The ship casts off early in the morning to sail for about an
hour to Kampong Tralach, while we enjoy another delicious buffet breakfast. Alan has taken to slurping Vietnamese Pho
soup at breakfast, while Sue often orders the eggs Benedict.
Transportation for the morning excursion is unique, as we
board ox carts to ride for about 20 minutes in the blazing sun and heat. Thank goodness for the large umbrellas
provided by the Scenic crew. Sattya
advises us that each ox would cost a villager between $700 and $1000 USD, while
a cart itself could cost in the range of $300-$500, making each of our vehicles
worth about $2000. Ox cart
transportation is very important in the rural areas, and oxen are also used as
farm labourers.
We are all relieved to board a waiting air-conditioned coach
which transports us the next leg of the journey to one of the largest Buddhist
temple complexes in the country at Oudong.
Over 90% of the population are practicing Buddhists, and the worship, meditation
and support of the monks are an important part of daily life.
The sprawling complex is impressive, and we climb the high
stairs to a very large temple hall which is kept surprisingly cool by the
breeze through the high doors. There we
enjoy a blessing administered by two monks which involves their chanting in
polyspeech and tossing lotus flowers over us.
I’m amazed that the monks are so welcoming of being photographed.
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| Surprisingly, no-one was struck by lightning |
We visit the dining hall as preparations are made for the
midday meal. The monks eat only two
meals daily, and nothing after 12 noon.
Next we tour the nun's complex. There are male and female nuns who dress in white rather than the orange robes used by monks and novice monks. The nuns may choose to follow only 5 or 8 commandments, rather than the 10 commandments and 216 regulations observed by the monks. Sattya introduces us to an elderly female nun who tells us she became a nun after her husband died and her children were grown, because she sought a quieter, more contemplative lifestyle. She described rising early, doing her meditation, preparing food for herself and for the monks, taking care of her very simple abode, and retiring early to bed. She is very thankful to accept our donations, which will be used to purchase food and supplies.
The four Canadians have signed up for the ship's bridge tour, which happens just after lunch. We are amazed at the absence of paper maps - the captain and mates rely on GPS, radar, and sonar for navigation. The river is challenging because of the rapid current and shifting sandbars. The very modest draft of 1.6 m makes it possible to safely tie up to the river bank at some of the small villages. The ship can take on extra ballast to lower her height by up to 70 cm to clear some of the Mekong River bridges.
We skip the Asian Cooking demonstration in favour of time at the pool and getting some laundry done at the ship's facilities. This is followed by a "pool party" which brings the largest crowd we've seen yet on the pool deck.
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| Pool deck invasion! |
The Asian flavours dinner features a spring roll appetizer which is truly spectacular.
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