Boats on the Irrawaddy River

Hi, I always have been intrigued with river traffic and our cruise on the Irrawaddy River in Burma was, therefore, extremely interesting for me. I have presented below images showing typical boats I was able to photograph.

I believe these three boats carry local passengers and freight.

This boat is used for day trip river cruises out of Mandalay.

This boat appeared to carry short haul passengers and freight.

The two boats in the foreground are lashed together with logs.  Only the one with the pilot house is powered.

This is a very fancy looking boat for overnight river cruises (above and below).

We saw many "long tail" boats in both Bangkok and Burma.  The engine is mounted on a shaft near the stern of the boat and power from the engine is transmitted through the shaft to a propeller at the end under the water.  The boat is steered by moving the shaft from side to side.  Small boats like the one above also are used to transport people and freight, as well as for fishing.

Here's another long tailed boat; this one carrying passengers.

These are all day trip boats out of Mandalay.

Boats like this haul general freight on the river.  Some short haul passengers also may be carried.

These boats are docked in Mandalay.

Barges with tug boats also make an appearance.  This barge is loaded with Teak logs.

Here are 2 views of the boat we traveled on (above and below).  It has a capacity of 34 passengers and 29 crew.

This is a larger river cruise boat (above and below).

I have included the photo above and the 3 below to provide some idea of the differences in design between our boats and those in other places in the world.

Thanks for looking.

Irrawaddy River, Burma - 7

Hi, When we woke up for our last day of touring off the river boat we had a beautiful sunrise.

I think these are fisherman getting an early start on their day.

Our first stop was a monastery the outside of which was decorated with carvings of scenes.  Each of the scenes was described in both Burmese and English.

Inside were, as we had come to expect, numerous statues of Buddha.  This one was dated from the 13th century.

The other statues were much newer.  I think this one was from the 18th century.

Some of us then walked through the area near the monastery.  This provided an opportunity to see numerous structures, including these temples (above and 2 below),

this gate to an area with numerous sitting Buddhas,

and these statues that appear to be monks.

Other structures include this ruin of an old Library,

and a number of colonial buildings.

As we found previously, the local people willingly posed for photos.  The children were wonderful (above and below).

These monks were enjoying a bit of respite and conversation and

these older women were resting outside their homes.

Carts pulled by a team of cattle are still quite prevalent and

trucks are overloaded in the traditional Asian way.

We returned to the boat briefly.  The sun was now coming into our windows from the opposite side of the river and glinting off the water.  This provided a nice silhouette. 

That evening we were taken to the top of a high tower.  This gave a commanding view of the surrounding temples.

We arrived in time to view sunset.

After sunset I took a cart ride around the temple grounds.  I asked my driver to stop so I could take this photo.  Thanks for looking.

Irrawaddy River, Burma - 6

Hi, We began our day with a visit to shop that manufactured and sold lacquer ware.

When we arrived the owner explained the processes used to produce these beautiful pieces.

After the initial shape is formed from woven bamboo it is covered with a number of layers of a lacquer made from tree sap.  Each layer is allowed to harden and is then polished before the next layer is applied.

The final base layer, brown in this case, is then decorated by hand.  After decoration is completed protective layers of clear lacquer are applied and polished.  Having seen the items made Ruthe and I purchased a tissue box holder.

Our next destination was the Ananda Phaya temple (above and below).  While Ruthe went inside I took these exterior views.

As per usual there were a number of Buddhas including

four standing, one of which is shown above.

While outside I photographed some older temples I had seen from the bus on our arrival.

Our next stop was another temple, this one atop a hill over looking the Irrawaddy River.  We stopped on the way up for some pictures.  Note the temples across the river.

The temple at the top of the hill was pretty typical, however,

a steep flight of stairs led from the street where we exited the bus to the temple area.

I don't know the significance of this wheel but it was the only time I saw one during our trip.

All temples have gongs.  I think they are struck by people who have had a good thing happen in their lives.  However, this was the only time I saw one hung between two human statues.

Another decoration in the temple.  Thanks for looking.