Burma Days: In the footsteps of 1ohn

Orwellfootsteps of George Orwell

As I stood at the rail oI the RV Pandaw IV looking towards Katha in Burma, I wondered how
George Orwell must have Ielt as he arrived at this remote Upper Irrawaddy river port, which
has changed very little. We had been on the Pandaw IV Ior several days, and I was looking
Iorward to seeing the home in which George Orwell had lived in 1926-27.

George his real name was Eric Blair had been posted to Katha while a colonial police
oIIicer, and the town had become the scene oI his Iirst book, 'Burma Days. It must have
been a lonely liIe, and George clearly drew the short straw Ior he could have been sent to
thriving and bustling Mandalay even today a Iar livelier place!

My wiIe had purchased a pirated copy oI 'Burma Days at the Bagan airport, where we had
landed Irom Rangoon.

'CareIul, I grinned, recalling a similar episode when I had bought a Lonely Planet Guide
some years earlier in Hanoi, 'You are likely to Iind pages missing or out oI sequence.

Now, as the Pandaw crew tied up at the mooring, I had vision oI George`s Iormer home
sitting grandly amid tropical gardens as something oI a large museum piece Ior visiting
Orwell addicts.

Such was not to be the case.

The 26 passengers plus my wiIe and I piled into about a dozen horse drawn carts, and
rumbled through the streets oI Katha, past the old British Club, with its overgrown tennis
court, reIerred to in 'Burma Days - and came to a grinding halt at the spot`.

We climbed Irom the carts, eagerly walked to the entrance to George`s property and stared up
a long pathway that led some 50 metres to a two-storey ramshackle home that was overgrown
with vines and greenery.

'This where George Orwell wrote book, said our guide solemnly. 'Can`t go closer. House
lived in by old woman.

But the guide was wrong. 'Burmese Days was actually written over a period oI six years
aIter George had contracted Dengue Fever and leIt Burma in 1927. Katha certainly provide
the scene Ior the book, but not the plot.

So we all stood and gaped at the rundown house, with most oI us including myselI taking
several photographs. The mansion must have been grand during the 1920`s when George
stayed there. But these days it looks like so many oI Burma`s old and historic houses and
buildings. In its heyday the home must have been splendid, and one could lmaglne Ceorge
Crwell slLLlng ln a manlcured garden under a Lree slpplng gln and Lonlcs
And my wlfe by Lhls Llme was also flndlng Lhe 8urmese uays" somewhaL dlsappolnLlng for Lrue Lo
my prophecy varlous pages were mlsslng from Lhe clearly phoLosLaLLed book!

lcLuresque kaLha was also Lhe flnal resLlng place of Lhe old lrrawaddy floLllla when over a hundred
shlps were scuppered ln 1942 Lo prevenL Lhem from falllng lnLo Lhe hands of Lhe lnvadlng !apanese
1he Lown sLlll has a surprlslng number of now derellcL colonlalsLyle homes all overgrown by [ungle
yeL provlde a wonderful legacy of Lhe lmperlal colonlal days

We should noL have been surprlsed 8urma ls poverLy sLrlcken counLry ruled by a despoLlc mlllLary
[unLa and has been for some 40 years Lven ln 8angoon now called ?angon many of Lhe colonlal
bulldlngs are crumbllng and mouldy MosL have grass growlng on Lhelr roofs and from cracks ln Lhelr
walls A greaL number have sprouLed small Lrees

8uL 8urma l refuse Lo call lL Myanmar ls a counLry of greaL characLer populaLed by Lhe mosL
hosplLable and frlendly people

We had boarded Lhe 33meLre andaw lv ln 8agan afLer Laklng a bus Lour pasL Lhe hundreds of
Lemples LhaL rlse from Lhe surroundlng plalns Many are ln a dllapldaLed condlLlon buL durlng Lhe
early mornlng when Lhe llghL ls aL lLs besL Lhey presenL a memorable and magnlflcenL slghL

As each day of Lhe 10nlghL crulse melLed lnLo each oLher one could be forglven for forgeLLlng LhaL
Lhe year was 2008 because llLLle has changed along Lhe upper lrrawaddy 8emove Lhe elecLrlclLy
and moLorblkes and Lhe few cars and Lhe year could easlly have been ln Lhe 1920s

Lach mornlng and afLernoon Lhere were ouLsLandlngly lnLeresLlng onshore excurslons lasLlng
beLween 90 mlnuLes and Lwo hours

ln Mandalay we saw gold leaf belng made Loured sllver and marble carvlng workshops and
marvelled aL Lhe largesL pagoda ln 8urma

AL Mlngun we saw Lhe world's largesL worklng bell and a 30meLre hlgh unflnlshed pagoda LhaL ls
Lhe world's largesL slngle mass of brlck bulldlng
We explored rlver vlllages where Luropeans are a novelLy and generally only seen once or Lwlce a
year when a andaw vessel sLops Cn one lsland we vlslLed a local school provldlng lL wlLh glfLs of
noLebooks penclls erasers sharpeners and colourlng books ln reLurn Lhe chlldren sang for us

Cur voyage passed Lhrough Lhe upper lrrawaddy's flrsL and second deflles where Lhe rlver narrows
and ls bounded by Lowerlng [ungle covered cllffs buL we were denled enLry Lo Lhe Lhlrd and flnal
deflle [usL before our flnal desLlnaLlon 8hamo near Lhe 8urmeseChlna border 1he mlllLary had
decreed LhaL because our arrlval was around Lhe Llme of Lhe flrsL annlversary of Lhe ?ellow
8ebelllon we could noL enLer Lhls anclenL and remoLe Lown 1hls rebelllon relaLed Lo Lhe uprlslng by
8uddhlsL monks

AfLer exlLlng Lhe second deflle and wlLhln an hour's crulslng Llme of 8hamo we Lurned and headed
back Lo Mandalay A hlghllghL on arrlval ln Lhe clLy was a vlslL Lo Lhe 12km Leak fooLbrldge whlch
spans Lake 1aungLhaman 1he andaw' lv's purser Wln surprlsed us as we saL ln small rowlng boaLs
on Lhe waLer by produclng an esky wlne glasses and coplous quanLlLles of a dellclous cockLall Pe
proceeded Lo hand a glass of chllled cockLall Lo everyone as Lhe rowers propelled Lhe boaLs pasL hls!

Cn our flnal nlghL ln Mandalay Lhe enLlre crew was presenLed Lo us all prlor Lo en[oylng farewell
cockLalls and nlbbles followed by Lhe evenlng meal

1hen lL was on a plane from Mandalay back Lo 8angoon where we spenL several days aL a
marvellous bouLlque hoLel called Lhe Savoy where a hlghllghL are Lhe hoLel's Lhree peL ducks
wonderful food and club sandwlches and beer by Lhe pool

Cur only black spoL had been on Lhe flrsL nlghL ouL of 8agan when a freak hurrlcane forced us Lo
abandon shlp for abouL 90 mlnuLes and sLand ln ankle deep mud unLll Lhe sLorm passed over 1he
experlence Lhe flrsL Llme ln some 13 years lL has occurred and whlch ls unllkely Lo happen agaln
was memorable and bonded Lhe passengers for Lhe remalnder of Lhe crulse SlLLlng on an lrrawaddy
lsland ln deck chalrs drlnklng wlne from boLLles LhaL are belng passed around Lends Lo do LhaL!

1he andaw fleeL of four vessels are operaLed by Lhe lrrawaddy lloLllla Company and are repllcas
bullL by ScoLsman aul SLrachan wlLh Lhe name harklng back Lo Lhe laLe 1800s and 1900s when rlver
Lrafflc ln 8urma was Lhe only reallsLlc way Lo Lravel 1he fleeL also operaLes along Lhe Mekong
(vleLnam and Cambodla) Lhe 8a[ang (8orneo) and laLer Lhls year wlll sLarL operaLlng along Lhe
Poogll and Lhe Canges (lndla)

All are well equlpped wlLh up Lo 28 double cablns an excellenL dlnlng room wlLh expanslve vlews
forward saloon and a magnlflcenL panoramlc sundeck equlpped wlLh Leak lounges and raLLan
furnlLure and Lables

Meals are excellenL 8reakfasLs are buffeL sLyle and lnclude any cholce of eggs (cooked whlle you
walL) bacon sausages LomaLoes cereals frulL and cheeses plus several Aslan dlshes Lunch ls also
buffeL sLyle and very exLenslve wlLh marvellous salads hoL and cold dlshes and fresh frulL

1he evenlng meal sllghLly more formal ls always Lhree courses wlLh Lhe maln generally belng
Aslan dlshes from 1halland vleLnam 8urma or Cambodla

1he crulse has a number of lncluslons such as local sofL drlnk beer Lea and coffee and wlne plus
dellclous cakes and blsculLs LhaL are baked each day by Lhe chefs

Cnboard enLerLalnmenL several nlghLs lncluded superb puppeL shows and 8urmese balleL and fold
danclng

WaLer ls boLLled alLhough Lhe vessel also has an onboard uv and osmosls LreaLmenL sysLem

8urma ls a magnlflcenL counLry and sadly because of Lhe mlllLary reglme few people vlslL 1hose
wllllng Lo do so reap a wealLh of memorable momenLs and dlscover LhaL Lhe 8urmese are splendld
people wlLh a wonderful ouLlook on llfe desplLe Lhe despoLlc mlllLary governmenL