AMAWATERWAYS AMAZING JOURNEY TO CAMBODIA AND SOUTH TO VIETNAM VIA THE MEKONG RIVER
First and foremost let me just say WOW! The adventure was more than I ever thought it could be or would be. While the travel to and from Asia is almost unbearable, the adventure was well worth it.
I flew in early to take advantage of the wonderful land package that AmaWaterways offers. We stayed at the Beautiful Sofitel in Siem Reap, Cambodia and started each day of the three nights pre-tour stay with a land adventure. During the pre-tour stay we were able to visit the amazing Cambodian temples finishing with Angor Wat, the largest temple in the world most known for its starring role in the Tomb Raider movie.
The temples were amazing! I found Cambodia to be very enchanting. The people there were always smiling when, given their history, they truly don’t have a lot to smile about. They have lived through terrible wars. During the most infamous of these, the Khmer Rouge murdered millions of their people. Yet in the Buddhist spirit, they forgive and live a life of peace and happiness from within.
I could have brought home many a smiling beautiful child. They were all so charming and sweet. You give them a pencil and it is like gold to them. They are so poor and the conditions they live in unthinkable, but they melted our hearts with their smiles again grateful and very thankful for the little they have.
The tours were simply amazing. The guides that AmaWaterways employs as their ground team are well informed and fun and they love sharing the history of their country and are so proud of their temples. I so enjoyed the land excursions of the trip.
At the end of the four day pre-cruise tour, we boarded the Amadara. What a beautiful ship! Teak interiors adorned the huge cabins and the staff was simply wonderful. The boat ventured to places where some of the villagers had never seen tourists. We were greeted with welcome arms and smiles, from locals, again, not expecting anything in return. The villages were incredibly interesting, previously unspoiled and profoundly unique places to visit.
We continued down to Vietnam that was charming in its own right, although a little more developed. The people in Vietnam were also very friendly, but the Cambodians made a special and indelible impact.
This trip brought home, how lucky we are in the United States of America. We have running, CLEAN water, electricity, toilets and schools. The infrastructure is so limited that even trying to help by donating was difficult, nearly impossible. I asked one child his address to send money to help his school, but there was no address and no one seemed to know how I could help.
Despite, seeing the challenges they faced, the trip was an incredibly uplifting and wonderful life and soul changing experience for many of us. There is no better way to put it than to say, “Ama Waterways rocked it!
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Tags: Adventure, All-inclusive, AmaWaterways, Angor Wat, Cambodia, Cruise, Culture, Mekong River, River Cruising, Tour
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