Captain’s Log – Week 1, 2026

The new year opened quietly on the river, with soft mornings, cool air, and the steady rhythm of engines warming before dawn. Week 1 of 2026 reminded us why these waterways are more than routes — they are living stories, connecting people, villages, and seasons.

Our Phnom Penh ⇄ Siem Reap cruise and land tour ran daily in both directions, linking the capital with the heart of Angkor. Each journey unfolded at river pace: wide stretches of the Tonlé Sap, fishing boats heading out at first light, floating homes drifting gently with the current. The land sections carried guests through rural Cambodia, where rice fields, small markets, and roadside smiles filled the long road between the rivers. For many, it was not just transport, but a journey into everyday life.

Closer to Siem Reap, our Kompong Phluk and flooded forest trips showed the quieter side of the lake. The water level shaped the landscape — tree trunks rising from the floodplain, stilted houses standing tall, and children paddling effortlessly through channels they know by heart. These trips were unhurried, reflective, and deeply connected to the rhythm of the lake.

Further east, the Kompong Khleang cruise offered a powerful perspective on scale and resilience. Vast open water, long wooden houses perched high above the flood line, and working boats moving steadily through a community built entirely around the rise and fall of the Tonlé Sap. Guests listened, observed, and left with a new understanding of life shaped by water.

Week 1 closed as it began — calmly, steadily, and with purpose. A new year is underway, and once again our rivers carried stories, friendships, and first-time discoveries. The engines are running, the crew is ready, and 2026 has begun its journey.