Cruising The Mekong River in Style Aboard The Jayavarman

We left Saigon Feb 29/20 after another lovely breakfast at the Liberty Central Saigon Centre Hotel.  Kevin, as usual was very prompt, and we hopped into our transport with him and our driver "Rin Tin Tin" as we nick named him.  They were great fun and we had a nice stop along the way at a rest stop.  The drive was 75 kms and they allowed us two hours to get there.  The traffic was not bad so that is why we could stop for a break and not rush.

We arrived at the port and were allowed early boarding so we were the first aboard.  Our room was 209 and only later did we realize our room was an upgrade when other cruisers were offered the option to move to our level for a fee.  Thanks again to Enchanting Travels for booking us such great accommodations.

Our cruise pictures will show our travels from the port My Tho, Vietnam, right to our next destination Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  Enjoy.

Our first stop on the Mekong was Cai Be by local boat.  Here we see rice husks being transported.  You can tell because the husk boats were loaded much higher than rice boats because of their lighter weight.

A rice processing plant loading bags of rice onto boats.

Bob asked "Why the eyes on all the boats?".....the answer was to stare down the sea monsters....Hmmmm.

A busy waterway with all the buildings built on stilts to maximize land usage and for flooding.

Close up of a boat loaded with bags full of rice.

Swimming certainly not recommended here....careful not to fall overboard.

In many of our Mekong River shots you will see the water hyacinths like in this shot.  They were brought to the Mekong by the French but are a problem because they clog waterways and cause millions of dollars annually for cleanup.  They grow so prolifically that they make the waterways impenetrable.

The rice paper outside drying.  You will see the lady below in a few shots making it.

Snakes in a bottle of local liquor....anyone want a drink?

The process of popping rice.

They then carmelized it into a yummy sweet treat.

A large wok is used for the popping process.

Husks of rice are used a fuel for the fires for the wok.

Hope the video works....super cool.

Storage of the rice husks...nothing goes to waste.

This guide is explaining the process of making rice wine

These pots have the different stages of fermentation in them

Now we see them making rice candy

This lady is the one that made the rice paper that you saw drying on the rake outside.

Our guide explained how at the end of the war in 1975 Vietnam had to import rice to feed the populace, now they are exporting rice to other countries. This tour does show how much of the actual rice plant gets utilized, very little is wasted

A cargo of sweet potatoes, about one third of the cargo already sold

A floating market. Some of these vendors have traveled down river for up to 12 hrs and will stay moored here until all the product has been sold then back home to repeat the whole process over

Our room is on this side of the boat, second level and mid ship.

Naomi was up early and out on our room balcony taking pictures of the sun rise.  The 4th picture in this series is the start and this is the last one.

We would recommend the Heritage Line to anyone and learned it also does Halong Bay in Vietnam.  If we ever do Halong Bay again it will be with Heritage for sure.

On the first day Naomi visited the Bridge to see if she could "Captain" the boat for a bit.....no problem, they even gave her the captain hat!

The wheelhouse crew realized that the ship was in good hands and headed for lunch...! They just told Naomi not to run into anything and they would be back in an hour!

Bob speaking with our fellow diners at a meal....note the Contigo mug....we never travel without them.

Great buffets for breakfast and lunch with dinner being a la carte.

Aaahhhh....what else can we say.

Down these steps and we were on the level of our room.

Naomi relaxing after we sorted our room but before others arrived on board.

The steps on the right lead to the sundeck and swimming pool.  The doors to the left of the steps were for the air conditioned dining room where breakfast, lunch and dinner were served.  You could not enter until staff had provided you with hand sanitizer....very comforting.

We took some shots of the ship before any other passengers arrived.  Great for sun or rain...we had only Sunshine 😎

Bob enjoying the comfy seats....the doors behind were the entrance when boarding the ship.  This also was the movie room each night where we saw some really good shows...the first night was Robin Williams in " Good Morning Vietnam" which was great to see especially after just having been in Saigon.

The deck level we boarded on and had our safety briefing...the usual talk about life jackets, muster stations that occurs on any cruise...but way more comfortable seating.  The boat staff were also introduced to the cruisers....which were few as a large group of Americans cancelled due to Coronovirus.  Nice to have it less crowded for sure and easier for the staff as well.