A flooded river rerouted my cruise ... and led to unforgettable moments

My first cruise in Asia started without a ship. APT's AmaLotus was stuck downstream in Cambodia, unable to sail under a bridge because the Mekong River had flooded. To join the vessel, 100 passengers had to travel four hours by bus from Siem Reap to the dock at Kampong Cham. Along the way, we witnessed people pushing through the knee-high water on spluttering scooters and tuk-tuks. Shops and restaurants remained open for business, with the staff still smiling as they stood in doorways surveying the scene.

When we reached the brand-new ship, awaiting its maiden voyage, our first stop was the top deck for a cold Angkor beer. As the AmaLotus departed, we waved at families on fishing boats and workers crammed on ferries heading home to bamboo-stilt houses. By morning, the rickety villages had given way to Phnom Penh's Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda.

On a shore excursion to the Khmer Rouge's Killing Fields and S21 detention centre, our guides told harrowing stories about the execution of 1.3 million Cambodians - including their parents, aunts and uncles - in the late 1970s. To learn about this brutal history from these young men, while walking where their relatives were killed, was a deeply moving experience.

Our ship was docked overnight so I took a stroll along the riverside promenade, where hundreds of locals were eating, chatting, laughing, playing sports and dancing. It was hard to fathom this capital city had been a ghost town, emptied of its residents who were relocated to rural areas by the violent regime. In those dark days of famine, people survived on insects for protein, yet they continue to embrace this creepy-crawly cuisine. I found a man selling fried tarantulas, which tasted like beef jerky.

Staying out late at a rooftop bar, passengers returned to the port after the gate had closed. No problem - the security guard accepted the equivalent of $2 to be allowed back on the ship.