Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/40418
a dusty arc of an island carved away from mainland Cam- bodia by the persistent southward surge of the Mekong, a wizened old monk conse- crated a 58-metre-long luxury riverboat. Stooped and bony as a picked-over chicken, the little brown man wore pumpkin- coloured robes that contrasted neatly with the cobalt silk and varnished teak interior of the Jayavarman. Crouching on a damask throw pillow, he chanted and blessed the boat for safe passage, then half-hopped, half-hobbled around the ship, wafting pun- gent smoke from a fi stful of joss sticks and sprinkling sacred water. Even without the monk's benediction, I felt blessed. It was only a few days into a week- long cruise from Vietnam's Mekong Delta to Cambodia's ancient temples at Angkor – part of a 14-day cultural immersion – and so far the experience had been nothing but comfort and bounty. Lots of tourists take more expedient routes to Angkor, the com- plex of ruins and monuments built by the (opposite page) Buddhist monks survey the ancient temple of Angkor Wat; (this page clockwise from far left) Wat Nokor, a colourful monastery built within the ruins of an Angkor-period temple; the entrance to Phimeanakas, the sky palace at Angkor Thom; a snack of dragonfruit and tea. Khmer Empire a millennium ago: just book a fl ight to Siem Reap, and in one short day, you can get an express tour, hop an out- bound plane and by evening be at a beach resort in Thailand. But packing one of South- east Asia's greatest empires into a day or two is like trying to learn Japanese in a week. Prior to this trip, I'd spent months traipsing around the region on countless assignments, including two previous visits to Angkor, and I still felt like I'd only scratched the surface. The Jayavarman, which was christened in late 2009, buoyed my determination to see Angkor the right way. Crafted in the spirit of the Normandie, the 1930s-era steamer still considered by many to be the greatest ocean liner ever, the Jayavarman (opposite page) Gavin Hellier/Getty Images; (this page) Jen Judge marries the romance of Golden Age travel and the mystique of French Indochina with the comfort and amenities of a 27-room boutique hotel. More to the point, a week of churning upriver lulls travellers into the rhythm of the region and delivers infi nitely deeper insight than a half-day temple tour. The scraggy, saffron-robed monk had incanted his way down the gangplank back to his village. "For the people in Cambodia living along the river, their lives are better than those in the interior," one of the ship- board Cambodian guides told me as we watched the monk shamble into the green canopy. "It brings business and allows them to sell beyond their village. The Mekong is life." A few minutes later, as we steamed into WESTWORLD >> SEPTEMBER 2011 23