This morning we were up before dawn, downed a hasty and tasty snack, disembarked Jahan and climbed the banks of the Tonle Sap River. Waiting for us along a dusty dirt road were a line of ox-drawn carts! We climbed into the carts as the sun crested the palm trees across the river and trundled along the single track through lush verdant rice fields. We had a short stop at a lotus field, where we learned about the lotus plant. Beyond sporting a beautiful flower, the seeds are delicious and every part of the plant is useful. Photographers went nuts as sunrise light spilled into the fields and the pink flowers glowed in a sea of giant leaves.
The ox carts took us next to the town of Kampong Tralach where we visited the local school. The children were very friendly and eager to practice their English with us. They sang songs for us and everyone had a lot of fun. The school library was built by donations from Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic guests, and it was wonderful to see it well kept and filled with books. The school’s English language program and English teachers are also supported by the generosity of our guests.
Once back aboard Jahan, we enjoyed an entertaining presentation by one of our Cambodian guides and a couple of crew members on local dress attire and customs. A few guests volunteered to model Cambodian attire, to everyone’s delight! Afterwards we had an opportunity to tour the inner working of the ship. As we turned from the Tonle Sap back to the Mekong, our cultural expert Stephane De Greef gave a fascinating presentation on Angkor Wat in preparation for what is to come.
After lunch we went ashore on an island in the Mekong to visit a Theravada Buddhist Pagoda and talk to one of the monks. The paintings on the ceiling were brilliantly colorful, matching the monk’s saffron robes. From the pagoda we hopped into tuk tuks and sped into the countryside, past farms growing many kinds of fruits and vegetables, and ended up at a silk farm. We got a fantastic demonstration on silk from worm and mulberry leaves to cocoons, pulling the silk threads from the cocoons in boiling water, to eventually weaving elaborate and beautiful cloth. We had a chance to purchase some lovely silk products before loading back into the tuk tuks and returning to the ship. Dinner featured wonderful Khmer cuisine and the evening ended with a film on the history of Angkor Wat.
