Day 12 - Siem Reap to Battambang by riverboat

Headed off this morning to Battambang. We were picked up from our guesthouse ( Samso Guesthouse in Watbo) by a mini bus.  There were other tourists already loaded on board - 2 extra people than there were seats for, however we still stopped and picked up another 2 people along the way.  I'm sure you could have fitted in another 5 Cambodians but it was very squeezy for a bus load of foreigners. Especially as I got to straddle the gap between seats. 

We were in the bus for another half hour to get to the boat and drove through quite poor flood affected areas where people are still living in houses that have water running through them.

When we got to the boat we found that it wasn't exactly what we had imagined it to be like for our 7 hour ride.  Not a river boat and not comfortable - though slightly better for the handful of people that got a life-jacket they could use as a cushion.  

It was raining when we left and crossing the lake area (particularly as the flooding had extended the lake dramatically) was really wet and rough.  We had to keep the side curtains closed and water still came in.  The diesel fumes also were slightly suffocating. 

When our boat driver finally found the river entrance (the flooding made it hard) the rough ride was over and when the rain eased off we could lift the curtain to see the view and breathe again.

 4 hours into the trip we stopped at a river store for lunch and a toilet break.  We were told by a Cambodian man that the houses that we were seeing just above the water line were actually on 6m stumps and in a few weeks when the flood water recedes the river will be back down about 7m and only 5m wide.  Some people had over a half metre in their houses and were still living in the as they had nowhere else to go.

We arrived on the outskirts of Battambang where we were unloaded on a muddy bank.  There were tuk tuk drivers lined up to take us into town and hopefully lure us to their hotel so they can get commission.  It wa quite a distance through the outlying villages - approx 15 mins.

In our wander around town Tracey found BBQ frog to try... Tasted like chicken.

We also found cooked bats but passed on tasting them,

We came across this statue in a temple/monestary complex we walked through.  Very graphic!

Toilet sign where we stopped to have a nightcap.