Our second day in Mandalay began with a cruise eleven kilometers up the Irrawady River (or perhaps more properly the Ayeyarwadi River) to Mingun. More about Mingun in tomorrow’s post; this post is about the river.

Over two thousand kilometers long, the Irrawady bisects Myanmar from north to south; its basin of over 400,000 square kilometers represents more than half the country’s area. And it is, according to the Burma Rivers Network, the fifth most silted river in the world.

Our journey starts with the perilous crossing of several boats across a narrow wooden plank that seems insecurely attached. Okay, well, that’s how it seemed to me. To Dan it was probably a safe crossing across a secure wooden plank that was easily wide enough.

There are houseboats and commercial activities along the river’s edge near Mandalay.

People also live in small communities built at the river’s edge. Here’s one…
  

And here’s another.

Of course, in the dry season, these houses are all probably high and dry. And when the monsoon season advances further, they might all be in the river. The height of those stilts is probably no accident.

Here’s some of the river and agrarian life of the people in these communities.

Of course, at the end of our visit to Mingun, the whole process was reversed, with a safe return to Mandalay.