Today, we awoke to the beginnings of a very leisurely morning. We remained docked in Phnom Penh overnight and many of our party took the opportunity to go for a morning walk before our departure. Phnom Penh is a bustling city by day, but awakens slowly and is a wonderful place to explore in the morning light. 

Once underway, we made our way down the Tonle Sap River to its confluence with the blue waters of the Mekong. We spent the day with many different and fascinating distractions, beginning with a guest speaker. Jean Michel Filippi is a linguist by training but a historian by vocation. He gave an incredible presentation about some of the modern history of Cambodia, and answered many of the questions that have arisen for us in the last few days. 

We had an opportunity to enjoy watching life on the river, including cruising under a giant, modern bridge, which seems to be a joint project between the Cambodian and Japanese people. We made our way to the border and dropped anchor in the middle of the river. Our general manager, Mr. Voant, conducted two tours of the vessel, giving everyone a behind-the-scenes look at life aboard the R/V Jahan. Being able to visit the engine room, the galley, and the crew spaces is an incredible privilege, and an eye-opening one, at that!   

Michael Nolan met us in the lounge, to give instruction and suggestions on how to really change our point of view and improve our photographs. Meanwhile, our incredible galley team gave a cooking class in the dining room! It was incredibly fun and helped us to understand that things are sometimes easier than they look…. 

Near the end of the day, we cruised along the Tan Chau Canal on our way to the city of Chau Doc. This was an amazing highlight of the day and we were all out on the decks of Jahan to enjoy it. The canal is a narrow waterway, connecting two different arms of the Mekong River and it was really our first experience with Vietnam. Life on the river in Vietnam is quite different than in Cambodia and we cruised past people working, living, bathing, farming, fishing, and furiously waving to say hello. It was beautiful lighting and the sunset was incredible. It was a great way to end the day.   

This evening, we met our Vietnamese guides, Tri and Tai, and had an introduction to the Mekong Delta, which will be our home for the next, few days.