One of the surest ways to stimulate your appetite for the increasing-popular activity of cruising is to try a small vessel, according to a recent feature in Travel + Leisure magazine.
I just so happen to agree. I love exploration by boat. And not the deep-sea kind, either. River expeditions in particular. Trips that bring you close to daily life along rivers such as the Irrawaddy or Mekong from the quiet comfort of a cozy cabin. Or from the sundeck of a replica paddle-wheeler, as a tropical breeze blows soft against your face.
Got two weeks’ vacation? Have a look at the Irrawaddy-to-Inle experience in Myanmar. The trip includes five nights aboard the RV Pandaw, whose staterooms are 170 square feet in size and beautifully finished in teak and brass. A featured pitstop is Ava, the capital of Burma for almost 500 years, beginning in 1364.
For a shorter -- but no less magnificent -- adventure, take to the water from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) to the Mekong Delta, a vast network of distributaries dubbed “a biological treasure trove” by World Wildlife Fund.
