Our second day aboard Jahan took us to a small agricultural community called Kampong Tralach which is along the Tonle Sap River. We explored the landscape riding in traditional oxcarts. As we meandered through irrigated rice fields and ponds of lotus flowers, we learned about the logistics of the agricultural cycle.
Next, we arrived at the Green School, a social enterprise that Lindblad-National Geographic supports and helped establish, which offers free classes in English and computer skills to children who have little other prospects to gain an education. We understand that education gives power, and this is the Green School’s mission.
Later in the day we headed through narrow channels further upstream and went ashore at Kampong Chhnang, a region renowned for its tradition of earthenware ceramics. We took tuk-tuks across the floodplains and visited other villages where we learned about the harvesting of sugar palm juice and rice noodle production.
In the late afternoon we returned to Jahan and cruised back downstream toward our next port of call, the national capital, Phnom Penh.
