In June 1866 a French naval expedition left the maritime port of Saigon, destination China, they did not follow the traditional route through the South China Sea, but instead headed up the Mekong into Cambodia. The purpose of their journey was to navigate a passage to Yunnan and in doing so open a new gateway for the colonial authorities to access the rich heartland of southern China.
Although the expedition was to eventually reach China, their guest, as that of several subsequent French explorers, was doomed to ultimate failure. One European pioneer after another, in search of fame and fortune, struggled through the rapids of northern Cambodia only to meet, at the Cambodia-Lao border, the impenetrable barrier of the Khone Falls.
Although the expedition was to eventually reach China, their guest, as that of several subsequent French explorers, was doomed to ultimate failure. One European pioneer after another, in search of fame and fortune, struggled through the rapids of northern Cambodia only to meet, at the Cambodia-Lao border, the impenetrable barrier of the Khone Falls.
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