Morning shore excursion to Mingun Temple that was an attempt of the worlds biggest temple by King Bodawphaya who was the 4th King of the last dynasty of Burma. The donor King started the construction in 1790 but halted after 25 years when he fell sick. It is an unfinished pagoda and became the greatest pile of bricks in the world after an earthquake broke out in 1838. We walked to visit Myatheintan pagoda, founded in 1816 by the crown prince Ba Gyi Daw for his de...

Up early for breakfast before our 08.30 walk around Tagoung one of the oldest capitals of Myanmar. Don't think I know a country with so many past capitals but they don't take long to get around. Continued sailing downstream and had a tour of the boat during the afternoon. Speaking to a couple in the evening they told us about when they flew from Yangon to Bagan by KBZ air someone told them that it was run by military henchmen and as it turns out they also run th...

This morning we walked around a village called Moedar which was fascinating although all the towns and villages are starting to look the same. Had my watch strap repaired for 200 kyat being about 11p and a good job he did so I gave him 300. I know, i am just too generous. Another passenger brought a nice watch for £3.66 and it's still going. At 15.30 we visited Hti Gyine town and climbed 232 steps up the pagoda Hill which had some stunning views over the Irrawa...

Today was mostly spent on the boat and we had a presentation about Buddhism with some of their beliefs being a little contradictory when you consider what's happening in the country. After lunch we passed through the second defile a channel of the Irrawaddy having three gorges with cliffs towering over the narrow channel. At 16.00 we had a walking tour of kyun Daw a small village that has countless small pagodas, myself and an Australian decided to take a pair ...

Today we arrived at Katha, setting for George Orwell's Myanmar Days. After breakfast we went by trishaw which apparently carry 3 Asians or 1 westerner. We looked in on the local fire station which has a collection of bells taken from sunken ships in the second world war. Katha was the final resting place of the old flotilla and here over a hundred ships were scuppered on 1942 in an act of denial before the advancing Japanese. We visited George Orwells house that ...