Work together to untie the fishing net and prepare to cast upstream.Photo/Getty Images
if you want to find Cambodia and Vietnamese A true hidden gem; in a place where few other tourists have set foot, it’s still possible to do so with a river cruise, writes Nannette Holliday
A long wooden fishing boat sailed by, stirring up the already murky waters of the Tonle Sap. A child and a woman sitting in the middle are trying to untie a fishing net and prepare to cast it upriver. The golden sunrise illuminates a row of wooden shacks standing guard like soldiers on the steep river bank opposite. The people in Koh Chen were going about their daily chores and didn’t notice my interruption.
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I lay on the comfortable bed and looked out of the large windows of the air-conditioned suite cabin aboard the RV Toum Tiou II (TT2), a lovely 14-cabin teak and steel-hulled river cruiser. TT2 exudes intimate luxury and old world charm. My every need was catered for in the restaurant, bar and sundeck, staffed by friendly Cambodians.
TT2 is the second smallest of the five CF Mekong/Croisi Europe cruise ships that have plied these waterways since 2002.
The river winds its way upstream toward Kampong Chhnang province, which is buzzing with energy but has a calm, unhurried atmosphere. Barges carry cars, bikes and people from coast to coast, while hubs of fishing boats dot the coastline. TT2 only honked the horn occasionally to warn them to secure their nets as we passed.
These Cambodians were not disturbed by our presence. We took the less touristy route. Even though we disembarked at Kampong Chhnang fishing port, there were no vendors selling their wares.
Culture Cambodia
Every day-to-day off-board activity was inclusive and varied, giving us a greater understanding of the cultural traditions of the areas we were traveling through.
Some guests cycle 4 kilometers through the lush rice fields of Kampong Chhnang Province. Others take air-conditioned minivans to relax at the Andong Reusey Community Village, where artisans work from home with unwavering passion.
We were amazed to see Sofat, a 10th generation potter, walking around a sturdy tree stump, beating the clay with his hands and paddle, miraculously creating a perfect pot. She has never used an electric or foot-operated pottery wheel.
Like an agile monkey, Mr. Ray, 72, swings from sugar palm tree to tree, collecting the sap to make toddy and jaggery. His 73-year-old wife stirs palm sap in a large pot over an outdoor fire, turning it into palm sugar, which sells for $1.75 a kilogram (about $3).
In Kampong Tralach, I rode an oxcart pallet specially used to transport goods, slowly passing through the pea-green rice fields to reach the oldest Pothi Rokha Ram Pagoda in Kampong Chhnang Province. I sat cross-legged, surrounded by dilapidated 18th-century frescoes by Pal and Xie, and listened to a monk in orange robes explain his life to me, and then he blessed me.
We chat casually with a nun at the Vipassana Buddhist meditation center in Udong, Cambodia’s former capital. Learning about her life and what meditation means to her as she washes dishes in a plastic bowl under her home in the center is both inspiring and humbling.
The Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City itinerary covers all the big ticket palaces, museums, historical monuments, entrance fees and some of the local cafes and restaurants. As we traveled in the comfort of an air-conditioned bus amid the hustle and bustle of the city, an English-speaking tour guide added local anecdotes to his historical repertoire.
cooking mixture
The Asian cuisine is equally memorable, especially in the various markets. In Odong, eye-openers include snake heads, stuffed frogs and red banana ants. Fried crickets and tarantulas dominate Phnom Penh’s vast domed Central Market, while exotic black eggs, duck embryos and fried mice sit among the traditional Vietnamese food and tropical fruits at Sad Market. The mixed smells of raw meat, seafood, mysterious organs, slippery creatures and ripe fruits are another world.
All meals are included, with TT2’s chefs preparing sumptuous Asian and Western meals, from buffet breakfasts to sumptuous three-course lunches, sumptuous five-course dinners and even individual chef-created dishes, we’ll never If you feel hungry, there is no need to worry.
visit vietnam
After Vinh Hung crosses the border into Vietnam, a chilling turn takes place. The calm little Cambodian fishing boats were replaced by large barges piled high with detritus and export cargo, sharing our cruising space on the way to Saigon. Life is busy. On one side are large, menacing factories, on the other are intermittent rice fields, fruit plantations and uncaring cattle.
Three hours later, Chau Doc breathed fresh air. It’s a diverse border town where Khmer, Chinese, Cham and Kinh (Vietnamese) communities thrive. It’s as colorful as the floating fishing grounds that dot the banks of the Hou River, 250 kilometers west of Ho Chi Minh City.
We took a cable car up to the sacred Mount Sam, which is dotted with pagodas, temples and caves. At the top of the hill, vivid farm countryside and the Vinh Te Canal stretch all the way to the border. The Mieu Ba Chua Xu Pagoda in the town fills the air with a strong fragrance. We prayed side by side with locals in front of the sacred Lady Zhou statue, and placed baskets of fruit, flowers and whole pig offerings next to the statue.
In the forest of Tra Su Cajuput, an hour outside of town, a two-person rowboat winds its way through the waterways, floating on a carpet of water lilies and beneath towering paperbark trees. This vast natural wetland is home to a variety of birds and animals. Then a long motorboat speeds towards the other end of the forest, taking us to an observation tower. The panoramic, majestic views of the biodiverse ecosystem are serene. In the hazy distance, I saw Mount Sam.
The magic of the Mekong Delta
Further into the Mekong Delta estuary, the bustling Sa Dec riverside market is packed with people and produce. A short walk away we can enjoy traditional tea and ginger juice at the ancient house of Huynh Thuy Le, where the French writer Marguerite Duras lived and is famous for her breathtaking literary novels for background. lover. It’s a treasure trove of nostalgia, with antique furniture, stained glass windows and painted cement tiles.
My heart sank when the community planning center looked like a typical tourist attraction, with souvenirs lined at the entrance. But behind the surface, locals are hard at work producing popcorn and rice cakes in a variety of flavors, cooking, packaging and packaging coconut sugar, bottling Scorpion rice wine, and crafting delicate rice paper for our beloved delicious spring rolls.
At nearby Cai Be, cooking classes didn’t quite live up to expectations. Luckily, real chefs prepare a sumptuous feast, which is then topped off by biking or kayaking on an island filled with tropical fruits.
My Tho, which means “beautiful reed,” is the largest city and main port in the fertile Mekong Delta. Day trips from Ho Chi Minh City are popular, with many buses departing back to TT2 at 11am. These tourists aside, we enjoyed three hours of deep local connections. Some ride bicycles peacefully, others get tangled in slithering snakes, or glide safely along scenic palm-fringed canals in sampans, witnessing fruit harvesting and glazed fruit production.
water highway to saigon
After lunch and relaxing drinks, TT2 floats along the Cho Ko Canal at the entrance to Saigon. Closer to the coast again, we spied farmhouses, temples and pagodas. The canal is a water highway that serves more than 2,000 commercial ships and barges every day. We are honored that five CF Mekong River Cruises are the only cruise ships sailing on this 29km canal connecting Saigon to the Mekong River.
As the sun sets, we’ll sail into Vietnam’s bustling capital and stop in Bach Dang. We had two more nights on TT2 that included city tours, but tonight the five of us chose the only optional tour – the Vespa Nightlife Food Tour. A bright two-wheeled vintage machine and our driver are waiting.
Spend a fantastic four hours navigating the capital’s crazy city traffic, sipping sky-high cocktails, gazing at the city lights, sampling Saigon’s best Vietnamese sandwiches, joining the locals for a roadside seafood banquet, and finishing it off at Maison Marou Saigon A cup of rich hot chocolate as a nightcap.
As I sipped coffee on the peaceful sundeck on my final morning, I knew that the nine-day New Discovery cruise had opened up to me a whole other world filled with authentic activities, countless unique experiences, people interacting and a world away from the usual A hidden gem of a tourist attraction.
All onboard restaurant meals, land tours, English-speaking guides and Wi-Fi are included. Alcohol-free. There are plenty of options here, though, and they’re all reasonably priced, or you can bring your own on the plane and they’ll happily keep them refrigerated. This cruise operates from Siem Reap to Saigon and vice versa.
For more activities in Vietnam and Cambodia, see vietnam travel and cambodia tourism network
