19th January 2013
Another early start as the pickup for the boat trip to Battambang is supposed to be around 6.30 am so that the boat can leave at 7.00am. Setting the alarm for 5.30 am seems wrong when you are on holiday! If fact, we didn’t need to bother as the bus finally arrived at 8.00pm. The trip took about 30 minutes and we made another pickup with about 15 people even though the bus was already full … They all seemed to fit in somehow!
The boat finally left the jetty at 8.30 am with exactly the right number of people on. Empty by cambodian standards!
The engine was massive with no silencers, so the seats at the back next to the engine did not stay used for long!
All along the journey are beautiful floating villages and you can see everyone going about their normal life, shopping, catching fish, washing etc. It is really nice to see.
The children (and adults) are so friendly and the children wave like mad as soon as they see the boat.
Some fish from bamboo rafts with big booms to lift the net.
Every turn of the river you see another great sight, but probably the nicest thing is seeing the local people.
After eight hours we arrived in Siem Reap and walked the 500m to the Star Hotel. Really nice and rooms are between $6 and $20. We splashed out and for $15 had a big room with aircon, hot shower, fridge and comfy beds.
troopytracks 