Out To See...: February 2020

Once again I feel so lucky to have been able to be the TM for this tour. It was my 3rd time in 5 years aboard the Mekong Princess for this tour and I was happy to see that she was refreshed and looking great!

I was not assigned to lead the Pre-trip extension to Hanoi and Halong Bay, so flew directly into Saigon to meet the main tour. My local guide, Chung, picked me up at the airport the morning of my arrival into the warm and humid hustle of Saigon.

I was happy to arrive early in the day and took time to go for a cruise around town on a cylco-taxi before meeting my passengers the next morning.

With the usual degree of lost luggage, delayed flights and travel stress, my delightful passengers arrived into Saigon and settled into their rooms at our lovely Hotel, the Park Hyatt Saigon.

The next day I was up early for breakfast and after introductions and a briefing on the next couple of days activities we were off to explore downtown Saigon, Post Office, War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace, and after a lovely lunch, visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels outside of town.

This Building - where the famous last helicopter left Saigon during the fall of Saigon will be demolished by next year to make room for a new high rise.

Post Office

Caltholic Church

Post Office Phone Booths and Clocks

Reunification Palace

Cu Chi Tunnels showing guide dropping into a tunnel and disappearing!

Showing traps set for Americans by VC

Sandals made from old tires

Our guide, Chung

The next day we visited the Ben Thanh Market before making our way to the Mekong Princess just in time for lunch. The ship is delightfully cool and elegant. The passengers were all blown away at just how nice everything was. The Cruise Director, Eric, has done a masterful job of seeing to every detail.

Our itinerary takes us into small villages and areas where larger ships are unable to visit. The guide and our CD helped with organizing the days so that the pace and flow is comfortable for the passengers and fits well with the lecture schedule.

Here are some shots of our days touring into the more rural areas of Vietnam on our way to Cambodia.

Once we arrived in Phnom Penh we were greeted by the Water Festival and were able to see some of the races from inside a special tent set up for tourists by the king. The boats hold up to 60 paddlers and the races go on for days as teams from all over Cambodia compete. There were thousands of people lining the banks of the river and firework displays both nights we were there.

Our itinerary also took us to the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and National Museum among other sights in the city. And we also visited the memorial sites of Choeung Ek; killing fields, and Tuol Sleng, infamously known as S-21, which was converted by the Khmer

Rouge from a large school to a prison and torture headquarters.

Royal Palace Grounds

National Museum

Choeung Ek, Killing Fields Memorial

S21 - Torture Prison

After leaving Phnom Penh we made our way to a small Village where the passengers receive a blessing from a monk and then have the opportunity to practice English with a group of Elementary aged students. Everyone seems to really enjoy this visit.

Village buildings

Monk

Musical Instruments inside Monastery

We bid our lovely Mekong Princess farewell and head by coach to our final destination, Siem Reap. We checked into another Park Hyatt Property to prepare for the last two days of touring the Angkor Wat Complex. Sunrise tours, elephant rides and quiet walks through temples overgrown with strangler fig vines are a powerful way to end a phenomenal tour!

Eric, CD, and our Captain & Crew

The fantastic Hotel staff aboard Mekong Princess

Last evening aboard Mekong Princess

Park Hyatt, Siem Reap

Angkor Wat

Our study leader, James Salzman (front left) provided us with insights into Vietnamese culture and social and environmental concerns surrounding the Mekong River.