Day 8 – Luxury Mekong River Cruise: Fear Factor

Today marks a new beginning of another journey as I bid farewell to a bunch of newly found friends and head to my destination, Siem Reap.  My cruise experience along the Mekong River, and the stops we made to the towns and cities of Vietnam and Cambodia, have definitely brought great memories and experiences.

An added bonus of the cruise experience was the comfort of having your luggage transported to and from your cabin, and even to your final hotel destination.  All you have to do is to have them ready outside your cabin at the appointed time.  And of course, no one will forget the delectable and elegant dining experience and the fun entertainment by the crew.

At 8 am everyone boarded the 3 coaches for a 5-hour transfer from Prekdam, our disembarkation point, to Siem Reap.  We had a couple of stops en route: Kampong Thom, where you can get a quick snack and enjoy the charming scene of its river lands, and the town called Skun, known as the ‘Spider Village’ where we had a taste of the ‘Fear Factor’ experience:  in this region everything with 4 or more legs, except your dining table, is edible.

‘’As the tarantula crawled up my arm with a very stealthy crawl, only by looking at it did it appear to be moving but no sensation of movement!  As I moved into the next stage of eating a leg of a cooked tarantula, it reminded me of eating an over cooked scampi, shell and all, with no taste but the crunching sound of my jaws reacting to the leg.  I would not bother about eating the thing again. I also tried the cricket, which had about the same sensation as the tarantula but not such a big mouthful”  said Dennis, one of my co cruise passengers, who was gutsy enough to eat both tarantula and cricket.

Sorry guys, I held the live little black monster and let it crawl freely and tickle my arm and skin but unfortunately I was not game enough to crunch and swallow a cooked tarantula!!

In this article, I am delighted to feature APT (Australian Pacific Touring) who fully sponsored my 8-days luxury cruise of the Mekong River. Visit http://www.aptouring.com.au to view list of ALL their product offerings.

I would like take this opportunity to say a BIG thank to APT for hosting a memorable 8-day luxury cruise, an experience that will linger on my mind forever along with the millions of pictures that painted a story of another great journey.

It was 1.15 pm by the time we arrived in Siem Reap. My guide Hak and driver Sarith, Buffalo Tours local representative, patiently waited for my arrival. I was transferred to Angkor Home Hotel, my chosen hub for the next 2 nights.

My two-day stay in Siem Reap was another interesting experience. Siem Reap is definitely a tourist hub of Cambodia. It is one of the fastest booming cities in Cambodia and the country’s gateway to the international well-visited famous Angkor temples.  If you are looking for a cheap holiday experience with a blend of cultural and vibrant activities, do not hesitate to book yourself a trip to Siem Reap. I had a private tour of Angkor Wat and other significant temples and ruins such as Angkor Thorn, Bayon, and other well-visited heritage sites.

Whilst Angkor Wat is Cambodia’s pride and joy I was more fascinated with Bayon.  Bayon’s sculptural conditions hold 54 towers and each tower has 4 smiling stone faces, which brings 216 dramatic and mysterious faces of illusion and supremacy.  It was simply fascinating!

During my two-night stay in Siem Reap, I met up with Kristine and Ian for dinner. We explored the town of Siem Reap and did bar and restaurant hopping.  We were able to find the best place, at a very affordable price, to savour some delicious Khamer cuisines.

For more exciting experiences, don’t forget to try out the local fish foot massage.

My Indochina adventure ended with a ‘tuk-tuk’ ride from my hotel to Siem Reap Airport bound for Kuala Lumpur, my next destination.  It was a unique airport transfer that everyone should try to experience when in Cambodia.

See you in Malaysia!

© 2012 by Michelle Riel, retains sole copyright to her contributions to all the contents of this site.