Today marks our first full day on the Mekong River, and what a fantastic day it’s been. We started off with a gorgeous sunrise cruise up the river towards our morning destination of Wat Hanchey—a modern temple and monastery built on the site of an ancient pre-Angkorian temple. Those of us who chose not to walk to 303 steps to the temple found ourselves on the backs of local motorbikes cruising up the steep hillside, an exhilarating ride for sure. Our local guides took us around the monastery and temple site, introducing us to Theravada Buddhism and providing cultural insight.
Once back on the Jahan, local monks came on board the ship to provide us with a traditional blessing in the lounge. The beautiful chanting prayer was a great way to end our morning at this spectacular location, and soon after we pulled away and began to cruise back down river towards our afternoon destination of Angkor Ban. Before lunch, photographic instructor Max Seigal gave his lecture on the Basics of Photography, which was a great introduction to the trip and prepared us for photo opportunities in the days ahead.
Following lunch, cultural specialist David Adams presented his talk entitled Animism in Asia, another great lecture on the insights of cultures we encounter here in Southeast Asia. Immediately after David’s talk, we disembarked the ship and made our way to the amazing remote village of Angkor Ban. This was surely a highlight of the trip so far as we strolled around the local neighborhoods, encountering children playing, oxen, bicycles and motorbikes zipping by on small pathways, and the local marketplace. It was a great way to experience true Cambodia, away from the tourist circuit.
Once back on board Jahan, we set sail and began our cruise down river towards Phnom Penh. The sun dropped low over the horizon as we left the banks of Angkor Ban and graced us with yet another spectacular sunset on the Mekong River.
