I remembered when we travelled to Sitkaing Hill, my grandmother decided to hire a punt steered by man and ordered him to drive circling the Sitkaing Hill in the river Irrawaddy. My grandmother made us viewed the beauty of Sitkaing Hill from the river Irrawaddy. We were happy together in the punt and enjoying our new adventure.
When we went Pathein(Irrawaddy Division) by ship many times in our younger days, our vessel streamed on the river Irrawaddy. I looked down the river from the ship with devotion. I also saw many boats and small ships which were cruising along the river after we started to sail. When we travelled to middle regions of Burma, we were enjoying seeing the river Irrawaddy flowing beautifully. We watched seagulls flying around the ship and we were feeding foods to them.
People use the river Irrawaddy not only for travelling but also for their occupations. The people lived near the river were fishing and digging gold from the river too. The wildlife near the river live depends on the life of the river Irrawaddy. The various fish lives in the river. The birds are flying above. The spices of floating plants manage to live in water perfectly. The flowers floating on the surface give us feel exciting. We saw these things naturally live with the river Irrawaddy. We do not alone need the river. The animals, plants, flowers, fishes, birds and all the things born from the world need the river Irrawaddy.
There were many songs and poems praised the river Irrawaddy. They composed it as a princess, sometimes as a mother, sometimes as adaughter of Mayka and Maylika, sometimes as a bride,…. We found how our Burmese people love and devote the river so much from these poetic verses. The films also have many scenes in their settings. The writers also put the river Irrawaddy in their narratives as a remarkable representation.
The river Irrawaddy is always flowing thousands of miles in the centre of Burma. I sometimes envy the people who live near the river Irrawaddy. They can smell the sweet scent of fresh air from the river every day. They can hear the sound of flowing every day. They can see the graceful image of it. If anyone who are interested in drawing, they can sit near it and draw the portrait of the beautiful river with the sun set. The children can play near the artist and glimpse what he draws. They can swim every time and they can spend many hours beside the river when they are tired of their work. I also envy the children who live near Irrawaddy; they can play along the river like Tom Sewyer and Huck Fin of Mark Twain who had fun many adventures along the river Mississippi.
‘My heart leaps up when I behold the river Irrawaddy,
Please let her be stronger and healthier,
Let the river be as beautiful as forever.’
(photo-left-> We were in the punt along the Irrawaddy near SitKaing Hill, and my father took this photo from other punt, I was in front wearing a big hat! right -> Nowadays I was with my friends at the same route and same end as we visited before. I was standing at the front of the bigger ship that was driving ahead so far. When I was watching the river Irrawaddy, (might be thinking of our old memories?), my friend took this photo from behind.)