Journey On the Irrawaddy - Burma

The Slow Boat to Bagan:

River travel between Mandalay and Bagan is possible by two methods, one being private boats, some luxury, some not and then the government ferry boat and for most travelers this journey will be determined by how much time and what experiences they wish to have.

There is of course a cost difference as well as travel time.  The fast boat, taking about seven advertised hours costs forty US dollars and the slow government boat, with its advertised transit time of eleven hours, costs ten US dollars, both payable in US dollars only. 

I noted the advertised transit times for both, however, depending on how much cargo needs to be loaded or unloaded, the government slow boat can in actuality take closer to fifteen hours.  I am sure though that the fast boat runs more closely to its scheduled time as it is not generally for cargo and locals. 

The government boat runs on Wednesdays and Sundays.  Tickets are purchased at the MIT office which is about one kilometer from the departing jetty.  You can purchase the ticket on the day of travel but I suggest making the purchase the day before and getting to the boat as soon as possible so you can secure your plastic chair on the upper deck for the voyage.

The boat departs very early in the morning with a lot of anticipation and eagerness; you witness the sun rising with its reflections upon the calm river waters and as the early morning hours turn to daylight you glimpse the first full light view of the Irrawaddy River. 

Moon setting over temple

Most of the people on the boat will be locals going to the small villages which dot the river.  They will be transporting goods such as food and other items needed in the villages which generally take a lot of space.  The boat is two decks and there are a limited number of plastic chairs for the tourists which are all located on the upper deck close to the front of the boat. The locals tend to sleep or sit on the decking of the boat on both decks.

There is a smallish facility for purchasing food; drinks and beer but expect to pay a lot for this.  I purchased a cold box, ice and beverages and took this on the boat with me so I could have ice cold water, cokes and beer, then when I was done with the cold box I gave it to one of the local women on the boat.

After the sun rises and turns into full mid day sun, its heat beating down, the first bit of charm begins to wear off.  Yet here you are, cruising down the mighty Irrawaddy River on a boat full locals going back to their village or a small amount of tourists sitting in plastic chairs, clutching their cameras waiting for something exciting to happen or an image to appear worthy of being photographed, all the while the locals and their menagerie of goods for their villages are sleeping on the upper and lower decks or on sacks of produce.

As the boat makes its way down the Irrawaddy River the locals in the villages eagerly await its arrival, for some it is bringing supplies, others are visitors to the village, while others are just coming from Mandalay after a visit to the big city.

You guessed it....

With each stop, the local vendors wait on the river bank with their goods and products until the somewhat narrow wooden plank boards are extended then the march of people will begin with those off loading their goods all the while the awaiting vendors swarm the decks of the boat with their offerings of fresh fruit, drinks, dried foods and other assortments of products.  This process is repeated with nearly every stop along the river. When the cargo is off loaded and the new passengers with their cargo are finally on board, the ferry pushes away from the river bank and begins its slow crawl toward its next destination.

The first stop will be unique, the second stop is interesting, the next few stops are like the first two but with less charm and eventually you find yourself becoming just a bit bored and now your are trying to find something to occupy your mind and time, knowing full well that only a few hours have passed and there are so many more to go before you are deposited on the arriving jetty, late at night at your destination.  Bring a good book. Total trip time was close to 13 hours with stops.

After about seven hours of this, you have taken dozens of photographs, mostly of the same landscapes, boats, villages, people on the boat, locals and you are thinking why did I take the slow boat, then you remember, you did this because you had the time, it cost less, you wanted an unusual experience and no one really told you what it was like because they either can not articulate clearly or were embarrassed to admit that they might have been a bit disappointed themselves in the overall experience.

The river is wide and the boat crawls along at its predictable slow pace, the sun beating down on the metal roof of the upper deck but since you wanted a plastic chair, this is where you must sit and then as the sun begins to set, you discover you are on the wrong side of the boat, it begins to cook your skin sending you fleeing for the other side and shade.

Oxen going home loaded

For someone like me, being a photographer, I was able to find things which kept me occupied and that was fortunate for me because I truly dislike falling asleep in a plastic chair and I did not bring any good books to read. 

However, remember, what is written is an observation, but one that comes from many years of travel throughout the world on a wide range of transport, even donkey carts and I truly believe after observing the behavior of the other passengers and talking with them, I have written accurately about the basic feel of the experience down to the tedium of the journey toward the end before arriving in Bagan.

There is a reward that waits

Just remember, I have tried to present a realistic written account of this voyage and I do not write from a personal point of view or bias.  As a travel writer I sometimes find the journeys such as this one more rewarding than others and I do recommend that if you have the time, then you should take the slow boat to Bagan. You will then have an experience you can relate to others when you return home.