January 1, 2007
To Battambang: By boat on Tonle Sap
Up before the alarm goes off, we finish packing and about 5:30am we start carrying gear down. Patrick found some baguettes and we set off with headlamps on, it is still dark. The light comes about 6:10, making the ride easier. We get to the boat about 6:40, we are the first to load on the boat.
7am comes and goes as more people arrive. By 7:30, the boat is full as well as people on the roof. We eat one baguette with Nutella and OJ.
The boat makes the way through a forest of reeds and trees, through narrow channels to reach the open water of the Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. The lake is fed from the Mekong River through a 100km long channel. In the wet season the lake swells from 2500sq km to 13,000km and from about 2.2 meter to 10 meters deep. In the dry season the lake drains reversing the flow of the Tonle Sap River. Our boat hugs the tree lined North shore until we get to the Sangkae river that we then start following upstream. We pass by several scenic "floating" villages and many houses on stilts. The people along the river are mostly very poor. Most houses do not have power or running water, the river serves as a place to wash and as a sewer. There is a lot of garbage floating.
The boat ride turns longish, and we are the lucky ones, under the roof out of the sun. About half of the passengers are baking on the roof. We limit the amount of water we drink trying to avoid having to use the toilet. Patrick doesn't succeed. Rachel as has a "nurses" bladder, anyone who is a nurse will understand.
About 3:30pm we reach Battambang. It's quite the haul from the boat up the riverbank, a long steel stairway helps somewhat. Patrick pays two kids to carry up our bikes. There is a pandemonium upstairs where locals try to lure backpackers to their hotels with free rides. We pack up our bikes just like two other Dutch cyclists. They are an older couple on an "AWOL" a Dutch self-guided tour. We go for the Royal Hotel and take a nice room with all the luxuries. Patrick has a headache, probably caused by dehydration but also a light fever and a sore throat. Since Bangkok he has felt a cold coming on.
For dinner, we stay close, there is a good restaurant on the roof with a nice view over the city. Patrick goes to bed early and hopes to be feeling better tomorrow.
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