Mekong Delta to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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January 21

We were up very early this morning to take our trip, on a covered power launch, up the Mekong River from Chau Doc, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

We enjoyed a very nice breakfast on the hotel patio overlooking the hustle and bustle of the early morning on the Mekong river and the wonderful smell of the local cooking fuel, coconut shells and rice husks, coming from the riverside homes and houseboats. This is a bit of a sensory overload with the smells of the cooking smoke, the local food, the "put put" and "chug chug" sounds of the small and not so small fishing boats working up and down the river and the early morning sunrise.

The high speed power launch boat ride took us about four very interesting hours up the Mekong River, crossing through the border of Cambodia and on to Phnom Penh. This is a trip we would recommend to anyone coming this way. The boat is very comfortable and the scenery and sites along the river are second to none. The locals fishing, the small farms, rice and corn fields, and the locals doing the daily wash and children playing in the river all added to this very interesting trip. Too many photo opportunities !!!

On arrival and check in at The Hotel Cambodiana we had the rest of the day to visit the part of Phnom Penh close to our riverfront hotel. It is obvious that Phnom Penh is still learning about the tourist business as there is work to do in keeping the city clean and providing safe infrastructure for tourists. That said it is a very interesting place to visit and the locals are very helpful.

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