Slow Boat to Saigon

from Causeway Magazine March 2020

by Causeway Magazine Thorp Arch and Walton

Walton through the Eyes of a Three year old

A Slow Boat To Saigon

As Cambodia was one of the few places left on our bucket list we decided to do it the lazy way so we took a river cruise down the mighty Mekong River to Vietnam. The first leg however was the energetic bit.

First stop was Siem Reap and the world famous temples at Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and Angkor Wat. Getting up at 4am to watch the sun rise over the latter was a challenge but well worth it.... the largest religious monument in the world and a truly amazing experience. steadily in recent years, not just because of climate change, but because a succession of international facilities damn the rivers mainstream and threaten the eco-system. No wonder they say future wars will be fought over water.

Phnom Penh once known as the pearl of the orient, was our next stop, where its French colonial past was very evident. A riverside promenade to rival the south of France’s promenade des Anglais and some impressive architecture. The royal palace was also a highlight, as was a blessing from Buddhist monks.

Another side trip was to Tonle Sap Lake, the biggest freshwater lake in South East Asia and which supported the ancient Angkorean civilization. It is populated by boat people who move their floating homes around as it contracts and expands from the dry season to the wet season. Water levels have been declining Less so, and very sombre, was a visit to the Killing Fields where Pol Pot’s murderous Khmer Rouge tortured and murdered tens of thousands. It was one of over three thousand such camps and it is estimated that some 3 million Cambodians died between 1975 and 1979, some 40% of the population. A grim reminder of man’s inhumanity to man.

Leaving the capital city in our wake we meandered slowly downstream and crossed the border into Vietnam where we saw local communities engaged in silk weaving and scarf making. Although still 125 miles from the sea the river was half a mile wide with a constant stream of traffic. The Mekong Delta covers some 16,000 square miles as dozens of tributaries make their way to the sea.

The Vietnam War still casts a major shadow over the country with millions of lives lost. We visited the site where the VietCong waged war in a huge complex of underground tunnels. Our tour guide informed us that he lost his eldest brother in the war. Another was sent to a reeducation camp for 14 months. He himself has been waiting for eleven years for his immigration papers to the US.

Our journey ended in Ho Chi Minh, which even the locals still call Saigon. Its French colonial past is still evident in the architecture of it’s public buildings and hotels... the Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral and the old Post Office being particularly noteworthy. The population is nine million and there are over seven million motorcycles. Instructions to cross the road were very simple ... just walk out and the drivers will go round you. An act of faith but it worked! So, what were our thoughts on our journey through Indo-China? Beautiful scenery, magnificent temples, contrasting with some grim reminders of a terrible past. Yet without exception the people we met were warm, courteous, generous, and displayed no animosity towards those who had waged war against them.

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