Today we enjoyed our first sunrise on the Mekong River, as we cruised up towards our morning destination of Cai Be. Early risers were greeted with tea and coffee, and offered a thirty minute Tai Chi lesson on the deck. A little later, small local boats, also known as sampans, met us on the Jahan to take us through the narrow canals in the area. We departed the ship early to catch the busy morning activity in the nearby floating market, and watched as the locals conducted business on the waterway. It was a fascinating spectacle, and from there we continued cruising until we reached a small village that produces numerous local products made from rice. We watched as they made rice paper, rice wine, and popped rice desserts – and best of all we were offered samples of these tasty treats. After watching the production of the local goods, we had a bit of time to explore the village on our own. People meandered through narrow alleyways and across bridges to admire the charm of this small community tucked away in the Mekong.
After returning to the ship, cultural specialist Stephane de Greef gave us a presentation on the ecology, hydrology and geology of the Mekong River system. It was a great introduction to the dynamics of this impressive river, and a good overview for those of us who were interested in this place we will call home for the next week.
In the afternoon, after relocating about thirty five kilometers north of our morning destination, we boarded the same sampans and cruised through more narrow canals to the very small village of Sadec. Here we walked through local homes and watched the labor-intensive process of making sleeping mats. After walking around through the houses, we made our way to the community center where two village elders spoke to us about the history of the region, and answered any questions we had. It was a fascinating account of local history, and a great opportunity to hear firsthand about living in Sadec.
After concluding our visit to Sadec, we took a short cruise around the channel, passing fish farms, rafts of water hyacinth, and shorelines covered in papaya and mango trees. Once we boarded Jahan, we pulled anchor and set sail to cruise up river during the beautiful sunset light. We were rewarded with a nice cool breeze and beautiful glowing skies as the sun crept across the horizon, and finally set. It was a wonderful first day here on the Mekong, and we look forward to many more.
