his itinerary not of much use any more for a typhoon was coming across the bay of bengal and sweeping into burma , across myaung u where wil had planned to start his visit , across the ancient city of mandalay , and across the upper reaches of the irrawaddy where wil was going to fly to and travel down the mighty river by public ferry , sleeping on its deck and passing a town where george orwell penned burma days , and its pages presenting something of the time of british occupation in burma .