The sun came up over Phnom Penh this morning with beautiful light for eager photographers. Early risers hit the sidewalks of the city for a variety of activities, including a photo walk where they wandered local markets, talked to monks, and found a tree full of feisty fruit bats. Others walked to a colonial train station or wandered the riverbanks before boarding the ship for breakfast. This morning we enjoyed a terrific presentation by guest lecturer Jean Michel Filippi, who talked with great enthusiasm about Cambodian history, giving us a solid context to understand our experiences of the past several days.

As we waited at the border to enter Vietnam, our naturalist Chris Cook gave a presentation on the biodiversity of the Mekong region, guests toured the ship to see the engine room, galley, laundry facility and bridge, and our chef hosted a cooking session. An excited group learned the finer points of creating fried spring rolls and a delicious Cambodian chicken dish. The afternoon came to an end with an absolutely glorious sunset as we cruised into Vietnam and picked up our local guides for our next few days on the Mekong River.