An impromptu stop outside of Kampong Cham, where we were to meet our riverboat, afforded the opportunity not only to stretch our legs, but to walk along the village streets near the highway. This snack vendor wasn’t on hand when we arrived — she simply saw us gathered on the roadside and stopped to see what was going on. Those treats in her basket? Fried grasshoppers.

Once embarked on our cruise, we made our way southward down the river. Our first stop was a village near Angkor Ban, where we spent a fascinating morning exploring, our guide stopping to chat with whoever was out and about. We came upon a woman and her elderly mother, who was preparing food to donate to monks at the nearby temple.

Crossing into Vietnam, we stopped at the village of Hong Ngu. These girls saw our group wandering through their village and decided to tag along. They followed us for perhaps a quarter of a mile, eagerly posing for pictures along the way. Their reward was a piece of chocolate each, dispensed by our Resident Tour Director, Luc, before their mother came and took them home.

I think most travellers agree that, when it comes to experiencing an authentic cross-section of local life, it’s hard to beat a visit to a market. The markets of Southeast Asia are packed with people browsing everything from iridescent crabs in buckets to racks of knockoff Levis. Here, butcher takes a break from cutting meat at a market in Long Xuyen, Vietnam.

The highlight of Hon Ngu was meeting Uncle Six and his wife in their home. Uncle Six (seen above with our local guide, Han) was a proud veteran of the Vietnam War and was happy to welcome his American guests; he even let one of our group try on his uniform. The war is not forgotten here — it is still possible to see salvaged American military boats on the river — but there are no hard feelings or bitterness.

The Cai Rang Floating Market was a bustling panoply of boats selling every variety of food item. At one point, this coconut vendor pulled up alongside our boat, and we got to enjoy fresh coconut water.

A brother and sister pose in Hon Ngu, Vietnam. Throughout the journey, it was often children who were the most curious, outgoing and eager to talk to us. The young people we met in Cambodia, in particular, spoke excellent English, and a girl of 14 in Phnom Penh even chatted with us about the recent presidential election.