8 days / 7 nights - Cruise Over Mekong River with RV PANDAW
Day 1: My Tho
We transfer passengers from the Renaissance
Hotel in Saigon to the Delta Port of My Tho
by coach avoiding tidal delays on the Cao
Gao canal. The time saved in cruising this
more industrial sector gives us more time in
the wilder areas upstream. The transfer time
is approximately two hours. My Tho is the
hub of the Delta but not of great cultural
interest so once on board we set sail and
have lunch. In the afternoon we moor near
Cai Be and make a fascinating trip by
traditional junk to Vinh Long and Tien Giang.
We explore evergreen islands and at the
former mandarin’s residence An Kiet House.
Here surviving members of the Kiet family
will welcome you with tea and we can wander
in the fruit orchards around the house. On
the way back we stop at Dong Hoa Hiep Island
to see boat yards, brick works and
traditional roofers. Overnight moor
midstream Cai Bei.
Day 2: Cai Be
We make a morning junk trip around Cai Bei
to see a floating market and walk ashore to
visit the French Gothic Cathedral and
colourful port area with its colonial
buildings and delightful flower gardens and
local coconut candy and rice paper
manufactories. Remainder of day cruising
through the Mekong Delta and moor overnight
at Chau Doc.
Day 3: Chau Doc
We travel from the main Mekong channel at
Tan Chau down the canals and backwaters by
local ferry boat. At Chau Doc we transfer to
small boats to visit a Cham tribal village.
We also visit a cat fish farm. We make a
trishaw ride round this fascinating town
with it fine French-colonial buildings and
bustling market. Return to the ship by boat
for lunch and cast off for the Border for
(lengthy) formalities. Evening cruise up the
broad Mekong channel, which is an
international shipping route. Moor overnight
just downstream from Phnom Penh.
Day 4: Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, retains
a French charm. The crumbling colonial
architecture makes an attractive backdrop to
lively cafes and the redeveloped river "corniche"
is full of life. The city has several
impressive Wats, including Wat Ounalom, Wat
Phnom and the newly painted Wat Lang Ka.
Pride of place goes to the spectacular
Silver Pagoda, one of the few places in
Cambodia where artifacts embodying the
brilliance and richness of Khmer culture
were preserved by the Khmer Rouge. The
National Museum is another highlight, with
outstanding displays of Khmer crafts. An
afternoon excursion is arranged to the
Killing Fields and the grim Khmer Rouge
detention center called S21 situated outside
the city optional XXX. Phnom Penh has a
lively night life and some passengers choose
to dine ashore or try one of the capital’s
many watering holes a favorite being the
Foreign Correspondent’s Club.
Day 5: Phnom Penh to Kampong Cham
Early morning departure from Phnom Penh and
stop at the little known Chong Koh silk
weaving village for a morning walk at
leisure. We cruise the Mekong seeing
timeless villages and river life and see
extensive fishing activities. The scenery is
very lovely here and in the distance
forested hills rise. On the river above
Phnom Penh there is little shipping, only
real Cambodian life. In the afternoon we
stop at Peam Chi Kang village to visit the
wat or monastery and school. Passengers are
at leisure to explore this peaceful and
friendly community. In the wat the splendid
village racing boats are stored.
Day 6: Kampong Cham Area
Morning journey upriver to the hilltop pre-Angkorian
temple of Wat Hanchey. Dating from the 8th
century, these ancient brick structures
characterize the architecture of the Chenla
Empire which predated the glories of Angkor.
Sail back downstream over lunch for an
exploration of the Kampong Cham Area. We
travel by bus to the 12th century Angkor ian
temple of Wat Nook. This colourful temple is
unique in Cambodia as a modern wat is set
within the ruins of an ancient temple. We
continue to the twin holy mountains of Phnom
Pros and Phnom Sri, or Man and Woman Hill.
Legends abound about the origins of these
hills and there are many pagodas and shrines
on the hilltops.
Day 7: Tonle River
We touch the capital Phnom Penh in the early
morning to change pilots and then sail the
Tonle River which connects the Tonle Lake
with the Mekong and Bas sac Rivers that
merge at Phnom Penh. This river journey is a
highlight of the trip. It winds its way
through jungle and as the river narrows you
feel you can reach out and touch the houses
and people who ecstatically cheer our ship
on. Temples abound along the river banks At
Kampong Chan the river narrows and one can
view the rich tapestry of Cambodian rural
life. This is a busy rural port town with
bustling markets. Mooring mid-stream we make
a truly wonderful motor boat excursion into
the lake side wetlands that form the mouth
of the river. Here a stunning variety of
bird life may be seen and of considerable
interest are the great fish traps, some half
a km long, that net a huge tonnage of fish
after each monsoon as the fish migrate from
the falling lake into the Tonle river.
Day 8: Tonle Sap
The great lake dominates Cambodia and is
over 150km in length. Here bird life is
profuse and in the midst of the lake one
cannot even see the shores. There is a great
stillness and tranquility on the Tonle Lake
and we pass floating fishing villages. Due
to seasonal high winds and water levels we
transfer passengers by speed boat from the
mouth of the lake to Siem Reap from November
to March. Even doing tAsia Expeditionsthe
lake can be very tricky and in the event the
waters are too low for the speed boats it
may be necessary to transfer passengers by
coach via Angkor Thom on the new Phnom Penh
– Siem Reap highway. We arrive at Siem Reap
by lunchtime for transfer to your hotels.
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