The early morning sun peeked over the horizon around 6:00 a.m. today, our first full day on the Mekong, and blessed us with a spectacular sunrise. Early risers were greeted with a beautiful view of the orange sky, and we watched as rural Cambodia floated on by. At 6:30 a.m., people were invited to join our Tai Chi class led by the ship’s general manager, while others relaxed on the terrace sipping on tea and coffee.
Once we arrived at our morning destination of Angkor Ban, we disembarked the ship and explored this spectacular remote village with absolutely no souvenirs or tourist infrastructure. This is starkly different from the Angkor Wat temples, where guests have just arrived from, which is rich with tourists. It is very much welcomed to get off the beaten path and enjoy some of the less-traveled regions that Cambodia has to offer us. Our expert tour guides show us around, navigating from the pagoda to the traditional houses. A local family welcomes us to explore the inside of one their stilted houses, and they share stories of daily life with us. It’s a fascinating account of how the people live in this rural location of Cambodia.
Once we’re all back on board, we’re invited to join Buddhist monks giving a traditional blessing in the ships lounge. Photography is welcomed, and it’s a great opportunity to take images of the very elaborate and beautiful orange robes worn by the monks. Following the traditional blessing, the ship sets sail again and we move towards our afternoon destination of Koh Oaknhatey Island, also known as the ‘Silk Island.’ Before lunch, Photo Instructor Max Seigal gives us a presentation on the basics of photography, and provides everyone with tips to further improve their photographic technique along the voyage.
In the afternoon, cultural expert David Brotherson presents an ‘Introduction to Cambodia Religion.’ After the talk, we disembark the ship and visit a small Theravada Buddhist Pagoda to talk about Buddhism in Cambodia. Immediately after leaving the pagoda, we take the local form of transportation – tuk tuks – to visit a nearby silk farm. We learn about how the silk industry operates, from the silkworm to the weaving process, with some great demonstrations along the way. After the demonstrations, we have a chance to do some shopping for the elegant silk products we’ve just seen the locals making, and few people walk away empty handed!
After a long day, we make our way back to Jahan where we set off for a beautiful sunset cruise as we turn around the bend of the Mekong River and start making our way up the Tonle Sap River, passing the capital city of Phnom Penh on the way. It’s a great view of the big city we will be visiting in a few days, and we are yet again graced with a beautiful sunset as the sky lights up in a beautiful orange glow just as the sun makes its final appearance of the day. It was an excellent first full day on the river, and we all look forward to the week ahead!
