Cruising Cambodia

A clear and sunny day of river cruising in central Cambodia. The Mekong is one of the longest rivers in Asia at 2,703 miles, longer than the Mississippi, which measures 2,320 miles.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A young boy follows us on his bicycle on his way home from school. The Aqua Mekong cruise allowed for biking several hours each day, affording an amazing opportunity to travel intimately and to interact with Cambodians across the country.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

Cambodian breakfast aboard the Aqua Mekong: noodles in hot broth with chicken, fresh greens, bean sprouts, with peanuts and lime.   ( Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A Buddha statue in Cambodia.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

Incense burns at Wat Phnom, the founding site of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. Pilgrims and devotees visit regularly to leave alms and pray.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A couple kayak at dusk on the Tonle Sap, a tributary of the Mekong that changes flow with the monsoon rains of Southeast Asia.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

Pink lotus flowers bloom by the millions along the Mekong River. Pilgrims buy the flowers, which symbolize detachment and a pure mind, to leave at shrines and holy sites throughout Cambodia.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

Lunch aboard the Aqua Mekong comes with expansive views of the Mekong River.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A baby long-tailed macaque licks his paws after stealing sticky rice from a shrine in Oudong, Cambodia.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

Young monks chant in anticipation of their daily meal inside one of the many temples at Oudong, in central Cambodia.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

Young monks head into the one of the temples at Oudong for prayers, meditation and their daily meal.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

After sunset on the Mekong, where wispy pink clouds follow the river until night falls.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A fresco decorates one of the courts in the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Each scene is taken from the Ramayana, an epic poem first written in Sanskrit with over 24,000 verses.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A woman dyes river reeds near the shores of the Mekong River. Once dry, they will be woven into sleeping mats often shared by families in Khmer homes.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

More than a century old, the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh is used only for coronations and royal ceremonies.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A woman spins individual silk fibers directly from the fuzzy cocoons of the silkworm, an ancient craft that survives in Cambodia.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

Fourth-graders welcome us to their classroom at this public school in Koh Dach, in central Cambodia.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A young man builds a boat from local timber, hand-cutting each plank to fit the curved frame and rising prow that is customary to fishing boats on the Mekong River in central Cambodia.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A former monk, my guide Vuthy teaches me how to meditate in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism. Along with cycling, kayaking and hiking, meditation is part of the active itinerary on the Aqua Mekong.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )

A woman weaves silk fabric from pure silk threads spun on Koh Toch, an island in the Mekon River. “Silk Island” is one of the few remaining places where silk is made in the same way it was made a thousand years ago, at the height of the Silk Road.   (Andrew Evans/Chicago Tribune )