The most wonderful introduction to beautiful Myanmar

This was our 4th experience with Avalon river cruises and each one has been a wonderful experience.

This ship was beautifully designed and decorated.

Particularly memorable highlights were…

· the sunrise and balloons over the temples at Bagan...magical!

· The sunset over the teak footbridge we viewed from sampans .

· The children in the Monastery school doing the Hokey Pokey with a guy couple from our group.

· The fire pit and local dance troupe on the sandbar at night.

· The spectacular Buddhas and temples.

· emotional experience with the founding Nun at the Nunnery.

· The pass through the 2nd defile.

· Sai entertaining and serving us great drinks on the ship

We feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to experience this amazing culture with informed tour guides and service oriented crew.

While all the crew were so professional and helpful, we particularly want to acknowledge Mark and Dorothy Bauk.

Mark kept the whole trip on track and was always willing to share a story and take care of our every need. He is an excellent communicator with a great sense of humor, incredibly competent, and a very likeable person.

Dorothy is just a real sweetheart and a genuinely caring person….we so enjoyed our time with her on the trip. She is extremely intelligent, well organized, and has an incredible knowledge of the history and present state of the country. After we left the cruise and were spending our last couple days in Yangon, she went "above and beyond" by arranging for me to have a tailor made longyi and blouse, taking several of us jewelry shopping, and taking us out for dinner at an incredible restaurant on the lake.