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Day 1: MANDALAY
Welcome on board the Sanctuary Ananda. At 12.30pm check in and settle into your suite.
For those guests arriving on an earlier flight we can arrange a tour of Mandalay. This will include a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, Shwenandaw Monastery and lastly a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda (Maha Lawka Marazein). Kuthodaw is often called the biggest book in the world, for surrounding it are 729 marbleslabs inscribed with the Tripitaka texts (Buddhist cannon).
Lunch will be served on board as we cruise towards the pagoda sprinkled hills of Sagaing where there are said to be no fewer than 554 monasteries and home to 6,000 monks and nuns.
We will take a short stop at several of the monasteries and pagodas, but it is the views from the top of the hill on the terraces of the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda which are truly breathtaking.
Below and all around, pagodas of different shapes and sizes dot the landscape.
Before returning to the ship we will visit a silversmith’s workshop in the village of Ywataung where the craftsmen are renowned for their engraving skills, also stopping by a convent to interact with the local nuns and see their beautiful way of life.
Dinner will be served on a sandbank overlooking Mingun where the landscape is dominated by the remains of King Bodawpaya’s folly: a pagoda which if finished would have stood some 500 feet high (152.4 metres). After seven years of frenetic building, the project was halted as the King’s astronomers warned that if the great pagoda were ever to be finished the country would be ruined.
Dinner will be followed by a local performance on the banks of the river.
Day 2: MINGUN
For those who wish, an early morning visit to the village of Sin Kyun is offered, a village just north of Mandalay sponsored by Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy. It has a population of just under 1,000 inhabitants and specialises in farming and hat making. Witness first-hand the way of life in this unspoilt location seldom viewed by outsiders.
Following the village Chief’s request for a library and a house for an English teacher, Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy donated the money necessary to begin this new partnership. We hope that with the support of Sanctuary Ananda guests, we will be able to provide further funds to improve the quality of life of the villagers.
On arrival in Mingun, an ox-cart will be our mode of transport through this sleepy and attractive village. The first stop will be at the unfinished Mingun pagoda.Nearby stands the massive Mingun Bell that measures more than 12 feet high (3.66 metres) and 16 feet wide (4.88 metres). Lastly we come to a most unusual white pagoda known as Myatheindan (Hsinbyume).
We will return to the ship and start sailing south. Visually Myanmar is unique: the eye is constantly delighted by scenes of casual, almost unintended beauty. Ladies perched on rocks natter as they do their daily wash. An ox-cart waits on the banks for a boat to arrive and unload its goods. Relax as we sail past villages, set against a backdrop of soft browns, rich tamarind trees with white and golden pagodas gracing the distant hills. There is no better way to enjoy this riverine picture than from the Kansi panorama lounge.
After lunch a variety of on board activities will be offered including a longyi (sarong) and thanaka (cosmetic) demonstration, a cooking school with the chef, cheroot and betel nut tasting and a talk on Myanmar – covering the country’s incredibly rich history, the recent controversial decades to the
outlook for the future.
Once the Sanctuary Ananda has reached her mooring for the evening, dinner will be served.
Day 3: PAKOKKU
For those who wish, a meditation and yoga training session will be available before breakfast.
Trishaws will take us to the local market in Pakokku, where mouth-watering fruit and vegetables are laid out with consummate style. Then to the cheroot factory, where we will be able to watch the girls
roll and make the cheroots with great speed and dexterity.
We will return to the ship for lunch while we sail on to Bagan. The afternoon will begin with a drive to the southern area of Bagan, Myinkaba village and the Manuha Temple. Built by deposed Mon King,
Manuha in 1059 this two-storey temple conveys a melancholy message. The three Buddha images there in are uncomfortably large for their enclosures, thus illustrating his captivity and mental stress.
Beside the Manuha Temple is the charming Nanpaya Temple, King Manuha’s residence, which boasts some beautiful stone carvings. Close by is another Mon-style temple, Gubyaukgyi built by Prince Rajakumar in 1113, the inner sanctum is decorated with frescoes, which have been restored.
We will then return to the Sanctuary Ananda at 6.30pm for dinner and a local performance on
board.
Day 4: SALE
Begin the day by watching the sun rise from amidst the plain on a temple terrace in the company of a meditation expert. Alternatively, at 5.30am take an optional balloon tour (an additional charge applies) to capture a birds-eye view of the Bagan plain.
The Sanctuary Ananda will set sail passing Chauk, one of the original oilfields where the nodding ‘donkeys’ (oil well pumps) stand by the river bank still working away. On arrival in Sale we will visit Yoke Sone Kyaung monastery, a fine teak building with some beautifully crafted reliefs. A host of small white stupas interspersed with some Italianate monasteries, stand near Yoke Sone Kyaung. Then on to a small temple Tha-ta-na Kyaung to look at a Buddha image made of bamboo.
The afternoon will be spent sailing, with a range of on board activities available for guests to enjoy.
Then return to the ship at 6pm for a traditional Shan dinner with our Captain.
Day 5: MINANTHU
In the morning visit Minanthu village in the heart of the Bagan plain, to see the way of life of the local people, before progressing to Paya Thone Zu. Dating from the late 13th century these three brick temples joined together house some fine murals. Then on to a brick factory and the village of Myinkaba, a centre of the ancient craft of lacquerware. Here in the workshop the traditional methods are still used. The last stop is at a jaggery workshop which produces unrefined sugar. The sap is collected from the toddy palm in a little pot and is then boiled to produce sweets.
Lunch will be served on board.
This afternoon we will first visit the Ananda Temple. Completed in 1091 AD, it is commonly referred to as one of the four great temples in Bagan. The Ananda is regarded by folklore as one of the most beautiful temples in Myanmar. A traditional horse cart will then take us to Htilominlo Temple; a two-storey red-brick temple built around 1211 AD. It is a magnificent structure, though now heavily restored.
The day’s finale is a quiet moment on the terraces of the Pyathatgyi Temple. Admire the light change
on the pagodas as they exude antiquity and mystery. Finally the sun sets behind the hills on the far side of the Ayeyarwady, filling the sky with a reddish glow, a truly magic moment.
In the evening, we will experience a traditional Shan dinner with our Captain, while enjoying a local
performance.
Day 6: BANGAN
Begin the day by watching the sun rise from amidst the plain on a temple terrace in the company of a meditation expert. Alternatively, at 5.30am take an optional balloon tour (an additional charge applies) to capture a birds-eye view of the Bagan plain.
After breakfast we will visit Bagan to see the bustling Nyaung U local market. The market, which takes place every day, is where the farmers meet to buy and sell a variety of goods, ranging from fruit and vegetables to china and lacquerware.
Next, on to the great golden Shwezigon Pagoda, begun by King Anawrahta and finished by his son King Kyanzittha, in 1087 AD. This holds a special place among Burmese pagodas for two reasons: it was the first major monument built in the Burmese style (as distinct from Mon style) following the country’s conversion to Theravada Buddhism, and was the first pagoda to have nat (spirit) images allowed within the precinct. The Shwezigon is said to contain important relics of the Gautama Buddha, two bones and a copy of a tooth.
Afterwards, discover the local traditional craft of lacquerware making in a workshop in Myinkaba.
We will return to the ship and start sailing north. An afternoon for peaceful reflection of this beautiful country where time itself moves at a different pace and perhaps more discussion on its history and what lies ahead for Myanmar whilst enjoying the comfort of Sanctuary Ananda.
Once the ship has reached her mooring for the evening, a delicious dinner will be served.
Day 7: MINGUN
For those who wish, a meditation and yoga training session will be available before breakfast. The morning will be spent sailing and enjoying the passing countryside. We will arrive in the once mighty capital Ava (Inwa) which is now a rural and quiet village that is best visited by horse cart. Ava has many unique sites on offer including the imposing Bagaya Kyaung pagoda famous for its 277 teak pillars.
We will then drive onto Amarapura, once known as ‘The City of Immortals’, which in its heyday held some 200,000 inhabitants. Today, the leisurely ‘clack-clack’ from the looms of the cotton and silk weavers has replaced the noisy bustle of this former capital. We will visit one of the textile workshops,
followed by the U Bein Bridge, a spectacular place to enjoy the sunset. This long teak bridge snakes across the Taungthaman Lake. It was constructed in 1847 by Mayor U Bein. The cunning mayor pocketed the money allocated for the bridge and re-used the timbers from the abandoned Ava Palace. The king saw through the ruse and the mayor was charged with fraud.
After enjoying the sunset we will catch a boat up the Ayeyarwaddy River and return to the Sanctuary Ananda.
A sandbank dinner overlooking the magical Mingun will be served at 7.30pm which will be followed by a local performance on the banks of the river.
Day 8: MANDALAY
For those who wish, an early morning visit to the village of Sin Kyun is offered, a village just north of Mandalay sponsored by Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy. It has a population of just under 1,000 inhabitants and specialises in farming and hat making. Witness first-hand the way of life in this unspoilt location seldom viewed by outsiders.
Following the village Chief’s request for a library and a house for an English teacher, Sanctuary Retreats Philanthropy donated the money necessary to
begin this new partnership. We hope that with the support of Sanctuary Ananda guests, we will be able to provide further funds to improve the quality of life of the villagers.
At 8:30am we depart for Mandalay, arriving at 9:45am for check out.
If you are departing on a later flight we will arrange for you to take a tour in Mandalay. This will include a visit to Mahamuni Pagoda, one of Myanmar’s most religious monuments housing the revered Mahamuni Image. It is said to have been sculpted in the presence of the Gautama Buddha during a visit to the Kingdom of Arakan. The 12’6” foot (3.81 metres) high-seated image has a legendary origin and a complex history.
Continue on to visit Shwenandaw Monastery, the only palace building to survive the bombings of World War II. This beautiful teak monastery had been the apartment of King Mindon and after his death in 1879, his son King Thibaw, moved it out of
the palace. Lastly a visit to Kuthodaw Pagoda (Maha Lawka Marazein) built by King Mindon in 1857, in effect, a copy of the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan. Kuthodaw is often called the biggest book
in the world, for surrounding it are 729 marble slabs inscribed with the Tripitaka texts (Buddhist cannon).
