CAMBODIA
OUR JOURNEY STARTED IN SIEM REAP in the Angkor region of Cambodia. The hotel was about a mile from downtown and the entertaining Pub Street restaurants and bars. Angkor was the center of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to 15th centuries. There are more than 70 temples in the area and, in its time, it was the largest settlement in the world. In our two days, we saw eight temples. My favorites were Angkor Wat for its massive size and the art and architecture throughout, Banteay Srei for its small size and beautiful detailed carvings, and Bayon in Angkor Thom for its large carved faces. On the third day, we boarded Aqua Expeditions’ 40-passenger Aqua Mekong, which boasts large and luxurious suites with floorto-ceiling panoramic windows. The first three days were spent on Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Aqua Mekong carries its own 10-passenger skiffs, which allowed us to venture far into the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary and visit the colorful floating fishing villages of Moat Khla and Chnok Tru. The fascinating villages include floating ice factories, stores, schools, and Buddhist temples. On the fourth day, we left the Tonlé and enter the Mekong River. At Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, we toured the Royal Palace, the National Museum, and the grim Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. That night we crossed into Vietnam.