Day 140: Chau Doc – Phnom Penh

Tan Chau Canal
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This morning we board another boat for today’s 5 hour excursion, this one being an odd mix of traditional wooden boat but with leather airplane seats. We settle in for the hour each way trip down Tan Chau canal to Chau Doc, having moored a little way off in the middle of the river

At Chau Doc we take a rickshaw around the town for 30 minutes in a giant procession of everyone from our boat, oddly myself and the other 6ft 4in guest come in last as if our drivers had a more difficult fare? Before getting back on the water, this time in smaller boats around the backwaters of these parts, we stop for a quick wander around the local market (this being one of the problems of group tours as pretty much all the markets in SE Asia are proving to be the same, so we’re pretty unexcited about this stop).

Border Crossing

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More interesting was the cat fish farm we pull up at for 10-15 minutes, which floats above the river and all the fish are accessed through removable hatches in the floor of the house and terrace (the owners living above). The water is the Mekong, being a large mesh beneath holding up to 100,00 fish. After a quick explanation of all this we see the feeding frenzy that happens when food pellets are tossed into and open hatch.

Final stop of this excursion is to a Cham tribal village and their mosque in particular, passing a floating village as we go. It strikes us that these people are very house proud despite living in what we would see as little more than sheds in the west, with decorative touches - such as flowers on the porch, painted eves, colourful curtains – which really gives this area a certain charm.

Chau Doc
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In the afternoon, whilst relaxing on the Pandaw with the crew taking care of formalities, we eventually pass through no mans land and into Cambodia – theres a stretch of river not really owned by either country, although claimed by both, and as such we spend a couple of hours not really anywhere. Last country of our tour now (sob sob).

The last couple of evenings have seen showers at around 5pm, but tonight’s is somewhat more prolonged and dramatic – for the only time on the cruise it empties the covered sun deck / bar area as everyone takes cover from the deluge of horizontal rain. Maybe it won’t be so hard to adjust to winter weather back home in 11 days time.