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Encounter exotic sights while cruising meandering waterways
Mekong
The 12th largest river in the world (by volume), the Mekong is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia, snaking through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea. High Country Passage Travel, a company specializing in small group educational tours, emphasizes the latter two countries in an 12-night journey that kicks off with a land tour from Hanoi on to the imperial city of Hue, passing through colorful floating villages and remote rice paddies en route, before reaching action-packed Ho Chi Minh City. From there, embark on a luxe 1920s-style steamer, the Mekong Pandaw, up the Mekong Delta, cruising through jungle landscapes and past authentic villages before disembarking in Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Along the way, before retiring to your hardwood-clad stateroom, you’ll be treated to engaging lectures on Theravada Buddhist teachings and Khmer art and architecture. From Phnom Penh, travel by land as the surrounding jungle becomes denser and denser until you reach the phenomenal ancient temples of Angkor Wat. Finally, catch a flight to discover bustling Bangkok. An optional post-trip extension to Laos is also available. This special experience is available in late October. www.hcptravel.com
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