Sunday was a great day, but first I have to explain what led us up to this point. We had been immersed within the cultural overload that is Siem Reap and then had a big journey to meet our boat and floating home for the next week. The ship certainly did not disappoint upon arrival, she surpassed all expectations, and there truly is no other boat like Jahan. After a well-deserved rest, we all woke refreshed and ready for our adventure spending a week cruising on the Mekong River heading towards Vietnam. After a delicious breakfast we were very quickly setting off on land, some of us chose to hike, others to take motor bikes to get up to Wat Hanchey. We were heading up the hill to see Pre-Agkorian temples built in the 7th century and were pleasantly surprised on our arrival to the beautiful views of the Mekong River. We explored the temples, met the locals and headed back to our newly beloved Jahan.
Upon returning we had some of the local Buddhist monks come onto the ship and perform a ceremony and bless our expedition.
While cruising along the Mekong towards our next destination we were able to go to a photography workshop held by our photo instructor Emily Mount, which I hope and believe everyone come out of with a few tricks up their sleeves to get some great shots while on this trip. After this, we had lunch and prepared for our next talk. One of the most amazing parts of these trips is some of the people we have coming along the journey with us, one of those people is Paula Swart, a National Geographic expert. Paula gave an enlightening presentation on “The Mighty Mekong!”
Later in the afternoon were able to go on another immersion based tour into Angkor Ban. Here we were able to get up close and personal with some of the locals and see what the daily life in this region really looks like. It definitely felt like the locals were just as intrigued by us, as we were with them.
As per usual on these trips, one never goes hungry, the food is always delicious and tonight’s dinner was certainly no exception to the rule.
The journey has only just begun, but we have already experienced so much together and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings in this magical part of the world!
