Round the World Five - Day 12 (Mon, 17 Mar)

Itinerary: Monday, 17th March, Las Vegas. Nothing pre-planned.

Well, after the sudden cold weather and the setbacks of yesterday, I'm not sure what I'll have the energy to do. Perhaps it should be a "day at leisure" before my planned departure from Las Vegas on Tuesday morning.

In the event, it was a bit more active than that. I went out before 8 a.m. with thoughts of looking at notebook computers in Fry's. It was dry and the sun was out but there was such a sharp wind that I nearly went back in (I'd only a thin, short-sleeved jacket). But, being stubborn, I walked to the Southbound bus stop. However, a Northbound 'Deuce' bus arrived first so I bought an All-Day ticket (five dollars) and decided to go all the way downtown and look at the older part of the city in the daylight. Well, I did. Fremont Street was quieter than the other night, but tourists were starting to emerge. This old part is definitely more down-market than the main part of the 'Strip' but I think MGM are heavily involved in a plan to re-develop chunks of the area. Eventually, I succumbed to the chill wind and bought a maroon short coat. There goes another 9.99 dollars plus Sales Tax!

After touring some more of the souvenir shops, I caught another 'Deuce' going South, together with a lot of tourists. This time, I stayed on the bus to near its Southern terminus.

State Railroad Museum, Boulder City

The Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs provides support for railway preservation in Nevada. The main Nevada railroad museum is in Carson City. Staff from this museum restored Engine Number 18 'Dayton', a classic American 4-4-0 with diamond stack, which I believe is displayed at the Comstock History Centre in Virginia City. Southern Nevada has its own State Railroad Museum at Boulder City which I was able to visit.

To support the construction of what we now call the Hoover Dam (originally called the Boulder Dam), around 1931 the Union Pacific Railroad built a standard gauge, single line railroad from existing lines near Las Vegas to Boulder City, using 90 pound flat-bottom rail and ties (sleepers) every two feet. The original rails are still in place and the dry desert conditions have allowed the ties to survive as well. The Bureau of Reclamation, responsible for the dam's construction, extended this line to the top of the dam site and then the building contractor for the dam extended the line to the bottom of Black Canyon, where the dam is situated, and to the various worksites. Altogether, 52 miles of track supported the project and, at its peak, 300 cars of materials passed over these lines each day. All traffic on this historic branch ceased some years ago and the track to Las Vegas, whilst retained in place, became severed at the grade crossing (level crossing) in betwenn Railroad Pass Casino and Henderson, when this crossing was concreted over following a series of auto accidents.

Weekend tourist trains now operate from the Museum at Boulder City along about four miles of the currently-isolated track, as far as Railroad Pass Casino. Passengers can only join and leave the train at the the Museum. The weekend operation, and much of the ongoing maintenance and restoration of the artefacts, is enthusiastically supported by volunteers. Following the completion of the new road bridge currently under construction at Hoover Dam and the associated by-pass works intended to remove through traffic from the top of the dam, planned improvements in the road in the vicinity of Railroad Pass Casino may offer the opportunity to re-instate the railroad link to Las Vegas by means of a bridge over the road. It is to be hoped that the authorities recognise the role the re-connected railway could play in enhancing the dam experience for visitors and in the reduction in traffic congestion and carbon footprint which would result.

The star exhibit at the Museum is Union Pacific 844, a diesel electric which has been fully restored and looks very smart in full Union Pacific livery. On the day of my visit, she was in the shop for water pump repairs and number 1000 was running the passenger operation.

In 1938, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors built two diesel-electric locomotive prototypes which toured the country, seeking to demonstrate to the railways the advantages of diesel-electric traction. One of these locomotives was used as a switcher by the Union Pacific, latterly carrying black livery. It is now preserved by the Museum as Number 1000, in the attractive blue livery adopted by the tourist train operation called the 'Nevada Southern Railway'. The power-plant is a 1,000 horse power 2-stroke compression-ignition (diesel) engine (type 567V, I believe) coupled to a 600 volt d.c. generator. The engine is water-cooled and a large radiator at the front is provided with two fans. Air is provided by a 3-pump reciprocating compressor in front of the engine with pumps set at 9, 12 and 3 o'clock, relative to the driving shaft. Two pumps provide first-stage low-pressure air and the third pump delivers second-stage high-pressure air for the braking systems and auxiiaries. Driving controls are arranged in an early form of the 'classic' American configuration of power interlock switch, direction selector and power controller. Engine idle is around 150 r.p.m. and notch 6 gives around (?) r.p.m. The train air brake application valve is provided with a brake force selector settable to 'PASSENGER', 'FREIGHT' or 'OFF'. Below the train brake valve, there is a 'straight air' locomotive brake application valve. Small levers are provided for air sanding and the the bell used in station areas. A cord from the roof controls the air horn.

Pictures around the Museum
Pictures of loco 1000

Round the World Five - Day 11 (Sun, 16 Mar)

Itinerary: Sunday 16th March Wynn. GBM-4 (Monument Valley Day Trip) - $15 fuel surcharge payable at check in Reservation Confirmation #: R-449318 Flight Departure Time: 5:40am Hotel: Wynn Pick up Time & Location: 4:10 a.m. at the Tour & Travel Bus Area Shuttle Operator: Grand Canyon/Scenic Airlines.

Lord knows why I vounteered for such an early start! All these casino/hotel pick-up areas are in the open. Fine for a warm-weather climate but, this morning, it was cold and had been raining in the night. Although the pick-up was about right time, I was already rather cold and miserable. But the day continued downhill from that point, apart from a pleasant interlude in Boulder City. We drove to a different company terminal at the airport, joining other rather weary passengers, to be told that weather conditions might result in cancellation of our trip. We hung around feeling rather dejected for some time until the trip was finally cancelled. Then there was a flurry of activity as refunds were issued or reservations made for later dates. My only possibility would have been Monday, for which improved weather is forecast, but there was no space available.

This is the end of the winter season so this sort of sudden cold snap is by no means unprecedented but it has come as a surprise to locals. I was brought back to the Wynn in a different personnel carrier - it had started to rain again - and decided to have breakfast in one of the many cafes. The air tour company had suggested ringing again about a possible Monday trip, so I made a final enquiry but without success. I'd enquired previously about two 'Pink Jeep' tours for Monday (because I was supposed to be at Monument Valley on Sunday) but there was no space available. So, finally, I checked again with 'Pink Jeep', with no success. By this time, the rain had stopped again, but it remained cold.

Although the hotel had no knowledge of the Nevada Southern Railway at Boulder City, I'd quickly tracked their details on the web and had managed to speak to one of their mechanical engineers, Paul. So I took a taxi out to the site and met the usual friendly bunch of (mainly) volunteers who made me very welcome. 1938-built General Motors EMD diesel electric locomotive number 1000 was already ready with its train and I joined Bob and Ardel in the cab for the first trip. The consist is four miscellaneous passenger cars, a generator car and a caboose. After four miles, the train stops adjacent to Railway Pass casino/hotel and the locomotive then propels the train back to Boulder City. I made the second round trip in the caboose with Chuck and Jeff and then Paul showed me around the well-appointed workshops. After talking with Carl about the history of the railway and its future plans to work into Las Vegas, I returned to the Wynn. My thanks to everybody at the railway for a pleasant interlude. I'll put more technical details in a separate post.

Round the World Five - Day 10 (Sat, 15 Mar)

Itinerary: Saturday, 15th March at the Wynn.

I'd booked a tour with 'Pink Jeep Tours' to visit the iconic Hoover Dam. I was picked up by Mark in an SUV with two middle-aged, pleasant couples already aboard, so we made for the 'Beltway', the 215, and passed by sprawling, and expanding, Henderson, where we turned onto the 93.

Population in the Las Vegas area is increasing by 5,000 each month. In Las Vegas itself, it's mainly casino/hotels development but that's putting housing pressure on places like Henderson. Las Vegas currently has about 135,00 hotel rooms and growing. The MGM Grand has 5,000 rooms supported by 10,000 employees. The group comprising the Venetian and the Palatzzo has 9,000 rooms. The year-round room occupancy rate is over 90%! Las Vegas (which is a major convention centre) has 32 million visitors arriving per year, with a further 6 million arriving by road. Las Vegas has the fifth largest education department in the U.S.A. with 340 schools.

When the Hoover Dam was built, they built a railway about 32 miles from Las Vegas and we meet up with the now disused route at the small casino/hotel called Railroad Pass. This dates from the '30s and is the proud holder of Gaming License Number 4.

Although the railway is disused, the State Department of Museums run a weekend museum at Boulder City Click for the website. Volunteers run a diesel-hauled service about 8 mies to Railroad Pass on Saturday and Sunday. As we entered Boulder City, I spotted the preservation headquarters with the usual rows of railway vehicles.

Boulder City was built to accommodate the workers on the Hoover Dam and a lot of the original buildings survive. The small town is a pleasant relief after Las Vegas and, for that reason, is now a desirable place. The accommodation was placed at Boulder City at least partly because the higher altitude was cooler and gave some relief from the unremitting summer heat at the Dam site. We carry on along the 93 which goes across the Dam en route to Phoenix. They're buiding a new road which will cross Black Canyon just South of the Dam on a new bridge. Following delays, this is now due to finish in a couple of years. About 18 months ago, 100 mp.h. winds in the canyon brought down some of the construction cranes but these have now been redesigned and replaced.

This tour was rather tightly timed so, after a 5-minute photostop on the Lake Mead side of the Dam,we went to the visitor centre to be registered for the tour. This started off in a film theatre with tiered seating and a huge, curved screen. There was the usual 10-minute orientation film which would have been great, except that the picture was awful, at least it was where I was (I was near the front, in the middle so I doubt it was much better elsewhere). Our Dam Guide then took us to the lift to descend the equivalent of 53 stories into the access tunnels cut into the rock. Then it all started to unravel, because his swipe card wouldn't activate the lift. Then we found it wouldn't activate the other lift, either. Then 3 or 4 staff got involved and it was some minutes before we managed to descend, by the expedient of somebody outside the lift calling the lift we were in. There were further delays at the bottom as prior groups were having similar problems ascending. Eventually, we ascended to the level of the Turbine Hall, where there's a viewing gallery at one end. By the time we regained the surface, there was barely time to take photos from the observation deck and check the souvenir shop, because our driver had arranged a meeting time. I commend the little book 'Construction of the Hoover Dam', published by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (ISBN 0-916122-51-4). The standard trip ends here, but I and the people I was with had opted for the 'Optional Upgrade' of a raft trip to view the Dam from water level on the downstream side. We drove a little way back towards Boulder City, parked at the raft company's base and transferred to their own personnel carrier. We crossed the main road and went through a set of electric gates which closed behind us. This was the Lower Portal Road, used during the construction of the dam. The road is steep and twisting to lose about 900 feet in a short journey. We parked by the river where a modern raft, featuring four large inflatable sponsons, awaited us. We had a very enjoyable ride in good weather, with only about a dozen passengers on a raft which can carry at least three times that number. Both the driver of the personnel carrier and the raft driver gave interesting insights into the area and the construction project.

Pictures of Las Vegas.
Pictures of the Hoover Dam.

Round the World Five - Day 9 (Fri, 14 Mar)

Itinerary: Friday, 14th March: Grand Canyon.
Flight Departure Time: 10:00am
Pick up Time & Location: 8:50am at the Tour & Travel Bus Area.
Shuttle Operator: Grand Canyon Helicopters Limousine Las Vegas.
Ground Service Highlights:
Round trip limousine transportation from hotel to hotel. Convenient departures from the Atlantic Terminal at McCarran International Airport. VIP check-in service. VIP passenger lounge complete with an array of seasonal snacks, and refreshments.
Air Service Highlights:
Platinum service utilizes the EC-130 EcoStar exclusively. Professionally trained tour pilots. All forward facing, theater style seating. Stereo aviation headsets with voice activated passenger to passenger and passenger to pilot intercom. Tour narration available in 11 languages, 12 including English. Approximately 75 minute flight time. Return along the Las Vegas Strip.
Grand Canyon Ground Service Highlights:
Private landing site 500 feet from the Colorado River. Stunning up-close views of the Grand Canyon. Three gourmet platters. Sparkling champagne. Ample time for pictures and reflection.

The aircraft landed at Las Vegas around 11.45 p.m., but it was after midnight before we had taxied to the gate. There was then a long walk through the terminal, until we got to a railway station with the usual airport-style automatic train. From what I could see, the terminal we'd arrived at is marooned in the middle of the airport and the train dives down under the runways and taxiways to deliver you to what they call the 'Main Terminal'. Here things became quite busy as we were joined by streams of passengers off other arrivals. It was also noisy, partly because all the passengers appeared to be vacationers in good but loud humour, partly because of large television screens everywhere advertising various Vegas attractions with a loud sound track. Getting to Baggage Carousel 13 turned out to involve another long walk and there was a further wait of about ten minutes before the baggage started to appear. Eventually, my bag appeared safely so I went outside to look for a taxi. Barriers had been erected and there was a 'line' (queue) snaking up and down about four times with hundreds of people. I was getting a bit tired and bad-tempered by then but just gritted my teeth. Admittedly, the taxis were coming thick and fast so I was on my way in ten minutes or so. It's not a long drive to 'The Strip'. In fact, Las Vegas looks more like an airport with a town built round it.

I checked in and was not surprised to have to lug my stuff to the room on my own (as well as find the room from the map I'd been given) but I was not expecting to have to negotiate two huge gaming rooms to get to the elevators (lifts). Also, at 1.15 in the morning I didn't expect the place to be full of people but it was - lots of people arriving and thousands playing the 'slots' or the gaming tables. By contrast, the huge tower block with the Resort Rooms (I'm on floor 53) was deserted. The room is fairly large and quite well appointed, but decorated with execrable taste, falling uneasily and unsuccesfully between 'classic' and 'modern' - but definitely pretentious. On the 'Road To Mandalay' (that already seems such a long time ago) there was an American Human Resources lady currently workng in Hong Kong. She said she'd been on another cruise with the woman who did the interior design of the Wynn and, based on her assessment of the woman, didn't think the decor woud be very nice. Well, I think she was right. But the room has one wall completely glazed with views of the Wynn's golf course, part of the city and the distant mountains so I approve of that (it's a 'Panoramic View' room).

The bed's comfortable so I was soon asleep, but I had to get up fairly early for the 8.50 a.m. pick-up. It was odd to come down to a now-deserted casino with all the one-arm bandits flashing away but no players I could see. The 'Drug Store Cafe' was crowded, though. I really can't be doing with this American 'coffee and bagels' idea of breakfast so I settled for just an orange juice. I was picked up by a black stretch limo driven by a charming black guy. I had the car to myself until the Bally (another famous Casino/Hotel I hadn't heard of), where he picked up another six passengers. It was then only a few minutes drive to the General Aviation terminal at the airport. We were ticketed, weighed, briefed by video and then had to hang around a while. But they gave us snacks and beverages whilst we waited. The lady running the ramp worked out who sat where and then we were bussed across the apron to where a number of helicopters were loading. We had a cheerful but very professional young Spanish lady pilot.

I hadn't realised the distances involved. It took us about 20 minutes to fly to the Grand Canyon, looking at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the way, with the pilot giving an excellent commentary. We then went part way up the Grand Canyon before descending to a small plateau on the West bank almost at water level. There was one helicopter already there when we arrived - by the time we left another five helicopters had landed. This site has been set-up with agreement of the Indians who own the land and a simple picnic area has been set up. Each helicopter had brought picnic lunch for the passengers - a rather nice Californian champagne served in plastic flutes, a filled croissant, cheese and biscuits, salad, soft drinks and bottled water. All the rubbish was carefully collected and carried back when we left. On the way back, we stopped at the small airfield near the canyon rim to re-fuel before returning by a different route. We were presented with a certificate and photograph and offered more refreshments whilst they arranged return transport. It was the same driver and limousine, reversing the pick-up process. All-in-all, a very well-run trip and very good value for money.

Incidentally, there seems to be no dignified way to get in and out of a stretch limo - the headroom inside is reduced and you can't stand up inside. You either have to assume a 'Quasimodo' position or slide along the bench seat inside. None of the passengers I was with had a very successful method of getting between the sidewalk (pavement) and the seat nearest the door.

So my initial rather adverse view of Las Vegas had been softened by the helicopter experience. I decided to walk around the area a little. There's a large, modern designer shopping area directly opposite the hotel - the Fashion Show Mall. Needless to say, it didn't appeal to me. Heading North, I then looked at the Treasure Island Casino. Although the Wynn appalled me, it's more modern and less dark inside than some of the now-shabbier places that were built earlier. You should be clear that each of the bigger places is a casino with bedrooms attached, not the other way round. The public are encouraged to come in and there are plenty of eating opportunites inside, the cheaper ones Macdonalds's-style with plenty of waiting-in-line when busy. I thought the British were supposed to be the nation of queuing people. Anyhow, I had a vanilla 'frozen custard', which is the rather more truthful term they apply to what we call ice cream.

The one advantage I can see with so many casinos is that a Rest Room is never too far away. But nothing else appeals to me. The gaming rooms are normally quite dark, illuminated mainly by the flashing lights of the 'slots'. Smoking is allowed, so a not-very-inviting mustiness pervades the places and loud music and flickering video screens is usually an essential accompaniment to the hubbub created by the patrons. I also find some of the attempts to create a distinctive theme banal, if not downright childish, although I recognise the money and ingenuity that's been applied.

But I also recognise that I'm very much in the minority. Las Vegas appeals not just to Americans but to countless people who fly in from all over the world. The desire to win money seems to be almost universal but, personally, I don't like the odds involved. These are places clinically devoted to removing your money. Casinos have always been linked to the Mafia and to criminal activity and I'm sure the connection is real. I also find distasteful the titillation (or maybe pornography) associated with casino operations through, for instance, the advertising for some of the shows and through related operations like topless bars. But that's just me. If people want this kind of entertainment and if people don't get hurt, what's the problem? I wish I could believe people don't get hurt.

Enough of the pontificating, back to the reporting. On a sunny Friday afternoon, the 'Strip' was thronged with pedestrians but I decided to try 'The Deuce'. This is what they call the fleet of modern double-decker buses which ply the 'Strip Route'. This is fine, except that the amount of ordinary traffic sharing the route is increasing so that, at times, you can walk faster than you can ride. I decided to head South and baled out at the Chrysler Building. Huh? New York New York is a casino/hotel modified to look like the New York skyline. Why? I hear you ask. I have no idea. Most of it isn't very convincing. There's Chrysler Building, Empire State and places I don't even recognise. There's a rather feeble Brooklyn Bridge out front. But the Statue of Libery is spendid.

Next I took in 'Excalibur'. This strange creation looks like a Disney castle on the outside and the set for a Doug Fairbanks medieval film on the inside (plus the endless rows of slots and tables, of course). I was intrigued by the reference to a 'Tram Station', so checked it out. It's a airport-style railway with very modern-looking trainsets and rubber wheels, platform edge doors and driverless. Despite the curving route, I was surprised to find it was a cable railway and it seems to work well. I found the makers plate - Doppelmeyer Cable Car Gmbh. We went straight past a huge black pyramid (Luxor - see below) and soon arrived at Mandalay Bay.

This is huge, quite near the airport and is very visible when you're taxiing around. My recent visit to Mandalay and Myanmar can be crudely summarised by my oft-repeated maxim 'Jan looks at a load of old temples'. So I suppose my visit to Mandalay Bay and Las Vegas can be summarised as 'Jan looks at a load of old temples of Mammon'. I couldn't discern much similarity between the two Mandalays, except they were both noisy and full of people.

Next, I went back to Luxor, on a parallel tram track that makes an intermediate stop. Apart from the huge black glass-covered pyramid (which projects a searchlight from its apex vertically into the sky at night, making me think of 'Stargate'), there is an obelisk covered with heiroglyphs and massive Egyptian-style statues. Inside the pyramid, the huge gaming hall, instead of being low-ceilinged, is an open atrium. As far as I could see (it's fairly dark inside, so you're not distracted too much from the serious business of gaming) there are a series of square corridors, getting smaller as you get higher in the pyramid, which presumably access guest rooms facing out through the dark glass cladding. Certainly an imaginative arrangement.

The tram took me back to 'Excalibur' and I crossed the intersection to the massive green bulk which is the MGM Grand. What do you know? Inside there was a massive gaming hall (you quickly run out of superlatives for 'big' in Las Vegas). I think I might suffer from agoraphobia, because as soon as I get in these gaming rooms, I have to fight an almost overwheming desire to flee. I followed the signs to the Monorail. It took about ten minutes and some false turns to get to the station (I suspect the signage cunningly takes you a route past every type of gaming temptation on offer in the hope that you'll give up and gamble).

The monorail system is modern (and is still suffering some reliability problems). It is elevated, double-track and runs behind the casino/hotels on the East side of the strip, twisting and turning to try to find a way through the various obstructions. The line makes a massive deviation behind the Wynn, because the backyard of the Wynn is an 18-hole golf course. We experienced some techncal delays but eventually arrived at the present (and I think temporary) Northern terminal called 'Las Vegas Monorail Station' which is near the Northern end of the Strip and the 'Sahara'. I didn't check out inside the Sahara but it has a scary-looking steel roller coaster outside which ends in a vertical dead-end. I was getting tired by now so I crossed the road, caught the 'Deuce' and made my way back to the Wynn.

Later in the evening, I made another foray by the 'Deuce' up North to downtown Las Vegas. This is noticeably run down but part of the old centre, around the 'Golden Nugget' on Fremont Street has been fairly successfully modernised by pedestrianising and adding a roof. This is now 'The Fremont Experience'. It was crowded but good-humoured. In one part, there's a stage and a group were performing. A block later, there was a jazz saxophonist, quite good, with his amplifers on the back of a pick-up and a couple of helpers selling his CDs. Another block and there was a troupe of acrobats who were quite impressive. I found a couple of railway coaches preserved (or should I say 'railroad cars'?). As used by various celebrities in the past, apparently. Quite nice but looking a little sorry in a fenced compound. This was at Union Plaza but I decided it was too dark in this part of town to go hunting for a remainng railroad so I caught the 'Deuce' back to the hotel.

Photographs

The Wynn, Las Vegas.
Las Vegas.
Grand Canyon.

Round the World Five - Day 8 (Thu, 13 Mar)

Itinerary: After spending Thursday, 13th March in Bangkok, transfer to the airport to catch Thai Flight TG794 leaving at 18:30 for Los Angeles by an A340-500.

I didn't see much of Bangkok this trip, having spent most of the day in the Business Centre at the hotel, trying to sort out some of my experiences. That long flight to LA is still to come. It's a long trans-Pacific flight through what should be the night, arriving fourteen and a half hours later (what?) at 19:00 hours local time. But, because we've crossed the International Date Line, it's still Thursday, 13th March. Travelling east from England, you lose time until you get to the Dateline, then you gain a complete day. Carrying on east, you continue to lose time so that, by the time you get back to England, your clock agrees with local time again.

We should arrive at Los Angeles International Airport, Tom Bradley International Terminal 'B'. After immigration and customs, to Terminal 7 for the UA1492 United Airlines for Ted A320 flight at 22:45 to Las Vegas. Arrive Las Vegas McCarran international airport, Terminal 1 at 23:58 and taxi to the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel, for a 5-night stay.

Postscript: I've got as far as the new airport at Bangkok. Not only is the airport huge but, since it's Thai's home airport, the 'Royal Silk' lounge I'm in is the biggest I've seen anywhere!

Post-postscript: Between the Thai lounge at Bangkok and the aircraft, we had two very thorough security checks. But the people were friendly enough, so it wasn't too bad. Now I'm at Los Angeles. The Thai flight from Bangkok was good but oh, so long! I adjusted my watch to West Coast time when we set off. After the first meal, they darkened the cabin and screened the windows to encourage people to sleep but, once we'd crossed the terminator, it was bright sun outside. It's all a bit odd.

The international terminal at LAX (Tom Bradley) is being rebuilt, so it's not a very pleasant experience walking to the terminal. Neither is waiting in line for Immigration. The process didn't take too long and the immigration officer was friendly. I walked to terminal 7 for the United connecting flight and managed to work out how to check in with a paper (not electronic) ticket. To get into terminal 7, you go through another security check and the lady security guard directing the traffic was rather officious. They make you take your shoes off so they can X-ray them. Since I wasn't wearing socks, it meant going barefoot on the floor past the X-ray machine. I politely pointed out to the one girl employed there that the floor wasn't really clean enough to make this an attractive experience but, of course, she just looked at me blankly. It's a bit noisy and scruffy in the seating area near the gate and I'm getting a bit tired. Anyhow, I found an automatic Internet machine which works (for money) so I'm able to do this minor update.

Road To Mandalay

'The Road to Mandalay' is German-built, to the design of a standard Rhine cruise ship and flat-bottomed for river work. She is about 101.6 metres long, LBV (that's Length Between Verticals, the Captain informs me) 95.1 metres, 11.6 metres beam, 3.10 metres keel to main deck (depth), draught 2 metres, gross weight 1916 metric tonnes, nett weight 697 metric tonnes. Just over 12 years ago, she had an extensive refit in Germany and England before being brought to Myanmar on a specialist transporter ship to work these cruises.

Every 3 years, she is dry docked in Yangon although, operating in fresh-water, corrosion is not a major problem. A system of sacrificial anodes was tried, but was not effective because the low conductivity of the river water did not allow the intended electro-chemical action.

Propulsion is by two Voith keel-mounted propeller units comprising five vertically-mounted, straight, variable-pitch blades. There is no rudder and steering is by controlling the pitch of the blades. A similar, smaller 4-bladed propeller unit is provided as a bow thruster, making the vessel extremely manoevrable. She can turn in her own length or move sideways.

Power is provided by two pairs of Deutz V12 diesels, each of about 425 horse power. One pair of engines drives the port propeller via a gearbox, the other pair drives the starboard. The ship can make way with two engines or even only one. Blade pitch is directly controlled from what looks like a lorry steering wheel the in wheelhouse by a direct mechanical linkage which has proved very reliable. The throttles are arranged as in aircraft practice, except that 'Idle' is in the middle of the quadrant, with revs increasing either side. Red and green indicator lights show that the the port and starboard engine pairs are in idle. Another lever is moved left or right to control the bow thruster.

I'll add to the description when I can, and link to my photos when they're uploaded.

My thanks to the Captain and Chief Engineer for various explanations - any errors are all my own work.

Round the World Five - Day 7 (Wed, 12 Mar)

Itinerary: Day 5 Wednesday 12th March. After an early breakfast, transfer to Mandalay airport for your onward flight (depart 08:45) to Yangon. On arrival in Yangon at 10:10 you will be taken to an airport hotel to freshen up and rest for approx 4 hours prior to your international flight. Transfers and room included. Thai Flight TG306 leaves Yangon at 19:45, arrives Bangkok 21:25. Private transfer by Tour East Thailand to the Shangri-La Hotel for a DLX Balcony Room in the Shangri-La Wing.

We enjoyed the usual good breakfast in the restaurant of 'Road to Mandalay' and all felt a little sad at leaving our new friends on the ship which had been our comfortable home for the last few days. Soon, we were aboard one of the two buses (one English-speaking, one German-speaking). Once again, San was our guide and we took a circuitous route, looping through a number of small villages until we came to the airport, sitting on a large plain. A long, straight approach road took us to the modern terminal. I'll add more commentary when I can.

Round the World Five - Day 6 (Tue, 11 Mar)

Itinerary: Day 4 Tuesday 11th March (Mingun & Sagaing). After breakfast, cruise to Mingun to visit the most important sights such as the pretty Hsinbyume Pagoda and the world’s largest uncracked bell. Return by ferry for a late lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Sagaing Hills, considered to be the living centre of the Buddhist faith in Burma. Sagaing is also famous for its silver and silversmiths who still work in much the same way as their ancestors did. Leave Bagan by 'Road to Mandalay' around 13:00. Dinner and local entertainment on board.

After an early breakfast, some of us left on foot with San for the short walk to the local monastery, where the monks were lined up prior to the morning procession around the village accepting offerings of food. Their first stop was a table set up by the ship where the Captain and members of the catering staff were serving various foods. The procession then wound through the village where, every few yards, women would be waiting with a bowl of rice or other food.

Pictures of the Monks' Procession and the Village.

We then picked up our tour bus and headed north for about 40 minutes to Mandalay itself and the Jetty. This is just the usual shelving beach with lots of wooden craft moored side by side. We clambered over various gangplanks to get from moored craft to moored craft until we reached our private charter boat where, on the upper deck, cane chairs had been laid out for us. The boat was run by a team of husband, wife and son about ten or so. There was also a much younger daughter running about. We sailed north for about a hour and landed at Mingun on the west bank. We ran the gauntlet of the souvenir vendors to get to the Mingun Pagoda, which has been described, fairly accurately, as the world's biggest pile of bricks. The building project was abandoned when the huge pagoda was 50m tall - only a third of the intended height! Subsequent earthquakes have seriously damaged what's there and the various fissures mean that the steps to ascend are quite hard. I made the climb, with a retinue of four local boys who appointed themselves my guides. I clearly represented the best chance of dollars that morning. On the same site, there's the worlds largest uncracked bell. Of course, I rang it with the stick provided and also stood inside whilst someone else rang it. We also climbed the whitewashed Shinbyume Pagoda (coming away liberally whitened ourselves). We rejoined our local boat, cruised back to Mandalay, returned to the Road To Mandalay by coach and were ready for our lunch.

Pictures of the Boat Trip and Mingun.

In the afternoon we went by the tour bus to Sagaing, on the west bank of the river directly opposite our moored ship. This is very hilly and pretty, crowded with monasteries and nunneries. The most famous pagoda amongst the hundreds dotted around the hills is the Soon U Ponya Shin, commanding good views in all directions from its summit position.

Pictures of Sagaing.

We were allowed to tour the Zeyar Theingi Nunnery, where the nun's ages ranged from 8 to late 70s. The nuns smile readily and don't appear to mind the intrusion, although you feel a little uncomfortable walking through dormitories and kitchens.

Pictures of the Nunnery.

We also had two fascinating visits to commercial properties.

The first was a pottery where clay water pots are made. it's hard work, mainly carried out by women and because they only make water pots, they're not trying to sell the tourists anything. We were mobbed by a gang of young children who wanted to hold our hands and look at the pictures we'd taken on the screens of the various digital cameras. It was a joyful occasion and I was surprised that none of the children was looking for gifts.

Pictures of the Pottery.

We also visited a silversmiths' factory where the most exquisite work was being produced under the most primitive conditions imaginable. Here, there was an extensive showroom and a number of us were tempted to make purchases.

Pictures of the silversmiths' factory.

In the evening, we had our Farewell Dinner in the restaurant of the ship, followed by examples of traditional Myanmar Entertainments: four girl dancers, a boy and girl comedy dance routine, an astrologer talked about the rather different principles which they use and finally a girl jugglimg and balancing act. Quite a packed day and another early start tomorrow.

Pictures of shipboard entertainment.

Round the World Five - Day 5 (Mon, 10 Mar)

Itinerary: Day 3 Monday 10th March (Mandalay).
Arrive at the quaint little village of Shwe Kyet Yet after lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a guided tour of the key sights of Mandalay regarded as the centre of Burmese culture and Buddhist learning. Return to 'Road To Mandalay' stopping enroute to admire sunset over the river. Dinner and local entertainment on board.

We weighed anchor and got away at first light. Pictures taken during our cruise. I spent much of the morning on the bridge, talking to our most hospitable captain, Myo Lwin. We started with engineering, because he was intrigued by my interest but then moved on to politics and the charitable work that the ship and its passengers support.

The waters of the river are ever-changing, so charts are useless. The safer channels are marked with painted bamboo poles driven into the sand. These are continually re-surveyed but, as the 'Road To Mandalay' is the largest vessel on the river, the ship carries out its own surveys from time to time and, in the trickiest spots, surveys each time the ship passes. So, at 9.00 am the 'Zodiac' inflatable was launched with three crew and long bamboo poles and this went ahead of us, radioing the results back to the captain. At all times, there's no substitute for alert crew members on the bridge keeping a sharp look-out. Once through the first tricky part, the 'Zodiac' was retrieved.

At eleven o'clock I, and a number of passengers, were shown round the Engine Room by the Chief Engineer. Most interesting. Technical Pictures.

The 'Zodiac' was deployed a second time in an area where there's only a very narrow passage between rocks and only about six inches of clearance under the keel.

At last, a bridge came into sight (until recently the only bridge). This was built by the British in 1934 and carries a single line railway and two lines for vehicles. The British destroyed two spans during the war, for strategic reasons, and it was finally repaired when hostilities ceased. Just north of this bridge, there's a new road bridge built by the Chinese, complete but not yet open. We passed under both bridges and prepared to berth at the 'Road To Mandalay' Main Station at Shwe Kyet Yet. The captain demonstrated the controllability of the vessel by bringing the ship in sideways very gently using both stern propellers and bow thruster.

Very soon, we were off by tour bus to see Mandalay itself, which lies on the East bank about 12km North of our mooring. I'll tell you more later.

My pictures of Mandalay.

First, we visited the crimson and gold Mahamuni Paya temple - a venerated Buddhist site renowned for its seated Buddha figure over 12 feet high, originally bronze but now covered with gold leaf over six inches thick, applied by male worshippers. I'm afraid women are not allowed to apply gold leaf to the statue - there role is to watch from a suitable distance and applaud as the men apply the gold. The temple complex was crowded with visitors and worshippers - it's quite a noisy, joyful place. I was intrigued with the large television monitors in the corridors around the gold Buddha. These are to allow ceremonies to be watched by worshippers who are unable to get into the fairly small central space around the gold Buddha.

En-route to our next calling point, we passed one lorry loaded high with cut-down oil barrels. These are apparently used for transporting the sugar syrup extracted from sugar cane. Lengths of sugar cane are passed through a 'mangle', crushing the fibres and releasing the sugar solution. We also passed the modern railway station in the centre of the city and the modern covered market. The market was devastated only a few days ago by a major fire, claiming a number of lives. Questions are being asked about whether Building Regulations had been properly observed in the construction of this building.

We then visited a factory producing gold leaf, widely used in temples as an offering. The production of gold leaf involves a number of stages of hammering the gold into successively thinner and thinner sheets. The process has been partly mechanised in some places but, in Mandalay, the process is man- and woman-powered. Women are involved in making the special paper which is used to interleave sheets of gold. This paper is produced by rows of women who beat the plant fibres in an underground hot, humid room. Blocks of interleaved paper and gold, wrapped in hide, are hammered by men. Each stage of gold beating takes around 40 minutes and timing is still carried out by a traditional water clock. There are a number of stages involved as the gold leaf progressively becomes thinner and thinner. It's thought-provoking to see how much hard, unpleasant labour is expended on apparently simple tasks.

Mandalay Palace was our next destination. There was some delay while our guide, San, obtained our tickets at the gate. Administrative processes can be very slow in Myanmar and there was, apparently, some reluctance to accept the paper money offered because of some minor signs of use. I believe this sort of problem can be quite common. Whilst we waited, we were able to take in the sight of the fortifications of Mandalay Palace which is surrounded by massive, forbidding stone walls forming a large square, with regular watchtowers and an outer moat. In the distance, we could see the hump of Mandalay Hill - a single hill rising out of the plain, topped with temples.

Eventually, our coach was able to pass within the walls and, having crossed large, not very well maintained, grounds approach the replica of the original palace. As at Old Bagan, the original Palace was wooden and did not survive. A modern reconstruction gives an impression of the layout of the original Palace, but I'm afraid it's rather disappointing - crudely built and painted with corrugated iron roofing! At one time, the grounds featured a miniature railway, now abandoned. The tracks are still intact (two foot gauge, I think) and hidden in the trees I spotted rolling stock and a couple of diesel locomotives, one steam outline.

After the disappointment of the Palace, the original wooden Monastery Building (no longer an active Monastery) was a joy. The deterioration of some of the carving is sad, the concrete reinforcing of the foundations a little obvious, but the spirit of the building is still triumphant.

Our final call was to what is sometimes called "The largest book in the world". One of the Kings decided to make a definitive copy of the Buddhist scriptures. Each section is carved on a large, stone tablet. There are hundreds - each protected by an individual white-painted 'pagoda' structure, arranged on a regular grid. The 'Chain Library' in England was an early attempt to prevent book theft by chaining each volume to the bookshelves but I think the arrangement at Mandalay represents the ultimate in security. Joking apart, this is an impressive and spiritual location.

Round the World Five - Day 4 (Sun, 9 Mar)

Itinerary: Day 2 Sunday 9th March (Bagan & Cruise). After breakfast join the guide to explore some of Bagan’s local markets selling wood carvings, fabrics, longyis and rattan goods. See Myanmar’s famous lacquerware being made. Alternatively, you can hire a bicycle or horse-drawn cart and explore this enchanting area on your own. Mid-morning the 'Road To Mandalay' begins its cruise North towards Mandalay. Relax on the top deck and watch the fascinating river life glide by. The guide lectures on local places and customs. The ship moors mid-river for the evening. A casual cocktail party is followed by dinner on board.

In fact, there was not only a morning tour, as advertised, but a very early morning tour to see a special procession of monks arranged for the benefit of a party of photographers. However, I didn't catch either as the ship had arranged a bicycle for seven a.m. Breakfast is available from six a.m., so even after a cooked breakfast, I was ready for 06:40, but so was the bicycle, which came with two local boys, about nine or ten also on bicycles, as chaperones. The initial roads were just sand with deep, soft ruts and I underestimated the power needed to keep control on the soft bits and suffered the indignity of falling off after 100 yards. As if by magic, a doctor appeared and took charge. He was very concerned that there were a few drops of blood, although neither of us could find any cut to account for it. He introduced himself as the Ship's Doctor - apparently on hand quite by chance whilst taking his morning constitutional. Honour was satisfied by allowing him to apply a plaster to an old cut. The villagers were most amused by this unexpected excitement!

The journey proceeded without further incident, with the older lad leading the way and the younger in the rear. The temperature was very comfortable as the sun was still rising above the horizon, the pedalling easy as the roads hereabouts are almost level. Minor cavils are that the saddle was way too high for me and the brakes were shot, so every stop was something of a controlled accident. We passed many, many temples so I was able to stop frequently, check the sun and make a photograph. All too soon, we arrived at the golden temple complex of Shwezigon Paya. I spent some time looking at the early morning activities, longer trying to extricate myself from the sometimes literal clutches of the souvenir vendors.

Eventually, we set off back to the ship. With different lighting conditions, there were different temples to photograph and I spent some time exploring Khayminga temple with my younger companion, climbing quite high to get better views across the Bagan Plain. The ship planned to sail at ten o'clock and I was back in plenty of time, having said goodbye to my new young friends.

Pictures taken on my bike ride.

The river is a major communications artery, so I spent some time on the open top deck watching the various activities, before honouring a promise to visit the doctor in his clinic room to allow him to have another look at my injury. Once he was satisfied, I was happy to laze aound until lunch, another buffet, this time served on the open top deck. We continued sailing upstream in the afternoon. There was a demonstration of 'Thanaka', the sun screen-cum-makeup used in Myanmar. Later on, I was invited into the wheelhouse by the very hospitable Captain and spent a fascinating half hour learning about the ship's systems and propulsion. Shortly after 6 p.m., the sun set, with some interesting sky colours looking west. Then we anchored for the night in mid-channel. The river is far too dangerous to navigate at night.

Pictures of the afternoon cruising.

As it gets dark, there is an informal cocktail party on the top deck, where the passengers sit around in dim lighting chatting and drinking. Then, dinner in the restaurant. At 9.45 p.m., we troop up to the top deck for a 'Surprise'. Looking upstream a couple of hundred yards, red and yellow lights extend across the river, and a boat can just be made out, setting out more lights. There are over 2000 candles, each on a tiny raft, with a cellophane colour filter. The effect is unexpected and wonderful. The current quickly carries the lights towards us and, after a few minutes, our ship is surrounded by twinkling lights which disappear downstream. This is a re-enactment of the traditional Buddhist Candle Festival which takes place later in the year, laid on especially for us - magical!

Of course, the name of the ship was inspired by the Rudyard Kipling poem:-

By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say,
"Come you back, you British Soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay;
Can't you 'ear their paddles clunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?

On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green,
An' 'er name was Supi-Yaw-Lat jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen,
An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot,
An' wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot:
Bloomin' idol made o' mud-- Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd--
Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud!

On the road to Mandalay ...

When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow,
She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing "Kulla-la-lo!"
With 'er arm upon my shoulder an' 'er cheek again my cheek
We useter watch the steamers an' the hathis pilin' teak.
Elephants a-piling teak
In the sludgy, squdgy creek,
Where the silence 'ung that 'eavy you was 'arf afraid to speak!

On the road to Mandalay ...

But that's all shove be'ind me -- long ago and fur away,
An' there ain't no 'buses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay;
An' I'm learnin' 'ere in London what the ten-year soldier tells:
"If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else."
No! you won't 'eed nothin' else
But them spicy garlic smells,
An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells;

On the road to Mandalay ...

I am sick 'o wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones,
An' the blasted English drizzle wakes the fever in my bones;
Tho' I walks with fifty 'ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand,
An' they talks a lot o' lovin', but wot do they understand?
Beefy face an' grubby 'and--
Law! wot do they understand?
I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land!

On the road to Mandalay ...

Ship me somewheres East of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there ain't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are callin', and it's there that I would be--
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay,
With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!

O the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

The poem was written by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) and was first published in 1892 in 'Barrack Room Ballads'. In 1908, Oley Speaks (1874-1948) set the words to music and this is the form in which I and many people knew it - I was unaware until planning this trip that it was by Kipling. Apparently, Frank Sinatra used the first and last verses on one of his recordings but Kipling's family disapproved of this interpretation. 'Moulmein', referred to in the poem, is now called Mawlamyine.

Round the World Five - Day 3 (Sat, 8 Mar)

Itinerary: Saturday 8th March. Transfer by the Tour Operator, VSOE, to Yangon airport for the morning domestic flight by Air Mandalay or Yangon Airways to Bagan using an ATR72 or ATR42 aircraft. On arrival, transfer to the vessel 'Road To Mandalay' berthed on the Ayeyarwady River. State Cabin booked. At Bagan over 2,000 temples and pagodas are scattered over an awe-inspiring plain beside the river. After lunch, join the guide and visit the inside of some of the more significant pagodas. ate afternoon your guide takes you to watch the sun setting over a field of glowing pagodas. Dinner and local entertainment on board.

The local currency is the 'Kyat' but Foreign Exchange Certificates and US Dollars are widely used.

Somewhat worryingly, the brochure also states "visitors may find that in local situations Western standards are not always embraced". I'm happy to report that, on my trip, I never discovered what this means.

So, Saturday morning at the Strand I got up about five and tried the internet. What do you know? This time, it's working - a little slow, perhaps, but working. I'd ordered room service breakfast but, because I was still on the net, they served it in the Business Centre! All the staff on duty rallied round when the guide turned up with the car at 06:15, as arranged, and I was sorry to say goodbye.

We made good time to the domestic air terminal (which is next to the international terminal) and I was handed over to more tour company staff who gave me a boarding pass and seated me in the departure hall. One flight was called in Burmese only, and the hall mostly emptied, leaving mainly the obvious tourists. Before long, a young man called our Air Mandalay flight, in English only, and we shuffled onto a waiting 'bus for a very short ride across the apron to our waiting aircraft - a French-registered ATP42 (or 72). This is a fairly modern turboprop suitable for simple airfields - high wing with two large propellers and a noisy auxiliary power unit in the tail so that no ground power is required. Access is via built-in steps which lower from the tail. My seat, 5A, has a close-up view of the left prop, so I especially hope that the prop doesn't detach in flight! (It didn't). After a short taxi, take-off power is selected and I watch the pitch angle of the propeller blades go to 'coarse', producing the characterestic rasping sound as the blades 'chop' the air and haul us off the ground. Once airborne, 'fine pitch' is selected and the noise subsides as we head north, retracing the path of my arrival yesterday, which already seems a long time ago. We're soon above the clouds and the crew serve a snack. I have a fish-filled croissant and a cup of tea.

After 75 minutes, we land at Nuang U. Here, we're allowed to walk across the apron (ours is the only aircraft on the ground) and are met in the arrival hall by our guide, San. There are two 'buses, he explains, one for English speakers, one for German speakers. We first make a number of photo stops at some of the temples for which Bagan is famous and climb up inside the Pya-That-Kyi temple for a better view of the area. Stretched across a few tens of square miles are over two thousand temples. Some have been restored, some are still in use, most are partially ruined after surviving 800 years or longer subject to the rigours of weather and earthquake. Nothing prepares you for the sheer impact of this World Heritage site.

Then, we drove to our home for a few days - the Motor Vessel 'The Road to Mandalay'. On a bend in the river the British called the Irrawaddy, there's a village on the eastern bank near Old Bagan and about 50 feet above the river. Steep steps lead down the bank to a narrow, shelving sand beach. Nearby, a new zig-zag path has been provided leading to a tiny landing stage with a gangplank to our vessel. We're welcomed aboard and quickly shown to our cabins, where our luggage is waiting. There's time to explore the boat before the excellent buffet lunch in the well-appointed dining room. The capacity is around 100 passengers but we only have around 30 this trip so with 70 crew we're assured of good service, which we certainly get.

Picture of the on-board facilities.

However, there's sobering experience during lunch, as I watch various village women come to the water's edge to do their washing in a daily ritual repeated since childhood. Flat 'washing stones' have been placed at the water's edge. Each item to be washed is laid out on the stones, soaped and watered with a cupped hand dipped in the river. Rolled into a sausage, the item is beaten violently against the stone before an extensive rinsing and, once rolled again, hand wringing. Each movement has an almost balletic quality which appears unconscious - perhaps the elegance of minimum effort for maximum result? Now it's time for personal ablutions. The arms are vigorously soaped and scrubbed with the free hand. Next, the face receives the same treatment. The lady moves into deeper water so that only the head is exposed. The one-piece wrap-around can now be loosened so that the rest of the body can be cleaned in modesty underwater. With the wrap-around restored, she can emerge from the deep water and put on the fresh, dry clothes brought in a thin plastic bag. The original wrap-around is now dropped into the water and the lady kneels near the washing stone to wash it. There's another unconscious action when kneeling, drawing the skirt down to ensure the knees are covered - bare knees are considered indecent. The thin plastic bag is now rinsed in the river before being filled with the clean, damp washing. Watching this ritual, which will be repeated thousands of times in a lifetime, sets me wondering about different lifestyles.

After lunch, we go on another coach tour. Old Bagan was a Royal Palace, walled and moated. A few years ago, the present villagers were unceremoniously uprooted and relocated in New Bagan, a few miles south so as to allow a proper archaeological survey. The Palace was built of wood which, like the houses of the period, have been lost, but the temples, being of brick, survive. The brick was originally covered in elaborately-decorated stucco but, in most cases, restoration is being carried out in brick only. Near Old Bagan we visit the famous Ananda Temple and, after a drive, the Gubyaukyl Temple where there are old frescoes quite well preserved.

An unexpected hit during the afternoon tour was a visit to a lacquerware factory where the larger-than-life moustachioed owner makes a splendid presentation on the process followed by a tour to study each stage close-up.

Pictures of lacquerware manufacture.

We briefly stop to see the village of Pwar-Saw which is full of wooden houses with woven bamboo walls. We walk around a farmyard with oxen and bullock carts - this is no tourist museum, but the reality of life for many country people. Some children play football (the Burmese are obsessed by football) whilst others watch satellite television.

Finally, we visit a 'Sunset Temple' - the 13th century Ta-Yoke-Pyay temple - to watch the sun go down. It's rather hazy, so there are no spectacular colours today, but it's still a great place to be.

In the evening, dinner is served in the dining room. There are two menus - 'A Taste of Asia' or European, with a selection of dishes in each. And so to bed, tired but happy.

Pictures of Bagan.

Round the World Five - Day 2 (Fri, 7 Mar)

View from the terrace outside my room at The Strand.

Itinerary: Arrive Bangkok 06:10 on 7th March, depart 08:15 on Thai flight TG303 for Yangon. At Yangon, transfer to Strand Hotel for one night. Yangon is 6.5 hours ahead of GMT.

They gave me the boarding pass for the Bangkok - Yangon leg at Heathrow, so on arrival at the new airport at Bangkok (open about one year) all I have to do is walk to the departure gate (which seems miles away, past every designer shop you've ever heard of). Then, I find the nearest Thai lounge to get a short break from the hubbub of the airport before we leave. We're bussed to our aircraft, a fairly old A300-600 and pushback five minutes late at 08:20and taxi to the end of a queue of about 10 aircraft waiting to leave. About an hour late, we take off and the cabin crew have just 75 minutes to do a pretty reasonable breakfast (my second breakfast) which they do with customary good humour.

We descend through the cloud layer and I get my first proper view of Myanmar: quite flat, dry-looking with the landscape criss-crossed with drainage ditches. When we're on finals, I glimpse a double-track railway and wayside station. I later discovered it's called Walbargi, but I didn't imagine at the time that I'd pass through it on the train a few hours later. On taxiing to the terminal, two air bridges are quickly attached so before long I've successfully negotiated both immigration and customs at Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and, an hour late, meet the 'Road to Mandalay' representative for transfer to Strand Hotel for one night.

My Bangkok Airport pictures.
My Yangon Airport pictures.

On the way to the hotel, Nan, the lady guide, describes the route, which I manage to follow on the tourist map she's given me.

The Strand was built in 1901 by the Sarkies Brothers, Aviet and Tigran, who were from Armenia. It now has 32 suites. The hotel is high-ceilinged and impressively restored and the staff are charming and very attentive.

My pictures of the Strand Hotel.

I've discovered that the railway I spotted coming in is part of a suburban circle line and that the main station is just under a mile from the hotel so, of course, I decide to travel on it, although a round train trip takes over two and a half hours. There was an amazing crush of people as I walked to the station (the population of Yangon is about 5 million) and street traders selling everything you can imagine. All the pavements have been repeatedly dug up and not repaired, so you need to be alert to avoid potentially serious injury. Outside most shopfronts, the pavements were obstructed by a variety of packaged Japanese standby power generators, some quite large, all wired in a very cavalier manner. This forewarned me that the mains electricity supply is perhaps not as reliable as in the West.

As far as my rail trip goes, I'll spare you the technical details (for now) but, suffice to say, I managed to buy the 1 US dollar 'Foreigner' ticket and made the journey on the busy train - sitting on the floor of an open doorway (the coaches have no doors) for the first half then moving to a wooden bench seat by an open window (the window frames have no glazing) for the rest of the journey. I learnt so much on the journey, whilst becoming the subject of friendly, amused curiosity amongst the locals. I did see a few other Westerners braving the circle line, but not many.

My pictures of the Circle Line.

By the time I'd walked back to the Strand, I was hot and tired but a bath and short sleep restored me sufficiently to make a foray to the nearby ferry landing stages on the river as it quickly dropped dark. After a couple of Coca Cola during the Friday 'Happy Hour' at the Strand, I tried the hotel internet, without success. In fact, I kept trying until about midnight when I finally gave up and went to sleep in my huge, comfortable bed.

My pictures of Yangon.

Round the World Five - Day 1 (Thu, 6 Mar)

Itinerary: Depart 6th March. Thai International Flight TG911 11:50, depart Heathrow Terminal 3 for Bangkok, arriving 06:10 on Friday, 7-Mar-2008.

Well, Gate 24 turned out to be one of the modernised gates, not too bad at all, although miles from the actual aircraft stand, to which we were taken by coach. The coach toured the elderly luggage centre, past areas I'd never seen before, then diving into a newish road tunnel which led us under the old centre and past the Satellite Terminal at the new Terminal 5 to avenue of big jets out in the open where we found our 747-400. The weather was dry, so transferring from the coach via steps to the aircraft was no problem. We pushed back a few minutes late, taxied east and joined the queue of about 5 aircraft waiting to depart from runway Two-Seven Left. After taking off in a westerly direction, we then looped back over north London for our route over Holland, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, the Caspian Sea, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Myanmar and Thailand. This is more-or-less a great circle route.

Although it's now an elderly design, I think the 747-400 is still my favourite, particularly when arranged with business class upstairs, behind the cockpit, as on this flight. New seats had been fitted and seatback individual screens. If you're unfamiliar with the controls, it's rather daunting - the membrane keypad for the electric seat has 16 buttons! As for the entertainment system, there's audio channels, on-demand video channels, games and a satellite telephone. I found 32 feature films and numerous tv shows and documentaries. I watched 'Michael Clayton' (yes, Clooney is on my 'A' list), 'Ratatouille', 'The Devil Wears Prada' and part of 'The Bourne Ultimatum'. Shortly after leaving Heathrow, they served a decent meal, Thai hot shrimp savoury, mushroom and ricotta ballottine (not bad), crayfish tails, fig and chutney (no comment). As main, I had the angler fish with potatoes and vegetables, which was very good, finishing off with a coffee and hazelnut mousse in a caramel sauce and a decent cup of tea. All served with proper napkins, metal cutlery using pottery dishes. Thai's reputation for good service is merited. Travelling east, local time runs faster and we soon cross the terminator (the day/night interface, not Arnie) and start our long night passage to the Orient. As we cross the Bay of Bengal, we have a 'Second Serving', as the airline terms it. This is an early breakfast for those who've changed to Bangkok time or a 'supper' to those who haven't. It's very good, fresh fruit, yoghurt, warm bread with butter and frank cooper's marmalade. Choice of three mains, chicken and ham pancake with trimmings, cheese omelette with trimmings (which I had) or noodle soup with pork.

We sit in a metal tube travelling at 600 miles an hour six miles above the earth in outside temperatures of -60 degrees Celsius eating decent food and think little of it. Isn't that remarkable?

My airport pictures.

Round the World Five - On my Travels

"The Journey of a Thousand Miles starts with a single step" - Chinese Proverb.

Well, in my case, the first steps seem to get harder and I only tore myself away from my home and Tai with some reluctance on another journey into the unknown (for me).

I'm currently in the SAS Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 (which Thai share). Alan brought me down by car and, for once, we had a good journey down the M40 and, amazingly, a clear run into Heathrow. Check-in for Bangkok was painless and security (through 'Fast Track') was prompt. So, I'm still fairly relaxed and getting used to the idea of going off to 'foreign parts'. It's about eleven and a half hours to Bangkok and then I transit to another short flight so I'm sure I'll be tired by the time I get to bed tomorrow.

Stop Press:

Arrived Bangkok safely. The new airport is HUGE and very glossy. I'm exhausted just walking to my connecting gate. Now in the Thai lounge and about to catch the Thai service to Yangon (that's Rangoon) in Myanmar (Burma as was). Yes, I wondered about the ethics and we can have a debate when I return but, hopefully, I'll have more information to inform that debate.

My airport pictures.

The Premier Line

The London and North Western Railway was always known as 'The Premier Line'. Formed from the amalgamation of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Grand Junction Railway, its tentacles were eventually spread widely throughout the United Kingdom. Whilst these early railways still form part of the railway network today, much of the distinctive style of the LNWR has been eliminated. There are still a few examples of the characteristic approach to running a railway which made employees proud to work for 'The Nor-Wessie'.

Take, for example, the two Entrance Lodges at Euston station, virtually all that remains of a once-great terminal. The two lodges face Euston Road, flanking Euston Grove, which once led to the station itself and is now the entrance to the bus station. The picture below shows the front of the right-hand lodge, looking from Euston Road. The left hand lodge is identical, apart from the names of stations served. Click on the picture to enlarge the view. Portland Stone has been used - it has good colour, is long-lasting and will accept intricate carving, even in deep relief, as seen in the group of figures at the top.

Note how the initials of the railway 'LNWR' appear in a cursive script elaborately interlaced and embraced by a laurel wreath. This device appears twice on each face of the building - there is to be no doubt as to who is responsible for raising these edifices!

But the nicest piece of self-publicity is the list of places served by the railway, arranged in alphabetic order. The place names start on the left lodge, in two columns facing Euston Road, then continue in two columns on the side of the left lodge facing Euston Grove. The list then continues of the right lodge, first on the side facing Euston Grove and finally concluded in two columns facing Euston Road. Some of the spellings are not what we would now use, but I have copied below what appears on these splendid survivors. Each name is terminated in a full stop. Here are the names to impress the prospective traveller:-

ABERDEEN. ABERYSTWITH. AYLESBURY. BANBURY. BARNSLEY. BEDFORD. BELFAST. BIRMINGHAM. BIRKENHEAD.

BLACKBURN. BLACKPOOL. BOLTON. BRADFORD. BURNLEY. BURY. BURTON. BUXTON. CAMBRIDGE.

CARLISLE. CARNARVON. CHESTER. CORK. COVENTRY. DERBY. DEWSBURY. DUDLEY. DUBLIN.

DUMFRIES. DUNDEE. EDINBURGH. FLEETWOOD. GLASGOW. GREENOCK. HALIFAX. HEREFORD. HUDDERSFIELD.

INVERNESS. KESWICK. KIDDERMINSTER. LANCASTER. LEAMINGTON. LEEDS. LEICESTER. LIVERPOOL. LLANDUDNO.

MACCLESFIELD. MANCHESTER. NEWARK. NEWPORT. NORTHAMPTON. NOTTINGHAM. OLDHAM. OXFORD. PAISLEY.

PERTH. PETERBORO. PRESTON. ROCHDALE. SHEFFIELD. SHREWSBURY. STAMFORD. STIRLING. STOCKPORT.

STOKE. SWANSEA. TENBY. WAKEFIELD. WARRINGTON. WARWICK. WHITEHAVEN. WIGAN. WOLVERHAMPTON.

In these days of mass air travel to exotic locations, the impact of this list of place-names is reduced, but imagine the effect on passengers in the early decades of the twentieth century. Then, a journey by train could be an adventure. How unlike our weary, over-priced travels on our present railways.

More pictures.

The Ice House

Dave surveys the excavated chamber from ground level as Tai looks on.

In the gardens at Brewood Hall, there's an underground room which we've always called the 'Ice House'. However, at some time in the past (probably in the 19th century) the occupiers decided it would be a good place to dispose of the ashes from the many coal fires in the Hall. They filled the underground room to the roof so that it was impossible to seen the size of the room or the method of construction. There have been various tentative attempts over the years at removing the ash and sufficient spoil was removed to disclose the top few inches of a brick lined chamber around 8 feet square.

Late in 2007, Dave decided that the job needed completing and, together with Rick and Jim (and about four 8 cubic yard skips), the room is now revealed.

The brick walls are in fair condition, with random stone in places. Intentionally missing bricks on the front and rear walls suggest that shelves may have run along each side of the room and there are a number of old metal supports in the side walls, presumably to reduce sagging in these shelves. The rear wall has two rectangular recesses with stone lintels. The roof is a shallow arch made of sandstone 'bricks' still in excellent condition. There are two 'vent holes' set in the roof. The one in the centre of the roof has a brick 'chimney', rising towards ground level but currently closed off at the top. The second 'vent' is adjacent to the rear wall and, although apparently intentional, the purpose is, at present, unclear. The floor is of quarry tiles, in fairly good condition, apart from one area halfway along the left hand wall as you enter. There is a soakaway in the left corner as you enter (identified as 'corner 1' in the pictures).

Access is via brick steps from ground level. This entrance has a brick arch roof and brick recesses on the left and right. There was originally a sandstone lintel and wooden door frame and door. When more studies have been undertaken, a replacement lintel and door will be fitted.

There is a persistent rumour in the village of an underground passage joining the Hall to the Church. These excavations have not revealed any evidence of a tunnel starting in this underground chamber. The possibility was also mooted that the chamber might be a Cold Plunge Bath House. Sadly, there's no evidence to support this notion, either.

More pictures.

The Blues Brothers

Photo: Wikipedia.

There are two kinds of people in the world - those who love 'The Blues Brothers' and those who don't or who haven't heard of them.

Dan Ackroyd and James Belushi formed a blues band towards the end of the 1970s and performed on the American television programme 'Saturday Night Live' and at live 'gigs'. They established a cult following and in 1980 John Landis produced the film 'The Blues Brothers' which, in addition to great music, featured some epic car chases. Dan Ackroyd played 'Elwood Blues', James Belushi 'Jake Blues'. James Belushi died in 1982 but, in one form or another, the Blues Brothers continued to perform. The popularity of the band encouraged the formation of a number of Tribute Bands. Some 20 years after the original film, Dan Ackroyd again played Elwood in the film sequel 'Blues Brothers 2000', without Jake but with other new characters.

My partner Daemon took me to the cinema to see 'The Blues Brothers' back in 1980 and I was convinced I'd hate the film - in fact, I loved it and have been a Blues Brothers fan ever since.

A couple of years ago, I was invited by Ann and Dean to a performance by one of the Tribute Bands at the 'Robin 2' club in Bilston. We all had a great time: 'Jake & Elwood - The Blues Brothers Show & The Black Rhino Band' live up to the high standards of musicianship set by the originals.

Ann, John and Jan at the 'Robin 2

'Jake & Elwood - The Blues Brothers Show & The Black Rhino Band' returned to the 'Robin 2' on 23-Feb-2008 so, of course, Ann, Dean and Jan went to enjoy the act again, this time accompanied by John. Below, just a brief snatch of their music.

London's Terminal Stations

A trip to London for a business meeting gave me the opportunity to visit three of London's railway termini (or are we to say 'terminuses' now?).

The meeting had been at Kings Cross Power Box, so first I took a few pictures of King's Cross Station, the former Great Northern Railway terminus. The East Coast Main Line is now electrified at 25kV a.c., but there is usually at least one HST125 growling under the arched trainshed roof and generally polluting the atmosphere. The mainline platforms are covered by two perfectly straight arched roofs of fairly plain design set on good quality brick walls arranged as a series of arches with restrained, but satisfying detailing. The rivetted roof trusses are provided with modest decoration. The trainsheds are closed at the south end by a wall which originally presented a neat, if rather utilitarian, appearance to the prospective passenger. Today, various thoughtless modern adaptations and extensions almost completely obscure the original intent and the effect is confusing and nondescript. However, the interior of the trainsheds has been cleaned and thoughtfully restored retaining much of the original detail. It's a pity that the overbridge halfway along the trainshed, which once gave commanding views of the station, has had its sides raised and panelled, restricting the effect.

I was surprised to find that, to satisfy Harry Potter fans, there is an opportunity to take a photograph of a luggage trolley disappearing through the wall of Platform 9-3/4!

See the Wikipedia entry.
My King's Cross pictures.

And so on to St. Pancras International, recently re-opened after a very expensive restoration and conversion. The northern end of the site houses the platforms for the Midland main line diesel services and the electrified Bedford suburban services. This is all new build. The new terminus for the Eurostar services is accommodated in Barlow's original trainshed - a single span of breathtaking size, full of natural light to lift the spirit. The original undercroft has been opened up to present numerous retail opportunities and the upper level offers the 'largest champagne bar in Europe', not exactly my taste in design but this can't detract from the restoration of Barlow's original concept - it is a triumph. Martin Jenning's slightly eccentric statue of Sir John Betjeman, set off to one side, is exactly right, unlike the overbearing statue 'Meeting Place' by Paul Day. This 9 metre high statue is given pride of place on the concourse but the size would be more appropriate in celebrating the dictator of some socialist state. Although Eurostar services are operating from St. Pancras, work is not finished and contractors are still in evidence, preparing to further expand the retail experience. The hotel facing Euston Road is still a building site and is not scheduled to open until 2009.

My St. Pancras pictures.

Whereas St. Pancras thrusts itself onto Euston Road, the modern Euston Station discreetly hides itself from view behind trees and the bus station. As well it might - the frontage of the building looks like some provincial Polytechnic. The post-war Euston Station was, it must be admitted, a mess but the decision to demolish Sir Philip Hardwick's Doric Arch in rebuilding the station when the line was electrified was an act of gross vandalism which will never be forgiven.
See the Wikipedia entry

Two rather nice entrance lodges from the old station survive. These are built in Portland Stone and appear to date from the London and North Western Railway era. They now flank the approach to the bus station and are easily overlooked. The one, improbably enough, now serves as a private drinking club.

The main concourse area of the present station at least enjoys reasonable natural light but what was, when originally built, a fairly open circulating area is now so dominated by a myriad retail outlets that it is difficult to navgate a path to the correct platform. One wall is now dominated by a huge colour television screen, as if watching advertisements can compensate for not actually running the trains on time. However, the screen seems to have a hypnotic effect so that the area in front of the screen is often thronged with a mass of staring 'customers' (we don't do 'passengers' any more) and is best avoided in trying to seek the correct platform.

The present Euston is, I fear, a most depressing gateway to the capital. In 2007 British Land announced a further rebuilding of the station. We can only wait and hope.

More about the Entrance Lodges at Euston.

My Euston pictures.

Mutual Improvement Classes

Becoming an engineman in the old days was a long and demanding process. But the prestige of the job was such that men would attend training sessions in their own time. In addition, the cameraderie was such that the trainers were not provided by the railway, but were senior footplatemen who volunteered their time. They were proud to pass on their skill and knowledge to another generation. These training sessions were called Mutual Improvement Classes, or simply 'MIC'.

The railway company would often provide an old, grounded coach body or a spare room at the Motive Power Depot, where the classes would be held. Sometimes the men would make models to illustrate a particular topic. Wooden models showing the operation of valve gear originally made for use in the MIC can now be seen in various museums. Scrap components, like injectors, might be collected as a visual aid to help demonstrate their construction and operation.

'The Rules' were always an important part of the job and classes would often involve a catechism where the younger staff would learn to respond correctly to various situations which would occur from time to time.

'The Passage of Steam' was a favourite topic, where the creation, transmission and utilisation of steam was analysed in some detail.

In the old days, locomotivemen out on the road were expected to carry out running repairs and 'limp home' when failures occurred so the diagnosis and treatment of faults was another recurrent theme.

The daily examination of the locomotive by the driver before coming "off shed" was important in that a thorough and intelligent 'Exam' could obviate many breakdowns which would otherwise result in failure in traffic. The 'Exam' was carried out whilst 'oiling round' the locomotive. Again, crews in the MIC would learn the myriad oiling points which required attention on various classes of locomotive. Proper attention to lubrication and an understanding of how to check and make the various worsted wool trimmings which controlled the flow of oil could avoid many instances of bearings running warm. All these skills were taught in the MIC.

In these days when there are accusations of 'dumbing down' in our education system, it's hard to imagine people willingly embracing the long-term commitment to learning needed to become a good engineman. The prestige drivers in the steam era once enjoyed is a measure of the difficulties which they had overcome in acquiring the necessary knowledge and skill.

Railway preservation today perpetuates the Mutual Improvement Class - there are still men and women willing to train to work on steam locomotives, not as a career, but as an absorbing and unpaid 'Hobby'. The various training arrangements which each preserved railway adopts keep alive the best traditions of the 'MIC'. Under the label 'MIC', I've published some of my own notes which I've used when training railway preservation volunteers.

There's an index, including links, of the posts currently available at Mutual Improvement Classes (2).

You can select all the posts in this blog labelled 'MIC' here.