Visitors were the attraction on Vietnam trip

"In some towns, we were the attraction," laughed Josh Donnelly as he sat in my travel agency talking about his Vietnam cruise over the holidays."There just aren't that many river boats operating on the Mekong River, which means so many of the villages were not accustomed to tourists. Yet, people were exceptionally friendly; they seemed to delight in stopping, waving and smiling at us.

"Every time we would step off the boat, we discovered we could point our camera in any direction and get a photo worthy of keeping. You can only imagine how many photos we got from our eight-day cruise. With each stop, we kept saying it could not get any better, yet, somehow, it always did.

"Most of our fellow cruisers felt the same way. It was like we were the stars of a real adventure, because, as we walked through the markets and streets of the villages along the Mekong we got so much attention. The locals would smile, some would laugh, some would cover their mouths in embarrassment, but it was neat how eager they were to talk and communicate.

"Another amazing thing I can say about this trip was we saw no drunks, no beggars, no one asking for a handout and no one hassling us to buy anything. In fact, they enjoyed joking with us. For example, at one market, a giggling old lady rushed up behind us and shoved a live catfish in our face to scare us. She laughed so hard I thought she was going to cry. We thought that totally delightful," said Josh.

"We found the first part of the Mekong cruise to be surreal; it is like the countryside is just suspended in time. Our guides told us Vietnam is like Thailand used to be three or four decades ago. Change will happen, but it just coming very, very slowly.

"When our riverboat crossed the border into Cambodia, it was like we entered the spiritual part of our journey. This is a world of monks, temples and, of course, Angkor Wat, the largest and most amazing religious and archeological relic ever. We were simply blown away by Siem Reap, and, of course, Phnom Penh, Cambodia's bustling capital.

"Our river cruise on the Mekong turned out to be a perfect way to spend our Christmas vacation," concluded Donnelly. "Vietnam and Cambodia were two very distinct countries where the ancient and modern thrive along the shores of the amazing Mekong, the 12th largest river in the world."

River cruising only recently started in South East Asia, and, thanks to AMAWATERWAYS, Monroe Travel Service now has an easy way to get you into this corner of the world with a level of luxury typical of a European riverboat. The Donnellys loved the 92-passenger La Marguerite. Her 226-square-feet staterooms are spacious, air-conditioned, and feature flat-panel TVs. Meals are a mix of Asian and western, and, like other river cruises, excursions are included in the cruise fare.

An eight-day Mekong River trip through Vietnam and Cambodia from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap cruises run year round. Prices are from $1,599 per person depending on the season and we can add a few days in Hanoi, Vietnam's capital, if you like. All you need do is ask and I will send you a free brochure on this exciting and unique destination.

My advice is if the Mekong is on your bucket list, go soon, while it is still so unspoiled. And, if the Mekong is not on your bucket list, then, don't you at least want to pencil it in? According to the Donnellys, you will simply love it!

Source = thenewsstar