AMA Insider Spring 2016 | Page 33

CRUISING T H E MIG HT Y Mekong Experience the sights, sounds and tastes of Cambodia and Vietnam along the Mekong River STORY AND PHOTOS BY ADAM McCULLOCH of Cambodia and Vietnam, nothing is as it seems. I am reminded of this fact as I search for the cruise ship AmaLotus, my home away from home as I explore the Mekong River. I discover that a lake has moved and a day’s road trip is needed to reach the mooring place. So begins my enchanting odyssey. In the dry season, the Tonle Sap behaves like a regular lake. But during the flood season (June to October), many of the tributaries of the Mekong River reverse their flow, including the channel into Tonle Sap, swelling the lake as much as sixfold, approaching the size of Lake Ontario. It swallows surrounding villages, transforming them into islands, and irrigates the tessellated rice paddies through which we now drive. The bus stops briefly at Skun, a lakeside market riotous≠≠ with plump and glossy tropical fruit. On closer inspection, what look like piles of roasted nuts turn out to be fried tarantulas, silkworms and water bugs, all local Cambodian delicacies. Armed with my unusual snacks, I board AmaWaterways’ » IN THE SHAPE-SHIFTING LANDS The dos and don’ts of temple etiquette AMAinsider.com From top: Monks strolling in Oudong, decorative gate in Phnom Penh, AmaLotus sets sail along the Mekong