A view of fishing boats at sunrise on the Mekong River in Phnom Penh. Photo: Reuters
By SARAH THOMPSON
Australian Financial Review
Cambodia is probably not the first place that springs to mind when it comes to the best places in the world to see by boat.
Inevitably, the endless lists that get drawn up of great cruise destinations tend to mention the likes of Alaska, the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.
These are fine places to be sure, particularly if you are aboard a well-equipped vessel. But it was on our maiden night on the riverboat Jahan, watching the Mekong Delta float by, that I began to think that Cambodia deserves a place among the world’s best. The small south-east Asian nation is no longer a well-kept secret. It has long moved from a popular backpacker hot spot into a favoured destination for cashed-up travellers looking for something a little different.
But to travel from the capital, Phnom Penh, through the heart of the country to Siem Reap, does make you feel like you are well and truly off the beaten track. Even if you are enjoying a refreshing gin and tonic (made with the local drop Gin Harpoon).
It also puts a new spin on the notion of cruises. While it is hard to fault the spectacular glacial views of a “dinner with a view” trip round the coast of Alaska, Cambodia offers something else altogether – an element of unpredictability.
Our journey began in the capital. A bustling city of 1.5 million people, Phnom Penh is hot, dirty and completely captivating. It was once reputed to be the most beautiful city in French Indochina. By the 1920s, it was known as the “Pearl of Asia”. But these days a sense of dignified charm is battling years of grime and disrepair. There are very few big-name luxury brand stores, which makes it feel a bit like frontier country, although our guides reckon this is all about to change.
In architectural terms, it is a comparatively new city. The first real wave of construction began after 1870 when the French colonialists decided to turn the riverside village into a major city. But after the flowering of independence more than 80 years later, an unprecedented building boom led by Vann Molyvann, Cambodia’s most famous architect, created New Khmer architecture.
One of the more pleasant places to stay is the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, built in 1929. The hotel comprises three wings set around a private garden filled with palms and monkey pod trees, alongside two swimming pools.
The main building at the end of a sweeping driveway melds Khmer, art deco and French colonial-stye architecture with dark teak staircases, louvred shutters, high ceilings and cool, black and white tiled floors. It is a wonderful contrast to the hustle of the streets.
LURED BY A ‘FEMME FATALE’
New arrivals should also check out the colours of the doormen’s trousers.
The staff wear a different coloured pair for each day of the week, following a tradition set during the time of the royal palace, whereby King Norodom Sihanouk – who ruled over Cambodia during much of its troubled modern history – would need only to look at members of his court to know what day it was.
Everyone is familiar with the Raffles Singapore Sling but there is a good case to be made that a “Femme Fatale” at the hotel’s Elephant Bar is better.
The drink was created especially for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who is rumoured to have succumbed to the romantic attentions of the Sihanouk during a visit to Cambodia in 1967. Onassis was fulfilling a lifetime dream of seeing Angkor Wat. Our group was very glad she did, consuming many of the rouge-coloured champagnes she inspired after our days spent exploring Phnom Penh.
Jackie O is not Raffle’s only famous guest. Charlie Chaplin, Andre Malraux and W. Somerset Maugham were regulars, while journalists Sydney Schanberg and Jon Swain stayed there while covering the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime. More recently, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie spent time at the hotel, as did Julia Gillard.
Phnom Penh itself has plenty to offer. The local guides (organised through Trails of Indochina) tailored each day to give us a new insight into the city’s fabulous, sometimes dilapidated, buildings, with plenty of time left for shopping and art galleries.
A particular highlight is the Silver Pagoda, a typically elegant structure built in 1866on the south side of the Royal Palace. The pagoda is not that dissimilar to many of the other bigger versions in the region. However, this one houses a number of national treasures, including a gold Buddha encrusted with almost 10,000 diamonds. The National Museum, the Russian Market, the Central Market and the Buddhist temple Wat Phnom are also well worth a look.
We also wandered the boutique-lined Street 240 for a bit of high fashion. It’s home to Bliss (owned by Australian Cassandra McMillan) and other cutting-edge labels including Couleurs d’Asie, Subtyl, Waterlily (Christine Gauthier’s handmade jewellery is to die for) and Wanderlust (for smock dresses and clutch purses).
For those who find shopping an exhausting business, Street 240 also houses The Shop, a chocolatier with a twist. As well as European favourites such as almond truffles, you can also try local ingredients such as Mondolkiri honey pralines or Kampot pepper encrusted slabs. A few doors down is Sugar Plum, one of the best cafes in the city.
Around the corner is Street 178 (known as the “Art Street”) where the Reyum Gallery can be found. This is one of the few galleries to showcase Khmer artists and also contains a commercial section.
WEIGHT OF HISTORY
Walking around Phnom Penh, it is hard to escape the weight of history. Cambodia is a country that is still struggling to resolve the brutal legacy of Pol Pot’s attempt to form a peasant communist society. From 1975 to 1979, the Khmer Rouge leader presided over the deaths of 25 per cent of the population from starvation, overwork and executions. He wiped out the entrepreneurial middle class and intelligentsia almost entirely. We spent a harrowing morning at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school used as a notorious security prison by the Khmer Rouge. This was followed by the Killing Fields, 16 kilometres outside the city.
Almost everybody in Cambodia is affected in some way by the genocide. Our guide had survived the regime, which ended when he was 11, by eating insects. He told us how an entire generation of children had to learn how to smile again.
Phnom Penh is not an easy place to leave. It was with some reluctance that – after two days – we boarded the Jahan riverboat for our four-day journey to Siem Reap. The cruise begins in the Mekong Delta and ends at the beautiful Tonle Sap Lake. Cambodia’s size means the relatively short journey – Siem Reap is just over 300 kilometres to the north-west of the capital – takes you through the heart of the country.
It is hard to imagine a better way to see some of the more impressive scenery.
Our first morning started with a 6am tai chi class on the top deck, watching the sun rise over the milky-brown Mekong, the 12th-longest river in the world.
At 230 feet long, the colonial-style Jahan has four open decks, perfect for watching the scenery. They are used for the usual pastimes associated with cruising (cocktail consumption and socialising), as well as the more unusual (an Apsara dance performance).
Then there are 24 beautifully appointed cabins, including two suites. Every cabin has a balcony. If you stump up for a suite, you also get a jacuzzi. Local artwork covers the walls, and there’s a gym and spa, where guests can enjoy beauty treatments such as a Khmer massage.
Our trip had 32 passengers and 30 staff on board. The target market is well-heeled retirees and honeymooners from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. We met some interesting people, including a one-time Liberal MP who served in Malcolm Fraser’s government, and Tom and Ethel, a couple who migrated to Australia from Glasgow 60 years ago and had everyone in stitches with their stories.
Most of our meals were served as a buffet, with a mix of Khmer and Western options. The boat’s fresh food stock is replenished at the main ports, as well as the villages we visited, in a bid to support local farmers. During one excursion, we took a motorboat to a village called Chong Koh, where we watched Cambodian women weave raw silk on their looms.
Our tour also stopped off at Koh Chen, whose inhabitants specialise in copper- and silversmithing.
LIFE ALONG THE BANKS
But there is plenty to see on the boat. Seeing the Mekong Delta wetlands, fish farms and floating villages up close is a unique experience. At one point, we stopped in front a group of men who had spread their catfish out to dry across several decks before sending it off to Vietnam. More than 90 per cent of the villagers live in floating homes and the Mekong itself is home to at least 300 species of fish, as well as dolphins and giant stingray.
Another highlight was the rural outpost of Angkor Ban, where the villagers live almost same life as they did 100 years ago. The older women squatting in front of their fruit and vegetable stalls spat betel juice at our feet as we stopped to take photos, while the gorgeous children implored us to buy their wares.
On our final day on the Jahan, we stopped to admire the temple of Wat Hanchey. Located 291 steps up a hill and offering one of the most incredible views in Cambodia, this ancient structure was built in the eighth century. It predates the mighty Angkor Wat temple complex and underscores the superb architectural achievements of the Chenla Empire.
Theravada Buddhist monks (Theravada is the oldest surviving form of Buddhism) run Wat Hanchey, which is awash with children who have been taken in off the streets. I ignored the guide’s warning not to give money to the kids and dished out a few dollars, which resulted in me wandering around like the Pied Piper.
To get back down the hill, we opted for the swifter option on the back of a local’s motorbike, which invoked much hilarity.
Back on the boat, the local monks performed a blessing ceremony. It was a fitting end to a wonderful journey.
The writer was a guest of Trails of Indochina.
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