Signature Aviation Spring 2025

elite traveler FALL2024 131

From here the group divides, with travelers heading to either the National Museum, a large market or the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Tuol Sleng — once known as S-21 — has been left particularly raw. Visitors walk through cell blocks where thousands were held captive and tortured by the Khmer Rouge regime. It’s an intense experience — not least because it is situated in the center of the city; however, it is a truly revealing experience to picture what life was like in Cambodia during this nation’s darkest days. DAY6 Dawn breaks as the ship crosses the Vietnamese border. One of the guides signals breakfast is ready with a call of “Good morning, Vietnam!” via the PA system. Until this point much of the food served on the boat has been Cambodian-inspired, but today our arrival in Vietnam is marked with a hearty bowl of pho. We take a ski ff to Long Khanh Island, close to the border town of Chau Doc, which we explore on bikes, visiting a few local craftspeople and traders along the route. As we cycle along the smooth roads the

occasional moped whizzes past, some with up to four people on board. In the evening, we stop by the Mekong Delta village of My An Hung, where we tuck into a selection of Vietnamese delicacies, sip a cocktail and watch a unicorn dance. This involves performers in dragon and lion costumes throwing each other into the air as they leap onto raised platforms. DAY7 Strolling around the local food markets in the small Mekong city of Sa Dec — alongside the ship’s head chef as he picks up a few extra supplies — o ff ersan authentic view of life in the Delta. Locals barter down the price of the daily catch, and at times things can get a little overwhelming, as every sense is dialed up to 11. These markets are not for the squeamish. Tranquility is restored after we head further down the river and board a local sampan to visit Tan Phong Island. Here, fruit grows in abundance with many of the villagers growing their own produce. It makes the perfect opportunity to try a piece of durian, an infamous Southeast Asian fruit that tastes considerably better than it smells.

DAY8 Early in the morning of the fi nal day, Aqua Mekong pulls into the dock at her fi nal destination, the city of My Tho. From here, it’s an hour-and-a-half ride to Vietnam’s vast southern metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City, home to around 10 million people. The ride poses the ideal opportunity to re fl ect on the previous seven days. From Cambodia’s vast Tonlé Sap Lake to the countless canals, tributaries and multi-lane, highway like stretches of the Mekong Delta, this is a region that constantly hums with activity, its sights, sounds, smells and tastes taking on a unique character unlike anywhere else in the world. It’s a landscape that remains raw, having changed little for hundreds of years, barring the introduction of motorboats that now surge up and down the rivers at breakneck speed. This rawness is a double-edged sword: It’s what makes the region so intriguing for visitors, but also such a challenge to travel. Unless, of course, you have a spot booked on Aqua Mekong . From $9,870 for seven nights. Contact Shearly Loilewen, guest relations coordinator, +62 853 3881 9530, aquaexpeditions.com

Photos Stevie Mann, Richard Mark Dobson, Scott Sporleder