Explore More - 2017

122 VIKINGCRUISES.COM |

122 VIKINGCRUISES.COM | EXPLORE MORE 2017

MAGNIFICENT MEKONG views of the temple and jungle. In the afternoon, we visit Angkor Thom, and the remarkable Bayon Temple, with its giant, carved stone faces and impressive tree roots. We first glimpse our home for the next seven nights, Viking Mekong, in Kampong Thom, and it’s exactly what we were hoping it would be, with authentic polished teak decks and rattan chairs, plus friendly staff members who, impressively, greet us all by name as we board. Our stateroom has the same teak flooring and wooden furniture, and the beds are very comfortable, with luxurious Oriental-style burgundy silk bedspreads that give the room an elegant feel. While there’s no TV, there are all the essentials (plus the occasional gecko in the shower), including patio doors with chairs outside so you can sit and watch the ever-changing scenery along the Mekong. On the Upper Deck, which is also where you congregate for evening cocktails and the day’s briefing from the ship’s fantastic hotel manager, Jan, there are comfortable loungers and a small but perfectly stocked bar where you can help yourself to coffee and cookies. It’s the little touches that make a difference on a cruise, and it’s a pleasant surprise to find complimentary bottles of water on offer every time we leave for an excursion and cold towels and cookies when we return. The onboard food is a revelation; it’s of a consistently high standard and there are opportunities to try both local delicacies and Western dishes, although I’m far too much of a wimp to try the deep-fried insects on offer as a traditional appetizer one evening. Everyone sits at tables of eight so you get to know each other quickly, and we discover that some of the American and Australian guests on board are revisiting the places where they were stationed during active service in Vietnam and Cambodia. There are lectures and films on board, which complement the itinerary, and there’s usually quite a crowd on the Upper Deck late into the night if you want to talk some more. The Mekong is a fascinating river, wider than you might expect. We’re here during the rainy season, and when there’s a thunderstorm, the sky turns black, accentuating the mocha-colored water and IN PHNOM PENH WE TAKE A CYCLO TOUR TO THE ROYAL PALACE AND SEE ITS GLITTERING PAGODAS jade green of the jungle; we also see vermilion and tangerine sunsets. For me, the highlights of our itinerary include our visit to the Udon Monastery. Inside, the ceilings are decorated with vivid, exquisite frescos, and two monks are sitting on the floor next to each other. We’re invited to sit down in front of them, and close our eyes while they chant a protective prayer and then shower us with lotus petals, before tying a red wool amulet on our wrists—it’s an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. We’re also given an insight into the daily lives of the monks and nuns who live at the monastery. In Phnom Penh, we take a thrilling cyclo tour to the city’s Royal Palace, and see the glittering pagodas. At Kampong Cham, by the Twin Holy Mountains of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei, we explore the exquisite temples, and are greeted by macaque monkeys. Most poignantly of all, we visit the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Clockwise, from top left: Wat Ounalom, Phnom Penh, Cambodia; boats on the Mekong Delta; Buddhist monks at the Udon Monastery, Cambodia; statues at Angkor Wat, Cambodia; Quán Thánh Temple, Hanoi, Vietnam. EXPLORE MORE 2017 | VIKINGCRUISES.COM 123