A glowing red sun greeted us as we cruised to Wat Hanchey. We immediately came ashore and took a walk or motorbike ride to the top of the hill to explore the 7th century pre-Angkorian temple. After a fascinating wander around the village, we witnessed a blessing by Theravada Buddhist monks on board Jahan.
After lunch and a series of talks by expedition staff, we visited a remote village - Angkor Ban. This visit allowed guests to witness first-hand day-to-day Cambodian life in an authentic setting.
Martin grew up in Melbourne Australia playing cricket and Australian Rules football. While growing up, to his parents’ dismay, Martin brought home and kept a menagerie of wildlife including frogs, lizards, turtles and even poisonous snakes!
Doug grew up hunting in the woods and fields of Iowa before moving to Montana where he developed a deep appreciation for the fragility and beauty of nature and he put away guns and picked up a camera.
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When visiting a foreign country, I think there is no better way to get a feel for a place than to do what local people do; to eat, travel, and experience what their lives are like on a day-to-day basis. Today we got to do just that in the Vietnamese town of Chau Doc. We started our day with a local boat ride to town, then a tour of the city on a cyclo, followed by a visit to the local market where we were free to explore on our own, and finally a visit to one of the main businesses of the town, a fish farm. We immersed ourselves and enjoyed every minute.
This morning, as the sun rose over Phnom Penh, many of the Cambodian capital’s two million residents were already out and going about their day. Some took advantage of an early morning stroll along the waterfront, all while The Jahan prepared to set sail down the river. Today was our last day in Cambodia, but before we left, we had a special guest presentation from Jean-Michel Filippi who talked about modern Cambodian history and the Khmer Rouge. While seemingly nothing can adequately explain the madness, this helped fill in the blanks and provided further insight. We spent the rest of the day cruising downstream to the international border where, after dealing with customs and immigration, we successfully entered Vietnam! We also had a cooking class where we learned how to make regional specialties, and then as sunset approached, we entered the Tan Chau Canal. This man-made channel connects the Mekong River to the Bassac, the two main arms of the delta which emanate from the confluence at Phnom Penh. We passed many floating houses at close range as these villagers worked, relaxed, and played in the golden afternoon sunlight.
After a few days exploring traditional villages, today we visited the capital of Phnom Phen. Our day started out with a cyclo ride, human-powered bicycle transportation that provided us with a tour of the city. It’s a colorful place and our excursions emersed us in the everyday city life, as well as allowing us to visit some of the landmark destinations, such as the royal palace. It was a full day of excitement which also included some sobering moments when we made stop at the high school used by the Khmer Rouge to torture the citizens during the reign of Pol Pot.
