terry&mike

This river cruise journey differs a lot from river cruises in Europe in terms of scenery and docking locations. In Europe you tend to be sailing past charming towns, vineyards, castles or similar scenic sites. You tend to dock right in the heart of town at a small pier area, or ‘raft’ with other ships at dock. Cambodia is not a developed nation, so your beauty comes in the form of amazingly open and genuine people, and a simple life along a river that is not always easy but still lived with appreciation for what little they do have. Docking is pulling up to a rough, unfinished river bed, near local fishermen, with a makeshift set of stairs in the dirt, in the middle of nowhere. I mention this because it is a wonderfully beautiful trip in ways that are very different than visiting a formal garden of a chateau. It may not be for everyone, but if you appreciate different cultures, unique ways of life, and real people who are trying to survive as best they can while remaining peaceful, then you will enjoy this fully. Oh, and the food is divine!

Another wonderful day. This morning we went to a monastery for ‘novices’ - boys from 5-21 years old who attend for an education, and to study Buddhism. We were able to have spend some time with a sweet 13 year old boy who answered our questions, and explained the different ways in which he wears his robe for certain things. Very special. We departed the ship at 9a, and were back just after 11a. Lunch had a magnificent pork belly, plus lots of other items. The afternoon had a choice of 3 tours, and we had signed up for the ‘local industry tour’. This was a highlight tour for us. We learned about rubber tree plantations, and then visited a beetle nut village. Through our guide. We were able to interact with several locals and understand their lives in this tiny village and the beetle nut trade. The children of this village don’t see many ‘French’ (as they call foreigners) and were fascinated by us. We departed ship at 2:45p and returned at 5p. Port talk with cocktails was at 6:30p. I tried a Vietnamese Mojito, which was like a tart lemonade drink. Dinner was at 7p, and was flavors from France. Great day.

I am using an iPhone 11 for all my photos. I hope you enjoy this journey as much as we are!

Reception area

Cocktail Lounge

Complimentary laundry, hallway, 24 hour coffee and tea stations.

Spa, Salon and Wellness Center.

The sun deck on deck 4, and the pool area on deck 3.

Yes, the Mekong is not the most attractive river you can sail on, for sure. It is rough river banks, dirty water, trash, running through poor countries. But it is culturally interesting, and I try to capture the beauty in my photos. Some places just require that you search a little harder to find it.

Breakfast buffet, plus there is a small menu with some ala carte items that can be ordered.

We boarded the Scenic Spirit yesterday, in Kampong Cham, Cambodia. We departed the hotel at 10:15a. Our first stop was a restroom break and visit of a scenic bridge at 11:30a. Our next stop was a hotel for a multi course lunch, at 1:30p. This was very good. We arrived at the ship at 4:30p. The staff was lined up to greet us, and we were offered cold towels and a glass of champagne. We were taken to the lounge and given some information on the ship while we enjoyed our champagne. Our butlers then each approached us and introduced themselves. Not sure how they recognized us, but that was a cool touch. We were escorted to our rooms, and shown details of safe, lights, bed, etc. our luggage was already in the room. We are in room 204, and it is lovely. Quite large by river cruise standards with a separate sitting room area, and balcony area. One of the reasons we chose this ship, is that the entry level cabins are suites, so when looking at other lines and comparing a similar size room we had to move up in price from the entry level. Our room is the same as the entry level cabins on a deck 1, just located up one level on deck 2 for better views. There are some larger suites as well. The room has some nice features, such as the bed has remote controls that allow you to raise/lower the head or foot, on either side. The balcony area has the ability to lower the top glass portion and open up to a true balcony feature. As the Mekong is warm and humid we will likely keep that glass top portion up and use the ‘balcony portion’ as part of our living space. There are motion sensor lights in the bathroom, at the floor, and in the walk in closet. The shower is very large for a ship. Huge wall sized windows provide lots of natural light, and can be screened for privacy, or blacked out for sleeping in. There is a stocked mini bar with snacks, liquor and other beverages, all complimentary. There is a lot of hanging space, and 4 good sized drawers; plenty of room to put our stuff. Walking sticks, umbrellas, slippers, robes, all the things. Our butler is Koemheang, but said to call him Kim. He is young and friendly, and very helpful, even offered to fill our bottles from the water filling station and returned them with our names on them! Our group was 20, and we were waiting on 12 more people, who all arrived within 30 minutes, and we sailed immediately after. We had a port talk with cocktails at 6:30p. They were pouring Veuve Cliquot champagne for everyone, but you could also order whatever you wanted. I had a dirty vodka martini with Grey Goose (I prefer Kettle 1, but they don’t have it onboard). The drink was made well, but was small; I mentioned this, and the next one was larger. Hubby had Johnny Walker Black. Canopies were passed. Dinner was at 7p. There were both local and western style options, and several ‘always available’ options. I was in need of a break from local/Asian food after 3.5 weeks away, so went with Caesar Salad, John Dory fish, and a cheese plate. Paired with a Pinot Noir. All was excellent. Today we have breakfast 7a-9a, and a tour at 9a that involves climbing 300+ stairs to a monastery that is for young men; there is a mini van option as well. We will be back for lunch. Another tour is set for this afternoon.

A word about weather, packing, etc. The temperatures have been mostly highs of 86-89 F in days, partly cloudy to sunny, somewhat humid. Best to wear items that are comfortable when you are sweating a lot, and help you stay cool. The temple visits require your shoulders and knees to be covered, so bring some modest clothing, like 3/4 length pants. If you are traveling in Thailand their dress code for temples and Royal sites is a bit more strict, with ankles needing covering as well. Some of the temple sites are dusty, so dark bottoms may be better suited. Shies should be comfortable and secure. Lots of uneven stones, stairs, rocky paths, sometimes mud. Pack sunscreen and bug repellent. I’m a bit surprised at how many people on the tour are asking to use the guides stuff. Vietnam used the Dong as currency, it’s easy to buy at the airport if you arrive into Vietnam. They are a heavy cash society. Cambodia operates on the U.S. dollar, but they do have their local currency as well, but don’t prefer to use it. We brought along all small bills of 10’s, 5’s, and 1’s, which is very appreciated. I have a very healthy size stack of small bills. If you give someone a $20 for a $5 purchase they are going to try to give you back Cambodian money as change to get rid of it.

This trip just keeps getting better! Last night, there was a private Gala Evening at Angkor Wat temple for the 20 of us that exceeded anything you could hope for. We were taken to the closed temple grounds at 6:30p, where we were gifted with Cambodian linen scarves, and then escorted by musicians down a candlelit path. We had cocktails and canopies in front of a lighted temple building, while Apsara dancers held poses and musicians played local sounds. We were then escorted to the other side of the temple building and seated for a formal dinner. The meal was served course by course and was heavenly, and each course was preceded by a cultural dance number. All for just the 20 people in our group. It was possibly one of the most memorable nights of my life. Today we depart the hotel at 10:15am and will be taken to the ship. We have lunch and some scenic stops on the way, and should arrive around 3-3:30pm.

We had planned in advance that we would have clothes made, so brought luggage with some extra room. We are very light packers, usually traveling with one carry on size piece of luggage each. On this trip my luggage is the usual carry on size bag, but for hubby we are using a 30” duffle style bag. The new clothes were all given to us folded into individual little cellophane packets, so place easily in the bottom section of the duffle. The folding method they used is a good one, as we whipped out one of my dresses, and a jacket and shirt for Mike last night for a Gala Dinner event, and they were ready to be worn.

We were off at 5a today to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Cloud cover was heavy, so we didn’t see the striking images we’d hoped for, but it was still interesting. Next we went to a monastery and had breakfast by the water. Very nice. Then a tour of Angkor Tom temple, and then of Tahprom (our favorite) temple. Back to the hotel for noon, where we enjoyed some free time and a nap. We meet again at 6:30p for a Gala Dinner tonight, and some entertainment.

My opinion is that Tonle Sap Lake is interesting, but not worth you paying extra or expending the energy for it. At the end of the day, it is a very large body of water that has been overfished and polluted with a declining fish population, and shores lined with trash. The floating communities are interesting to see a different lifestyle, but I don’t think they’ll stay with you in the long run. I do hate to write that, because someone may have seen this as a highlight, but it’s my thoughts. In Bangkok, we enjoyed a food tour by Tuk Tuk a lot, by Hidden Bangkok. We also enjoyed going up to Sky Bar to watch the sunset over the city, and sipping on overpriced cocktails - the photos are worth it!

Busy day today. I may be brief as we have an early wake up tomorrow. We went on the excursion Tonle Sap floating village. It ended up being 3 of us on this tour. We left at 9a, back at 1p, and it included lunch. The tour was a boat ride to see how families who live on the lake have their homes and lives. It was culturally interesting. Then we had a few minutes at the Old Market. Next we were taken to a very nice place for lunch, we was a course by course served meal. We had just over an hour rest at the hotel, and then visited Angkor Wat Temple. We departed the hotel at 2:30p and returned st 5:10p. The tour was very interesting and informative. We met in the lobby again at 7:30p and went to the Cambodian Phare Circus. The show was an hour and was delightful. Very entertaining. Back to hotel for 9:30p. We have an early wake up tomorrow as we leave at 5:00a for a sunrise at Angkor Wat.

Okay, Wow! That’s ‘wow’ as in amazing, as Scenic has started off fabulously. We moved over to the Raffles Grand D’Angkor yesterday afternoon, and the hotel is wonderful. A classic beauty dating back to 1932, which has been cared for in the highest manner. Beautiful grounds, pool, gardens. Lovely rooms, first rate staff. Not everyone will have our program, as we are over New Years here, but if you can book that timeframe, then do so! We met our guide, Hoan, at 6p for an orientation meeting. Looks like he will be excellent. We then were escorted to a botanical garden for live jazz music and an hour of drinks, to start our New Years Eve celebration. At 8p, we were lead by local dancers to the huge pool area of the hotel. The entire area had been decorated for an elegant dinner, show and party. White table cloths, candles, China, all around the pool. Flowers and lights everywhere. We had live entertainers all evening, local dancers and cultural performances, live band with incredible singer performing classics and modern songs. Wonderful. Dinner was served course by course with white glove service and was caviar with melon gazpacho, trio of foie gras, seafood tower of lobster, crab, oysters, scallop, prawn, asparagus veloute’, black angus beef Wellington. Followed by a dessert and cheese buffet that went for tables and tables. The wine was delicious and never ending. Everything was beyond delicious. Then there was a DJ with fun dancing for a bit. At midnight, there was a champagne countdown and toast, and a huge fireworks display. Probably the best New Year’s party I’ve ever attended. Magical. Today we are up, have had a delicious included breakfast at the hotel, although we were both still full, and are headed out on our excursion to Tonle Sap lake. There will be 4 of us on this excursion, as there were several excursions to select. Most people chose the tether balloon. As for counts, there are 20 of us on this portion of the itinerary, 6 US, 6 Australian, some Britain, some Canada, some Germany. On the ship we will be a total of 32 guests on our sailing (the ship can hold 66). There will be 45 crew onboard. 2 couples were late joining the group yesterday due to flights, but made it to the dinner and party. 1 couple is without their luggage yet.

Our flight to Siem Reap was uneventful and took just at an hour. We had applied for and received eVisas for Cambodia, and were able to clear Immigration in about 15 minutes. We were picked up and driven to our hotel, the HARI Residence and Spa, about 20 minutes away. We booked in here for 1 night on our own at $65 for a suite including breakfast for 2, and airport pickup. Tomorrow we will transfer up the street to the Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor, for 3 nights, to join the start of the Scenic program ‘Temple Discovery & Luxury Mekong Cruise 7 Night’. We chose to stay at the HARI for our extra night before the start of the tour as the rate for an extra night at Raffles was very high comparably. It was a good choice as this is a lovely and welcoming property.

Yesterday was another day of rain on and off in Hoi An. The good news is that if you download the app Grab, it is easy to call a car to take you where you want to go, and very cheap. Most of our rides were $1.27, as it got dinner time, dark, and the rain was heavy, the rates moved into their ‘higher tier’ which got up to $1.56 for our most expensive ride. Works like Uber, simple and efficient, and charged your stored credit card. We picked up all 9 pieces of clothes from the 2 tailors, and love them all. Very happy with the outcome. We also got massages again, and I had a manicure. Good rainy day stuff. It’s Friday morning here, and we will be flying from DaNang, Vietnam to Siem Reap, Cambodia this afternoon. It’s a 1 hour flight on Cambodia Angkor Air.

Rainy on and off in Hoi An yesterday, but warm at around 78 F. Went for fittings on the clothes we ordered, and will pick them up today. Photo of Mike and tailor Dong.

We join Scenic in Siem Reap on December 31, with a 3 night hotel stay at the Raffles Grand D’Angkor. Scenic also offers itineraries that include Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City, but we decided to do those on our own.

We had previously visited Hoi An in January 2020 for 1 day, while on a port stop for an ocean cruise, and were looking forward to returning. Our second visit confirms our thoughts that this is one of the prettiest of most charming towns in Asia. We were booked to stay for 5 nights, but a flight change has us being here for 4 nights. Yesterday, the temperature was a high of around 76 and partly cloudy. Gorgeous day, and we made the most of it. We already had a plan that we hoped to have some custom clothes made while in Hoi An. There are literally hundreds of custom tailors here. We both had given some thought as to what we wanted, and had some some research as to what shops to focus on. At Bao Diep, we ordered hubby a classic black tuxedo, plus an extra jacket in a beautiful silk print, and 3 dress shirts. For me a long, flowy silk dress. $500. A bit later in the day, a dress caught my eye at another tailor we strolled by, Lua Viet Nam Vi Ana Silk, and I ordered another long dress, as well as a shirt. $70. We go back to both tailors today for our first fitting of our purchases, and they should be ready for pick up tomorrow. We also stopped for coconut coffee. In the afternoon we stopped in a spa for 60 minute massages, 2 for $35. We spent most of the day just strolling around this beautiful city. We ate fresh spring rolls, Cao Lau noodles, and enjoyed a Vietnamese red wine that was fairly decent. When we returned to our room, the laundry I had given to our hotel at breakfast was waiting for us.

Our driver was waiting for us at the DAD DaNang airport and drive us 50 minutes to our hotel in HoiAn. We are staying at the Villa Orchid Garden Riverside, a small, casual hotel about a 15 minute walk from Old Town. We have a large room with separate living area and kitchenette, and 2 bathrooms. We booked 5 nights with breakfast for $213 total; we booked this quite a bit back and rates are higher now. It rained last night. The weather report for today is a high of 76 F and partly cloudy. We are headed to breakfast, and to give our hotel our laundry for the past 2.5 weeks to have done.

Apologies, I noticed a typo in my last post. It is about 50 minutes from Hai Phong pier to HPH Hai Phong Cat Bi airport, not 20 minutes as my post says.