The orange glow of the rising sun peaks over the horizon, and as the night transitions to day, Phnom Penh comes alive with activity. The streets, dark and quiet the night before, are bustling with action. Motorbikes fly by with their loads of fruits and vegetables, meats, fish, and handicrafts for the local markets. Tuk-tuks are everywhere, shuffling people from one location to the next. A stroll along the riverside is the perfect way to start the day before our ship embarks for the Vietnam border. We are surrounded by unfamiliar faces as hundreds of people walk by on their morning commute. Games take place everywhere, and range from volleyball to badminton to soccer in the streets. It’s a whirlwind of commotion, a spectacle not to be missed!
As we leave Phnom Penh, we exit the Tonle Sap River we had been sailing before and enter the Mekong Delta. Fishing activities seem to take a halt, as the Tonle Sap River hosts one of the country’s largest fisheries and we had been seeing a flurry of fishing activities during our time on the river. Floating down the Mekong Delta, life seems to flow at a much calmer pace. No longer are there houses around every corner of the river. Fishing boats are scattered here and there, but nowhere near the extent that we had been seeing earlier in the trip. The sound of peace and quiet is welcomed, and we enjoy a lazy afternoon on board as we head south to the border of Cambodia and Vietnam.
Guest speaker Jean-Michel Filippi is on board, and provides us with one of the most emotional and educational lectures of the trip. Having lived in this country for a number of years, his personal experiences and firsthand accounts provide excellent material for his talk on the history of modern Cambodia. He does a magnificent job at captivating his audience through his impressive wealth of knowledge, and we only wish we had more time with him on board before dropping him off at the border crossing.
Once we cross into Vietnam, we continue to sail south for the evening. The light in the sky begins to fade, and the beautiful glow of sunset breaks through the clouds. Many guests enjoy the view as we cross through narrow channels on our way to Chau Doc, great for bird watching and enjoying the lush rice fields all around us. An amazing beginning to the Vietnam portion of this trip, and we look forward to many exciting days ahead of us!
