DAY 8: Southeast Asia: Wonders of Cambodia, Vietnam & the Mekong
Today is Tuesday, Dec. 2, though days are beginning to blur together. We awoke early again, and I joined a sunrise yoga session on the top deck. It was just the instructor, me, and two others, sharing a gentle 45 minutes of movement. The sky was a bit cloudy, the air warm and humid, but it felt grounding and joyful. Around 7 a.m., as we stretched and breathed, we quietly crossed from Cambodia into Vietnam. The landscape changed in that there was so much more boat traffic as well as harvesting of sand at the bottom of the river. The area is booming with new construction.
Chris also rose early, enjoying time with coffee, the news, and reading before breakfast. After eating, we disembarked the ship. This part of the river has no docks for vessels like ours, so we anchored mid-river and boarded a sampan that carried about twenty passengers at a time to shore. From there, a 45-minute bus ride took us through the countryside toward Tra Su Bird Sanctuary. Along the way we passed rice fields, banana groves, papaya trees, and other fruit crops, moving through small towns with busy roads and constant motion.
The bird sanctuary itself was lush and peaceful, filled with flowering plants and waterways winding through the landscape. We explored first by motorboat, then transferred to small, three-person rowboats paddled by locals. (don’t remember that) Though we only spotted a handful of birds, the quiet beauty of the place made the experience feel restorative, and we even spotted a “Bigfoot,” adding a moment of humor to the day. We reached out to our Bloomington friend Jeff to confirm that Bigfoot is everywhere!
After returning to the ship for lunch, we decided to skip the afternoon group tour to Evergreen Island and instead savor some downtime. The pool was completely empty, just the two of us enjoying an hour of solitude. Afterward, I headed to the spa while Chris caught up on reading and enjoyed the quiet.
Later that evening, we gathered on the upper deck for a colorful Lion Performance featuring dancing, ribbons, drums, and a Vietnamese dragon performance. It ended with an unexpected dance party where we danced to Gangnam Style. Dinner was Indo-Chinese, and we shared a table with three Australians, swapping travel stories and learning about their home country, the Great Barrier Reef, and even their journey to see polar bears near the Arctic Circle. So many fellow passengers have truly seen the world. Though trivia was offered later, we opted for an early return to our room.Top of FormBottom of Form