Today we enter a new phase of our expedition. Jahan, having spent a quiet night secured to the dock in downtown Phnom Penh, casts off into the Tonle Sap River, sailing back to the Mekong River to make our way to Vietnam. The modern skyline of Phnom Penh gives way to the traditional architecture of the Royal Palace complex as we approach the confluence with the Mekong.
The Mekong, flowing through China, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam (as well as delineating much of the Thai border with Laos), is the twelfth longest river in the world and has an average flow rate similar to that of the Mississippi River. The Tonle Sap is one of seven major tributaries to the Mekong, though during the height of the monsoon season, the flow of the Mekong is so enormous that the water backs up into the Tonle Sap, filling Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake in Southeast Asia.
Today we are on board enjoying the scenery, attending presentations, exploring the behind the scenes areas of our ship and other pursuits, in contrast to yesterday which we spent in bustling Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city.
Jean-Michel Filippi’s enthusiastic presentation of “The Last Seventy Years of Modern Cambodian History” spurs lively conversation and discussion and deepens our understanding of the complicated story of this nation.
Passing under the ultra-modern highway bridge, still under construction, that will link Phnom Penh with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), is a study in contrast with the ferries crisscrossing the river directly in front of the ship.
By midafternoon we arrive at the Cambodian – Vietnamese border. While our chief officer works with officials to clear us out of one country and into the next, we relax on deck and get to know the operation of Jahan during the “Behind the Scenes Tour” of the galley, engine room and other working areas. The pool is another popular hangout, especially with the incentive of a cool beer to enhance the experience.
Archeologist David Brotherson presents “LIDAR: A Remote Sensing Revolution” about this high tech tool that greatly adds to the arsenal of specialists seeking to unearth secrets of the past. David and his colleagues are pioneers in using this technology.
Later, after days of wonderful meal after wonderful meal, many of us join with the galley crew in learning to make some of the local specialties that have kept us returning to the buffet lines for second and third helpings.
As the day winds down, we pass through the bustling Tan Chau canal, running between the main channel of the Mekong and the “Bassac River,” actually a channel of the Mekong.
During recap we meet our Vietnamese guides Tri and Tai who introduce us to their country. After dinner the fine film “The Silent American” airs in the lounge, ending a full day.
