Extra! Read All About Them! The People of the Mekong by Barge Program

September 27, 2011

Here are some of the people sharing our journey along the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers:

Stephen and Mabel Yee are from Hayward, California, where Steve is a Doctor of Optometry at Kaiser Permanente. They are embarking on their 25^th Road Scholar program, and expect to go on many more. Here’s how they do it: once they know Steve has time off, they check out the Road Scholar website and book the trip they like best. On our first night, Group Leader Thoa Nguyen presents them with gifts to commemorate their 25^th program.

Lavina Goracke sells residential real estate in Omaha, Nebraska. This is her sixth Road Scholar program. She's always the first to take part in every activity, whether it's a ride in an oxcart, a cyclo tour of Chau Doc, or an exciting Plan B invented on the fly by Thoa. She picked the Mekong by Barge program because it promised unusual culture and people. She's confident that Road Scholar will always provide the ultimate in cultural education and convenience - a combination that guarantees the trip of a lifetime, over and over again.

Eleanor Wiley is from Alameda, California, and this is her first Road Scholar program. An accomplished crafter of prayer beads, she has shared her art with several of us on the Toum Teave. She selected the Mekong program in part because of her interest in Buddhism. Eleanor has also returned more than once from the market with beautiful clams or snails, which the crew of the Toum Teave has happily prepared to be eaten, and then further prepared to be worn. Each of us has souvenir jewelry from the Mekong, courtesy of Eleanor. 

Cameron Kirkpatrick is a classical oboeist and independent video producer from Boston, Massachusetts. This is his third Road Scholar program, and he chose the Mekong by Barge because he has always been fascinated by Southeast Asian culture, history, and cuisine. He has made consistent efforts to learn enough Vietnamese and Cambodian so he can greet the people he meets in their native languages, to their, and his, great delight.