My time on the Mekong with Croisieurope

So last time i told you a little bit about the ship now let me tell you about my time on board and the places we visited. Now unfortunately we joined the cruise half way so missed some of the must do’s ie Angkor Watt  Temple etc.

After a very short flight from Ho chi minh city 26 minutes to be precise we arrived in Phnom Penh and were met by our guide who took us to the ship and ave us an introduction to cambodia. What’s really nice as i mentioned last time is the guides come on board and sail with you.

As we arrived we were met of the Coach by all the crew  who immediately carried out bags down to the ship and on Board the Indochine II (CroiseEurope)

Once we had put our things into the cabin we then then went to the bard for drinks where a traditional  Aspara dance was performed for us. that evening we stayed docked overnight in Phnom Penh.

DAY 2 PHNOM PENH –
Breakfast was served early 730-830 and after we left for our daily included excursions. It is only a short ride as we embarked on our morning tour of the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, constructed in wood in 1892 then rebuilt in 1962, and the Royal Palace, symbolic heart of the nation and one of the finest examples of Cambodian architecture in classical Khmer style. This is truly am impressive place where the Kind is still in residence today.

After we visited  the National Museum housing the Fine Arts Museum, built in 1917 by the French in traditional Khmer architectural style. We then returned to where the ship was docked to a restaurant nearby called the Titanic built right on the river banks and open at the front this really was a beautiful setting and was all included so no having to pay for lunch.

We were warned before but after lunch the excursions were going to get a little heavy and emotional and indeed they did we took the short ride again to the  Tuol Svay Prey School, this is a  former centre of detention, torture and execution used by the Khmer Rouge S21 during the Cambodian War. I have to admit i didn’t really know too much about the story but once inside and our guide started to tell us more it became more and more disturbing. What you notice is how earliy quiet it is no one really talks as they wander around the old school now with the actual beds and blood stained floors where they were kept with a single picture on the wall of that exact room with someone dead or beaton on the floor, as you go through the walls are covered with pictures of those who were brutally tortured or killed not just men and women but also children and all who had no reason to be there. I think what made it more disturbing was it was fairly recent and within my life not to mention the fact that 2 survivors go there every day to tell you their stories.

After we left the School we made our way to a Russian Market” – crammed full with all types of Oriental businesses selling everything you could ever imagine, its really interesting seeing all the locals sat on the  little chairs  tucking into all the varieties of street food. We then  returned  on board to  have dinner as we continued  our cruise through the night to Vietnam. The evening entertainment that night was a usual the nightly movie which in keeping the the days excursion was the movie The Killing Fields.

DAY 3 CHAU DOC- SA DEC –
We crossed into Vietnam and completed  customs formalities at the border. It was a beautiful morning and pulling back the curtain on a morning to the mekong is speaktacular . After breakfast we took a local boat for a tour of a fishing farm the families who run the farms live in little huts at the back it was amazing to see the kids swimming in the river again and getting up and close to their lives ( no school here) as we were arriving you could see the locas coq fighting and it just reminded you how removed from our normal lives it was.

After the fame we took a bus ride to  Chau Doc, a town at the border between Cambodia and Vietnam which became part of Vietnamese territory some 300 years ago. Situated in the heart of a gigantic grid of rice fields, the city of Chau Doc embraces both banks of the Mekong and the floating farms overspill into the waters. Chau Doc is a very prosperous town which developed around fishing and animal farming. Inside the overpopulated town, a few colonial buildings with their old fashioned charm still remain. The market which surrounds them is the vibrant heart of the city and a multitude of colours. We took  a  tour of the town and then a  small boat to visit a Cham village, a village of silk weavers and fish farms. We return on board and continue our cruise towards Sa Dec. Dinner and overnight stop on the river bank.

DAY 4 SA DEC – VINH LONG – CAI BE –
We had breakfast on board and continued our journey to Sa Dec. Once we arrived at the  small town where a few colonial mansions are still in existence. We visited  the Trug Vuong primary school, the Kien An Cung Pagoda,  the local market and visited the former dwelling place of Huynh Thuy Le, former lover of the French novelist Marguerite Duras who spent part of her childhood in Sa Dec. Famous for its horticulture, Sa Dec was known as the “Garden of the Cochin Chine” in colonial times. We then returned  on board for lunch and continue towards Vinh Long, located in the middle of the delta region, between two arms of the Mekong and where all of life is organised around the water. Hundreds of small boats criss-cross in all directions between houses built on stilts. We set off in small boats along the canals and through the orchards that lead to the floating market of Cai Be. Here you could see  the local workers and craftsmen making bricks, pottery and chinaware, we then visited the  island of Binh Hoa Phuoc and the local traditional craft of rice popcorn. Afterwards we made our way back to the ship , i have to say getting back on board to the peace and tranquility was often needed after a busy day out and about being able to get back and sit on top deck enjoying the views as you sale was amazing.

after this we made our way to MY Tho i decided to stay on board today and relax as there was only a morning tour after lunch we then set sail for Saigon Ho chi minh

The advantage of croisi europe is they can Sail  right into the city something a lot of the others can’t do due to the design of their ships.

Sailing along the Mekong is simply amazing it not exactly what i imagined certainly the towns we visited were a lot bigger and busier than i had perhaps realised but they are so off the beaten track that unless you were taking a river cruise im not sure you would even get to experience these places. so if you a looking for something completely different then i would definitely recommend a Mekong Cruise and would certainly cruise again with Croisieurope