Once again, I attempted a photograph of the sunrise on the Ayeyarwaddy. I was brought up on Kipling's poetic image of sunrise on what the British called the 'Irrawaddy' where he writes "The dawn comes up like thunder outa China 'cross the bay". I'm still not sure what he meant. Instead of dwelling on this, I had breakfast whilst the Captain moved the ship downstream from its overnight mooring to Katha.
By now, all the guests were getting quite used to the routine of being taken ashore by the two Fast Boats. Waiting for us this time, on our second visit to Katha, were not 'trishaws' but a line of 2-wheel horse-drawn covered 'traps' which are used as taxis. When everyone was allocated to 'trap', the procession moved off. We turned inland and then took the turn leading to Katha Railway Station. Through the diminuitive ticket window (such as stations in England once had) the almost-invisible booking clerk was handing out pasteboard tickets one at a time for the special train waiting in the single platform. The train was headed by a fairly battered diesel-hydraulic locomotive of German origin and the train comprised three 'Upper Class' corridor coaches in excellent condition, by Myanmar Railway standards, with a 'composite' coach ('Ordinary Class'/'Luggage'/'Guard') bringing up the rear.
I don't think the 'Road to Mandalay' Guests would have been happier to discover that the 'Luggage' section contained re-railing jacks, spare sleepers and tools to deal with the problems if the train became derailed!
Two years before, after a bit of negotiation, I had managed to travel in the cab of the locomotive (there's a full description here, with links to pictures and the report on the return journey). This time, somebody on the railway decided it was not possible. The mechanic from my earlier journey recognised me and was very friendly. He explained to the driver (who looked very smart in a uniform with a name badge) that I also drove trains. I hadn't managed to bring any prints with me but I had loaded a few of my railway pictures into my camera and these were studied by everyone around the locomotive. The driver became very friendly and he had surprisingly good English. He allowed me into the cab and engine room to take some quick pictures but then I had to board the train. As is fairly standard practice in Burma, I left the coach door open and stood in the doorway to take pictures. Although 'Road to Mandalay' staff invited me to sit and were clearly concerned for my safety, they eventually accepted that I was intent on travelling like that, so I was able to get some technical pictures on the way to assist my understanding.
Leaving Katha, there were a lot of mainly bamboo buildings near the track and plenty of of people wanted to wave at the special train. We then passed through fields and crops, passing the tiny halts of Netyetwin and Langma. Up until this point, we had tantalising views of a cloud-covered mountain range - Gangaw Taung, I think. But now jungle closed in around us and our views were restricted. The railway has to insinuate itself through these mountains, partly by climbing and partly by twisting left and right. After about one and three quarter hours, the jungle receded and we approached Naba through more fields. To reach the platform, we had to travel right through the station, wait for the points to be switched and then reverse. By the time we were able to get off, it was about two hours after our departure from Katha, giving us an average speed of not much above 10 miles per hour. Students at the Katchin College gave the 'Road to Mandalay' Guests a performance of ethnic music and dancing on the platform and 'Road to Mandalay' staff provided refreshments. A larger audience was provided by local people who were generally happy to watch from behind the barriers which had been set up.
We then divided into groups with our various guides for a walking tour of the pretty village of Naba. As we walked through the various lanes there were (like everywhere) numerous photogenic children. A brief stop was made at a private lending library where there seemed to be an off-shoot business producing snacks.
We looked at the mechanics of a business producing noodles which was situated in and around a timber-built house with a colourful garden. Our route back to the station used a much-used footpath which crossed one of the sidings. A train had inconsiderately been parked in this siding, severing the footpath. Pragmatism had come to the rescue and two railway sleepers had been laid in between two of the parked wagons. One sleeper was laid from the ground on one side with the other end resting on the top of the coupling between the two wagons, the other sleeper has been similarly placed on the other side, providing a bridge in the form of an inverted, shallow 'V'. Whilst we crossed, a couple of men were on hand to assist anybody who was in difficulty.
Back at the station, there were a few minutes for me to talk with the driver and crew. The driver had his digital camera with him and insisted on getting the Mechanic to take a posed picture of he and I shaking hands.
Then, it was time to set off on the return journey to Katha which took around a couple of hours. I remained standing in the open doorway of the coach behind the engine for most of the journey, so I was hot and tired by the time rolled into Katha. I think the Guests enjoyed the trip but everybody was tired by the time the horse-drawn 'traps' had returned us to the landing steps and the Fast Boats had transferred us to the 'Road to Mandalay'.
I enjoyed a buffet lunch in the restaurant as the ship continued downstream. The day was still hot so a decided on a swim in the pool on the top deck. As I left the pool, dark clouds approached us, a strong wind started and within minutes there was a heavy rainstorm. I retired to my cabin until the storm blew itself out. As it became dark, we anchored midstream at Kyan Hnyat (where we'd gone ashore a few days earlier). There were some amazing cloud effects as the sun sank below the horizon. As you might expect, the clouds in the west were tinted red as the last of the sunlight was refracted. But there was sufficient light to illuminate the clouds in the east a very dramatic pink.
A tiring, but enjoyable, day was completed by a dinner comprising typical Burmese dishes.
Photographs:
Private Train to Naba.
Katha to Naba (mainly 'technical' pictures).
Naba Station (mainly 'technical' pictures)
Naba to Katha (mainly 'technical' pictures).
