The Mekong originates in Tibet and flows for more than 3000 miles. It is the 12th longest river in the world and passes through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Southern Vietnam. We bussed from Siem Reap to Kampong Cham, Cambodia, where we embarked the Viking Saigon to begin our trip southerly toward Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon.
The river is loaded with silt that gives it a muddy appearance. Sometimes, especially in built up areas, we see trash and debris floating on the surface. And, occasionally we see people bathing in the water.
The river is the heart beat for millions who live on its banks; fishermen and farmers living on both sides of the Mekong. In this next group of photos I hope to provide a glimpse into the lives of those living by and dependent on this great river. Let’s start in a southerly direction.
We anchored at Tan Chau where we boarded an authentic wooden sampan for a visit to the town and a visit to the home of a local farmer. Let’s start with our stop in Tan Chau. Our visit started with a short walk through the local market . . .
. . . where we embarked a bike driven rickshaw.
Here is our Viking tour director Ut demonstrating how to get on and off these awkward vehicles. I’ve ridden on more comfortable modes of transportation.
The next selection of photos were taken as we rode through the community.
The ride and town was interesting and there was a lot to take in including this temple.
Every once in a while I saw men engaged in board games while smoking away.
When possible I like to capture photos of men and women involved in their daily activities.
A few more of our continuing ride through the town. This first one of a woman riding her bike, overflowing with flowers, is one of my favorites.
Motor scooters everywhere you go. Here they are flowing off a local ferry.
A family on the go.
How many big bags can one scooter carry?
As we were returning to our sampan, I snapped this photo which I really like.
Then we sailed along the Bassac canal to take in life along the waterway.
Our next stop was to be Vinh Hoa to visit the home of a local family. Vinh Hoa is also known as “Evergreen Island.” Here are a few photos as we made our way. I can’t imagine what life must be like spending a lot of time, perhaps living, on some of these small boats.
The raised home of our hosts with their daughter there to welcome us.
The mother of the house was most warm and welcoming. Here she is hugging JoAnn.
And here is a shot of her husband. According to Ut, he’s a farmer. Ut commented on his hands, the hands of one familiar with hard work.
So I decided to focus in on those leather hard hands.
This was taken as we left the warm, welcoming family. Then as we were on our way back to the Viking Saigon I managed to capture two more photos of life on Evergreen Island.
Thank you for sharing. My husband and I want to do the Magnificent Mekong Viking cruise. However, we are both in our early 80’s and we hear that trip is pretty physically demanding. Some ports are supposedly very difficult to physically manage. Your thoughts please.
Thanks for looking at my blog. In general, there is a good deal of walking on this trip. If you are not walkers you may want to reconsider joining the tour. The tour itself is very nice and a great experience. For the most part it is on more or less level ground. In Angkor Wat there is a fair amount of climbing but for us it was manageable. I suggest looking at some videos to assess the degree of difficulty. Hope this helps. If in doubt, use good judgment.