the pact was made. Yandabo is also a known for its production of pottery, which is made from clay dug directly from the riverbank.

 

Clay pots glisten in the rain in Yandabo village.

 

A woman uses a mallet to put the finishing touches on pottery in Yandabo.

 

Traditional, manual methods are still used to turn pottery in Yandabo. (Photo: Thandar Khine)

 

Decorative details on pottery.

 

The walkways of Yandabo are paved with pottery shards.

 

A future pottery maker smiles (or not) for the camera.

 

A young girl takes her brother for a piggyback ride around the village.

 

Night descends over the Ayeyarwaddy River.