Ahhhh… life is good. We’ve spent most of the day on bus, (a nice bus, but a bus just the same), driving through rural Cambodia. But now we’ve boarded this boat that seems to be staffed with the friendliest people in the world. We’ve lifted anchor and waved good-bye to all of our worldly cares, and also to the barefooted kids who came down to see the strange-looking people get on the fancy boat.
The Boat
We were shown to what would be our living quarters for the next seven days. It was just stunning, (a word I think I’ve never before used in print), but in an understated way. The floors were made of dark, polished wood that was gorgeous. One side of the room was mostly glass doors looking out onto the river. The furnishings were also of dark wood. So nice.
This is a boat we’re on, and rooms on boats are relatively small – especially bathrooms. That’s just how it is on a boat. But I’m pretty sure that this is the biggest bathroom we’ve ever had on a boat. It’ll do just fine!
The first order of business was to do some exploring to see what the rest of the boat looks like. There are three decks. The boat is about 300 feet long and 50 feet wide. It accommodates 124 passengers, not counting the crew. Not too big, eh? Almost cozy!
On the top deck there’s a small pool, a bar, and plenty of room to sit or lie around and hang out. The main lounge – basically, the ship’s “living room” — is on the middle deck. (Of course, this “living room” comes with a nice bar). The main dining room is on the lower deck.
Anchors Aweigh!
Back at the room, we started unpacking. The next we knew, we were moving! The only way we knew we were moving was that the scenery outside was going by. Otherwise we wouldn’t have even known. It was like we were drifting in space.
Our first stop was at a village that’s a center for silversmiths. We (somewhat reluctantly), got off the boat to see what it was all about.
A Village of Silversmiths
After disembarking, we could go wherever we wanted. Some people walked into the village. We walked down a road to visit a silversmith that was close by. Someone at the silversmith’s shop spoke english. They offered to show us around and take us through the manufacturing process. We learned a lot in a short time.
They warned us about people passing off silver-plated metal as pure silver. They showed us a simple way to test for purity. Anyone who’s selling the real thing would be glad to perform the test to verify the quality of their product. If they don’t want to do the test, get out of there. The other rule is that if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
While we learned about silversmithing, artisans worked away, pounding silver pieces with little hammers. They use molds to form the desired design. It looked like painstaking work. They told us that most people here had come from silversmith families that went back as far as anyone could remember.
Outside the silversmith’s workshop, we were greeted by some of the local kids. They had some silver-looking jewelry they wanted to sell us. We had been “warned” about these kids. Not because they’d be peddling fake silver, but because they’re really supposed to be in school. And if they think can get money from tourists like us, they’ll skip school and “go to work.”
“Shouldn’t You Be in School?”
These kids were adorable. There were only a few of them. They were so engaging. “What’s your name?” they all asked. “Where are you from?”
We all exchanged pleasantries. At first, it seemed like their english was pretty good, but after a while it became clear that they’d been coached to be able to say a few basic sentences. I’m not sure they even knew what the words meant. They were little actors! And very good ones, too!
The oldest girl actually did speak english pretty well. We talked for a while. She was on the ball. It was a fun conversation. When it was time for us to leave, they all shouted, “See you tomorrow! See you tomorrow!”
Then the oldest one shouted, “Except for Chanda.” (Not her real name). “Chanda can’t come because she’ll be in school!” As if to reinforce the fact that they’re not skipping school, even though we hadn’t mentioned it. This girl was totally on the ball.
But what I couldn’t figure out was how she could be so clever, and yet not know that we’re on a boat that’s not going to be here tomorrow. They were so cute, saying “See you tomorrow!” Poor kids. It was heart-breaking. Little did we know — they were even more on the ball than we thought.
To be continued…
