The life of the Mekong's biographer, Milton Osborne, has been intimately caught up with that of the river for more than 40 years, since he first went to Phnom Penh as a junior Australian diplomat in 1959. He deftly weaves his experiences during those years with his account of the dramas that have unfolded around the Mekong. And while this makes the story a little Cambodia-centric, the book is better for it. Their hopes were soon dashed by the many waterfalls and rapids encountered on their journey upstream from Saigon. But those dreams continue, with grandiose plans for dams along the length of the river and its tributaries.
Little thought is given to the ecology of the river or to the smaller countries downstream.
For those who have not read about the exploration of the Mekong or the discovery of Angkor by the French and the impact it had on the outside world, there is perhaps no better guide than Osborne. This is the monument to Doudart de LagreE, the leader of the French expedition up the Mekong in 1866-68. His monument is now an oddity, and the exploits of explorers like LagreE are a colonial embarrassment to many. Yet their journals, upon which Osborne relies, supply us with fascinating glimpses of times which have slipped into oblivion. Osborne recounts his growing awareness of the river during his early years in Phnom Penh.