Sydney Morning Herald
May 27, 2012
CRUISING: shore excursions
Day trip ... Oudong, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo: Alamy
"On the second day of our cruise, we were promised a ride in a 'Cambodian Rolls-Royce'.
"The ['Rolls-Royce'] turned out to be an ox cart, one of the more unusual forms of transport we encountered on our trip!
"I scrambled into the cart and my husband seated himself
in front of me as best he could, as the seating consisted only of a flat
cart covered in a piece of carpet. Our driver was an elderly woman
whose language to the ox consisted of a series of grunts, which the ox seemed to comprehend.
Sandra and Al Keller in the Cambodian "Rolls-Royce".
"We became part of an ox cart train of about a dozen carts filled with passengers from our ship.
"The train wound its way through a dusty village, where
many of the inhabitants turned out to witness the sight, and through
rice fields.
"It seemed to be siesta time, which was not surprising
given the heat. We had umbrellas supplied by the AmaLotus staff but we
were still very warm.
"The ox cart was not the most comfortable transport I
have ever used - wooden wheels and a rutted road are a poor combination
for smooth travel - but it was certainly a unique experience.
"After the ox cart ride we went on a mercifully
airconditioned coach to Oudong, which was the royal capital of Cambodia
from 1618 to 1866, when the king of the time moved to the new capital of
Phnom Penh.
"We visited one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in
Oudong. After removing our shoes and hats, we entered the cool temple
and sat on the floor, waiting for the arrival of the monks. Part of the
monks' rhythmic chanting ritual was throwing handfuls of jasmine
blossoms. The floor soon became covered and the air was perfumed by the
petals. We then walked around the temple and its surrounds before
returning to our coach for the journey back to the ship, where dinner
awaited."
Value for money
On APT cruises, shore excursions are included in the fare.
"The up-front cost covered almost everything, so it was easy to budget," Sandra says.
"Our cruise included two shore excursions on most days.
We went ashore in the mornings, returned to the ship for lunch and a
rest, and had another excursion in the afternoon.
"As tourists aged 70-plus, we found this cruise a
wonderful way to experience the culture and lifestyle of both the
Cambodian and Vietnamese people.
WHO Sandra Keller of Miranda, Sydney, on
her fifth cruise. Keller is a fan of cruising, having previously
cruised the Yangtze, Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.
WHAT A taste of Cambodian culture.
WHERE Oudong and surrounds, about 40 minutes north of Phnom Penh.
THE SHIP Sandra travelled with her
husband Al on a seven-day cruise of the Mekong River, from Siem Reap in
Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The cruise was on the RV
AmaLotus, operated by APT (aptouring.com.au).
Have you done an interesting shore excursion? Drop us a line at travelshd@fairfaxmedia.com.au
As told to Jane E. Fraser
1 comment:
You’re lucky to get into the Cambodian Rolls-Royce today, in the next 15-20 years there will probably be no available one such Rolls-Royce unless they’re kept for tourists. Nowadays, in Cambodia, they use machineries rather than animals but still using ox in some areas.
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