Cambodia — Phnom Penh & Oudong — October 17 & 18
We will cross the border between Vietnam & Cambodia while
on the Mekong River. Our first steps in Cambodia will be in
the royal capital, Phnom Penh, followed by a trip to the former
royal capital, Oudong.
On Thursday, October 17, we will cross the border into Cambodia and arrive in
the capital city, Phnom Penh. Once considered the “Pearl” of French IndoChina,
Phnom Penh, like Saigon, has used its near double-digit economic growth to move
on from its mid-to-late 20th century troubles. Amongst the new, modern buildings
starting to dot its skyline, this ancient river city maintains its charm with an elegant
mix of tree-lined boulevards, French colonial mansions, Angkorian architecture and
a decidedly Buddhist Royal Palace. We will visit the Silver Pagoda, as well as the
soaring roof-lines and solid silver floors of that iconic Palace, where the King and
his Mother still live. If you so choose, you can visit the fabulous National Museum
with an impressive collection of Khmer artifacts, as well as delve into as much
or as little of Cambodia’s 20th Century history as you would like. We will spend
overnight docked and this will give you a chance to sample, that evening, some of
the wonderful restaurants in Phnom Penh. The morning of Friday, October 18, we
will visit the former royal capital of Cambodia, Oudong. We will visit an impressive
Buddhist Monastery and receive a special, private blessing there. In the afternoon,
we are back in Phnom Penh to explore some more.
The Royal Palace of Cambodia
Mekong River -- Facts & Figures
The Mekong River Basin is one of the most biodiverse areas on earth,
second only to the Amazon; there are over 20,000 plant, 430 mammal,
1,200 bird, 850 fish, as well as 800 reptile and amphibian species,
respectively.
The Mekong has the largest variety of very large fish in the world,
including the giant river carp, which grows as large as six feet long and
150 lbs.; and the giant freshwater stingray which can have a wingspan of
over 12 feet
Starting in the Chinese Himalayan “Three-River Area” (along with the
Yangtze and the Yellow Rivers), the Mekong, at 2,718 miles, is generally
considered the 12th-longest river in the World. The Upper Mekong Basin
is in China and the Lower Mekong Basin runs through Laos, Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar
The Mekong contains the world’s largest in-land fishery, with a yield of
over 2,000,000 tons of fish per year. Over 40 million people work in this
industry, roughly 2/3 of the entire rural population.
Cambodia — Oknhatey-Angkor Ban-Kampong Cham — October 19 & 20
On Saturday, October 19, we will visit, by smaller boat, Oknhatey, known
as the “Silk Island”. Largely untouched by tourism, we will have a chance
to visit an elementary school and observe the traditional silk-weaving of
handicrafts and garments.
Weather & Clothing in Vietnam & Cambodia
We are travling at the very end of the “rainy” season, which means the air will be cleaner, the scenery will be lush and green and the moat at Angkor Wat will be full. The temperature will be hot & humid with the occasional afternoon shower. Bring light, breathable clothing and sturdy, comfortable sandals or walking shoes. Many of the temples and homes require that we remove our shoes before entering.
On Sunday, October 20, we will have a walking tour of Angkor Ban, one
of the few villages in Cambodia that was not destroyed by the Khmer Rouge.
Hundreds of intact wooden homes on stilts stand next to the banana trees
that provide shade to the villagers as they go about their daily business. That
afternoon, we will tour the twin mountains, Phnom Srei and Phnom Pros,
literally translated as Woman Hill and Man Hill, respectively. As the legend
goes, at one time, the custom in this part of the Khmer Empire was for women
to propose marriage to men. After encountering people from other regions, the
women wanted the men to propose to them instead (as was the custom in other
parts of the Empire). The men objected and to settle the matter, a contest was
held to see which sex could build a taller mountian in one night. At sunset,
work began feverishly and by midnight, the men were ahead. The women lit
a fire around 3 am and the men, thinking it was morning light, went to sleep
thinking that they were comfortably ahead. The women kept working and in
the morning, their mountain was higher. So now you know.