A floating world comes to life
MARGARET TURTON, The West Australian April 15, 2011, 7:44 pm
Luciano Mortula © A cruise along the Mekong River reveals the former Indochina in the manner it should be seen - very slowly, layer by layer, in style.
We begin our journey in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, 70km from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Our floating sanctuary is the Jayavarman, a French colonial-style river cruiser built in 2009 with Khmer and Indochine features. Small scale and intimate, it's very atmospheric - think brass, teak, rattan.
There are just 27 staterooms, each with an elegant private balcony. And it's from there that the vignettes of river life lure us to the riverbanks. It evolves into a first-class expedition of discovery.
Of course, you're not compelled to go ashore at every port of call, though many of us do. Enticed by the smiles and warmth of the locals - both on and off the beaten track - every day we visit towns, villages and hamlets by any type of transport available; cyclo rickshaw, trishaw, motor launch or cart.
First port of call is Cai Be, by sampan. Here, where the river is broad, we glide among vendors at a major floating market. Some sampan merchants advertise their wares by hoisting a sample to the top of an upright pole.
Others trade from bulging bamboo baskets secured to the bow of larger boats. All manner of items are exchanged here - from foodstuff to coffins, the latter sold in floating workshops and transported by waterway, in some cases right to the client's door.
From this bustling scene we move on to the mainland to view a fine old house which is an elegant blend of Vietnamese and French colonial style, a remnant of an era long passed. Then it's back into the sampans to explore Binh Thanh Island whose inhabitants earn their living by making rattan products from water hyacinth.
On board the Jayavarman a typical day begins with tai chi lessons on the sundeck. Each afternoon there's a "Special Teas Time" in the Funnel Bar.
Meals - a definite highlight of this voyage - are served in the Indochine Dining Room and, most evenings, the Henri Mouhot Lounge (named for the French explorer) is the venue for screenings of myth- encrusted epics such as Indochine (1992), The Killing Fields (1984) and documentaries such as Angkor Wat History.
This upstream journey is heading for Siem Reap, Cambodia. Just before saying goodbye to Vietnam, we make a stop at a border town, Chau Doc.
It's a melting pot of Vietnamese, Khmer and Cham ethnic groups. Trishaws whiz us around the town, sampans glide us through floating fish farms. For me, though, the standout attraction hereabouts is our walk to a remote Cham village, the other side of a rickety little bridge.
By sunrise next morning we are in Phnom Penh. By cyclo we visit the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, the National Museum and Russian Market.
I continue on to Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum, followed by a tour of one of the infamous Killing Fields. Understandably, some passengers chose more uplifting pursuits.
In Chong Koh we see artisans weaving silk. At Angkor Ban we witness the daily lives in a rustic rural village where industry has scarcely changed in the last century. At Wat Hanchey we see the last remnant of a temple complex pre-dating Angkor Wat.
What's left resembles a brick kiln, since it was bombed by US aircraft flushing out Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Same goes for the blackened walls of Wat Nokor.
With more bombs dropped on Cambodia than fell on Japan during World War II, aerial destruction is another aspect of Cambodia's torrid past.
But do they harp about it? No. Like the Vietnamese, they tend to look forward. Although they face enormous challenges, Cambodians are keen to demonstrate their progress.
We are introduced to the work of Swiss paediatrician, Dr Beat Richner through the screening of the documentary, Money or Blood. Richner has opened several children's hospitals in Cambodia, including Kantha Bopha I and II in Phnom Penh and Jayavarman VII in Siem Reap.
At the end of our journey the temples of Angkor hurl us back a thousand years to the era of the great Khmer king, Jayavarman VII. When the temples take form in the shimmering dawn light we're well prepared to immerse ourselves in another layer of Cambodia's past.
FACT FILE
• The eight-day, seven-night, Jayavarman Mekong Cruise departs weekly from Saigon and/or Siem Reap. Rates from $2067 per person. In October, the Mekong's latest and most exclusive cruiser, the British- Indian colonial-inspired Jahan will make its inaugural voyage with a similar itinerary. The Jahan's 26 cabins, all with private balconies, range from 29-50sqm and will be the most luxurious boat on the Mekong. Rates from $2375 per person. The trip can be booked through Travelindochina at www.travelindochina.com.au or on 1300 367 666.
• For information about the works of Beat Richner visit www.drbeat.com.au.
Margaret Turton was a guest of Travel Indochina.
We begin our journey in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, 70km from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Our floating sanctuary is the Jayavarman, a French colonial-style river cruiser built in 2009 with Khmer and Indochine features. Small scale and intimate, it's very atmospheric - think brass, teak, rattan.
There are just 27 staterooms, each with an elegant private balcony. And it's from there that the vignettes of river life lure us to the riverbanks. It evolves into a first-class expedition of discovery.
Of course, you're not compelled to go ashore at every port of call, though many of us do. Enticed by the smiles and warmth of the locals - both on and off the beaten track - every day we visit towns, villages and hamlets by any type of transport available; cyclo rickshaw, trishaw, motor launch or cart.
First port of call is Cai Be, by sampan. Here, where the river is broad, we glide among vendors at a major floating market. Some sampan merchants advertise their wares by hoisting a sample to the top of an upright pole.
Others trade from bulging bamboo baskets secured to the bow of larger boats. All manner of items are exchanged here - from foodstuff to coffins, the latter sold in floating workshops and transported by waterway, in some cases right to the client's door.
From this bustling scene we move on to the mainland to view a fine old house which is an elegant blend of Vietnamese and French colonial style, a remnant of an era long passed. Then it's back into the sampans to explore Binh Thanh Island whose inhabitants earn their living by making rattan products from water hyacinth.
On board the Jayavarman a typical day begins with tai chi lessons on the sundeck. Each afternoon there's a "Special Teas Time" in the Funnel Bar.
Meals - a definite highlight of this voyage - are served in the Indochine Dining Room and, most evenings, the Henri Mouhot Lounge (named for the French explorer) is the venue for screenings of myth- encrusted epics such as Indochine (1992), The Killing Fields (1984) and documentaries such as Angkor Wat History.
This upstream journey is heading for Siem Reap, Cambodia. Just before saying goodbye to Vietnam, we make a stop at a border town, Chau Doc.
It's a melting pot of Vietnamese, Khmer and Cham ethnic groups. Trishaws whiz us around the town, sampans glide us through floating fish farms. For me, though, the standout attraction hereabouts is our walk to a remote Cham village, the other side of a rickety little bridge.
By sunrise next morning we are in Phnom Penh. By cyclo we visit the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, the National Museum and Russian Market.
I continue on to Tuol Sleng Prison and Genocide Museum, followed by a tour of one of the infamous Killing Fields. Understandably, some passengers chose more uplifting pursuits.
In Chong Koh we see artisans weaving silk. At Angkor Ban we witness the daily lives in a rustic rural village where industry has scarcely changed in the last century. At Wat Hanchey we see the last remnant of a temple complex pre-dating Angkor Wat.
What's left resembles a brick kiln, since it was bombed by US aircraft flushing out Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Same goes for the blackened walls of Wat Nokor.
With more bombs dropped on Cambodia than fell on Japan during World War II, aerial destruction is another aspect of Cambodia's torrid past.
But do they harp about it? No. Like the Vietnamese, they tend to look forward. Although they face enormous challenges, Cambodians are keen to demonstrate their progress.
We are introduced to the work of Swiss paediatrician, Dr Beat Richner through the screening of the documentary, Money or Blood. Richner has opened several children's hospitals in Cambodia, including Kantha Bopha I and II in Phnom Penh and Jayavarman VII in Siem Reap.
At the end of our journey the temples of Angkor hurl us back a thousand years to the era of the great Khmer king, Jayavarman VII. When the temples take form in the shimmering dawn light we're well prepared to immerse ourselves in another layer of Cambodia's past.
FACT FILE
• The eight-day, seven-night, Jayavarman Mekong Cruise departs weekly from Saigon and/or Siem Reap. Rates from $2067 per person. In October, the Mekong's latest and most exclusive cruiser, the British- Indian colonial-inspired Jahan will make its inaugural voyage with a similar itinerary. The Jahan's 26 cabins, all with private balconies, range from 29-50sqm and will be the most luxurious boat on the Mekong. Rates from $2375 per person. The trip can be booked through Travelindochina at www.travelindochina.com.au or on 1300 367 666.
• For information about the works of Beat Richner visit www.drbeat.com.au.
Margaret Turton was a guest of Travel Indochina.
No comments:
Post a Comment