View - Orient-Express

impresses. Over 2,500 pagodas cover a vast swatheof sand and scrub beside the river. Climb one of theseexquisite, 1,000-year-old monuments at sunset towatch as the light ebbs away. But best of all, rise beforedawn to float over the temple-studded plain in aballoon as the scene is bathed in a rosy pink glow.Voyages settle into a rhythmic to and fro of dining,lounging in the bar with a Planter’s Punch andrelaxing by the pool. Guests feast on dishes such asInle Lake lamb red curry and snapper served withMyanmar-style eggplant sauce. There are lecturesabout the country’s fascinating, tumultuous history,and the chance to talk with the ship’s physician,Dr Hla Tun who, in the aftermath of hurricaneNargis, helped mobilise emergency clinics thattreated more than 250,000 patients.But what is it that makes each cruise an adventureto remember? Invariably it’s the unrivalled glimpseinto a riverine, rural way of life. Scenes seem toevoke a distant era: yoked Brahmin oxen pull cartsdown to the water’s edge, extended families irrigatetheir plots of farmland and huge log rafts drift past.And everywhere the boat sails, enthusiastic cries of“Minglabar!” (Hello!) ring out from the riverbanks.OVER 2,500 PAGODAS LINE THE RIVERBANKS. CLIMB ONE OF THESE EXQUISITE,1,000-YEAR-OLD MONUMENTS AT SUNSETTO WATCH AS THE LIGHT EBBS AWAY.29