 On September 17, 1929, his wife and children set out on a voyage to a home that the family owned in France, where they would remain for three years.Four days later, Groslier began a solitary journey from Phnom Penh via the Mekong River, ostensibly to inspect pagodas along his route, but actually to record, for a literary work, his impressions of the river, its wildlife and the people along its banks.