When we signed-up for a tour of the Galapagos Islands we imagined ourselves aboard our vessel, following in Beagle’s wake and mimicking Charles Darwin’s observations ashore. That’s not quite how things unfolded, though our five days in the archipelago proved as unforgettable as we’d hoped.

Our group of about 30 others was mostly from California’s Sierra foothills and organized by local veteran traveler and group leader, Lanny. He worked through Go Ahead Tours to arrange the itinerary, including the Galapagos, mainland Ecuador and Peru, international and local air transportation, accommodations, local guides in each country and more.

 Our guide Alejandro and a giant tortoise

Though we wished the river cruise had lasted longer, we were looking forward to seeing Inle Lake, and we are so glad we took the opportunity to do so. A 30-minute flight from Mandalay brought us to Heho Airport in Shan State. At an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet, we experienced an abrupt change in temperature, feeling almost chilly after experiencing nothing but heat and humidity since arriving in the country.

 
Tea with our guide Kyi  & local young people/Farm market in Aungpan

 Our itinerary, christened “The Pagan–Mandalay Packet” by our operator, Pandaw River Adventures, travels a roughly 150 mile stretch of the Ayeyarwady River, (also known as the Irrawaddy), from Bagan (Pagan) to Mandalay and beyond to Nwe Nyein. This river, rising in the eastern Himalayas and emptying into the Bay of Bengal through a vast delta, is considered the life blood of the country. Ancient capitals line its banks. It has long been a thoroughfare, and transportation artery, immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as “the Road to Mandalay.”

   A modern Chedi/We tour Pakokku by tuk tuk

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