My return to Cambodia would rely on a different type of travel – a cruise on the Mekong River (through both Cambodia and Vietnam). I joined up with my friend Katie (and former Hershey colleague) who is now enjoying worldly travels during retirement. So it must be shared that I had never been on an extended cruise before (the 1 day cruise on Halong Bay doesn’t count). And boy oh boy, was I ever spoiled with my first experience! With a crew of 70 servicing 118 passengers…we were definitely well taken care of (and fed). I really can’t get over how many tours and visits they managed to pack into our week on the river boat. So much fun!!
Buddhist Blessing Ceremony
My favourite experience of the entire cruise was getting to be part of a blessing ceremony at the Oudong monastery – the most important religious site in Cambodia. The this Buddhist temple is stunning – you can see the inside of it in the video below. We all enjoyed the mediation and calm that came with the monks chanting in the hall of this beautiful temple. After the ceremony we climbed to the top of the local hill/mountain to enjoy another set of temples and gorgeous views!
Country Living
The great thing about our river cruise company was that they really tried to ensure that we got an authentic (as much as possible) glimpse into local life. We saw silk weaving demonstrations, visited a local school and wandered around one of the few villages spared from destruction by the Khmer Rouge. I loved taking an ox cart ride around one of the local villages. It was definitely a bumpy ride – but a ton of fun! Glad my back held out ok after that ride 😂
Phnom Penh
Our boat wound its way into the capital city – and I will tell you that I honestly didn’t recognize the place. I was last in Phnom Penh in 2010 and the changes…the development that has occurred during the last 14 years was unbelievable! A city that hardly had a building over 6 floors, now had monster skyscrapers, paved roads and high end luxury stores. But the same range of emotions still reside in this city – the beauty of their buildings, palaces and art – offset by the horrors of genocide, from the not so distant past.
The inside of the temple is beautiful! I am glad that you got to experience that wonderful cruise with Katie!
I have to admit that I shed a tear for the horror that envelopes Phnom Penh!