This boat was not going anywhere soon.
Rob serenading us on the way to our boat.
All these boats were docked away from the town because the water was so low.
BOAT!
The water was a fairy nausea-inducing colour.
Not the most comfortable chair.
Stands by the 'dock' to feed us prior to boarding.
Resident cat.
Where all the magic happens.
Swiss misses & Rob
Aloof 'in my corner' guy.
The deck where most of the boat slept.
Locals watching crazy Rob swim in the Ayeyarwaddy.
Making new friends.
A quick snack before we pushed away from Bhamo.
Resident dog.
Table in the middle of a sandbar (but good rice!).
Best. Walkman. Ever.
Lounging on deck prior to departing.
The kitchen!
The general store!
The bottom deck!
Eclipse O'clock begins! http://bit.ly/hpR3wO
Probably not the best way to view an eclipse. We told him as much, but he didn't listen.
Star of the show!
Making the international 'eclipse o'clock' sign.
Sounding the horn!
The crew had these long bamboo polls, marked for water height, and would poll as we glided through the Ayeyarwaddy. Waters were low and the boat would brush the sand at the bottom quite often.
Resident baby. They jokingly tried to throw him overboard, to the glee of the other crew members. The baby was less excited.
Not so interested in the eclipse anymore: the co-captain.
Neither was his grandson.
Flock of birds over the water.
Uh....questionable. Also, the fact that it is in English made us all fairly suspicious of how legitimate a sign it was.
Dusk over the river.
Monestary on the bank of the Ayeyarwaddy just past Bhamo.
Me and the Swiss Misses hanging out on deck.
Random fish painted on a rock.
Oil barrels aplenty at the side of the river.
I loved these colourful longtails.
Lots of teak transported here too. On board was a government official who would glare at me suspiciously whenever I'd take a photo of oil or teak.
Clothes drying on deck.
Swiss misses looking at the view.
This was the ferry headed in the other direction, from Mandalay to Bhamo. We met up with them when our captain heard they got stuck for hours in the sandbars.
Coming closer......
To "close enough to hold hands".
These people were all on the other boat. Very confused to see tourists on board ours!
On our way again, the captain having conferred with his colleague to avoid getting stuck.
And about 2 minutes later? We did. This is the crew, using the bamboo poles as leverage. Bit by bit, we moved enough to free ourselves (several hours later.)
Getting off at Katha! Small stop but at least we could walk around.
Cargo for the boat.
Exploring the alleyways winding through Katha.
I loved this man's face.s
Markus taking some photos on the river's edge.
Loading the supplies for the boat.
Bye bye Katha!
Time to drive the boat.
First attempts at Karaoke.
Rob making friends - those are his glasses.
Quiet dinner on deck.
Swiss Miss, sleeping on deck.
A nighttime stop on Day 1.
Karaoke off between me and the captain.
The captain was hilarious - really got into singing and brought his crew in for backup!
