A Change of Guard

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Friday 27 April 2012

The Farmer File: Third world wonder, first world delights

We had a mini reunion here this past week with some friends we met a year ago in January on a Mekong River cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia. It's been fun to share and compare now, impressions of that trip 15 months ago. In short, the cruise was a memorable adventure.
We climbed, admired and photographed thousand-year-old temples, were charmed by 8-year-old children and ate aged (OK, deep-fried) tarantulas on our visit to Southeast Asia. And that was just one day of the cruise trip via AMA Waterways.
We saw sunrises over the Mekong River, strolled through village markets, passed large floating villages full of people who lived not by the river but on it, literally.
We were whisked, wobbled and waved at on a variety of vehicles, sometimes exhilarating, occasionally terrifying, always interesting. We were in what seemed a slow speed chase down a village path in oxcarts and an even slower-speed trek up a large hill or a small mountain on the back of a bored but surefooted elephant.

The elephant, we were told, was 29 years old, its driver about the same. The temple was nine centuries old. The elephant pilot's cell phone was made in China 20 minutes ago.
These are a few of the contrasts on our tour, land and water, boat, plane, cyclo, rickshaw, junk, motor coach, rickety walking bridge, skiff, tender, rowboat, taxi, jetliner, sampan and, the best of all, the AMA Waterways river cruiser, Le Marguerite.
After two nights in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, one night on a luxury junk cruising Ha Long Bay and three nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the city nearest the Angkor Wat ancient wonderland, we boarded the AMA ship. With just 46 staterooms, Le Marguerite is roomy and comfortable, with some king beds, excellent bathrooms, two good bars, a first-rate dining room, workout room, pool, etc. All the crew members speak English.
Dining is non-structured; you can sit anywhere you wish. I never needed a suit or jacket and anyone in a tux would have been stared at.
Buffets at breakfast and lunch include tasty western food plus Vietnamese and Cambodian dishes. Dinners are served at a table. House wines and spirits and beer are free.
The trip ended in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, which is what most people still call it.
Two of us on board had been in Vietnam and Cambodia during the war. There are many tours designed specifically for men and women "going back," so to speak. This is not one of them, but our guides talked freely when asked, as long as we were not within earshot of strangers.
In public, don't ask them about politics, past or present. Vietnam has a thriving, mostly free-market economy, but politically it remains a Communist dictatorship.
Generally the Vietnamese people like Americans and are kind and hospitable. The same is true in Cambodia, but talking current politics there also is best avoided in public.
Luxury river cruises are increasingly popular. Most travel agents, including Ewout Rijk DeVries of Marco Island's America Travel, will tell you that many seasoned travelers prefer them to the behemoth cruise ships.
You can book an AMA river cruise directly, but I recommend using a knowledgeable travel agent. It's just easier. Our experience is that a good agent can deal with details a traveler might overlook. We would do it again.
- - -Don Farmer is a former ABC News correspondent and bureau chief and CNN news anchor. He can be reached at don@donfarmer.com.

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