The boat - Battambang to Siem Reap

We decided to take a boat from Battambang to Siem Reap.
This involved deliberation over a few days as we read various reviews for this boat trip (which would be 8ish hours stuck on a boat once we committed!). Reviews tended to suggest that the boat was a hellish horror ride and everyone was surely going to die on the capsized boat. Other reviews described it as the best part of their trip to Cambodia!

We decided that as long as our expectations were way low.... things could only go up and it would be a better way to see floating village and general life in Cambodia than taking a tour out of Cambodia's most touristy town ever!

our boat

farmlands from the boat

We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the boat. We decided we maybe set expectations a little too low.....There were 6 or 7 of us sitting on the roof (better views, a breeze and more space!) Plus around 20ish people down below.Also note the dark storm clouds that were threatening (and occasionally wetting) us the entire journey.

We were sharing the top of the boat with a dutch girl who kept telling us about how bad the sun is and that we all should go downstairs (she did go downstairs when it warmed up at about 8.30) - we figured that we had hats, long shirts, sunscreen.... and at least here there is an ozone layer to protect us! a kiwi guy, and 2 British girls who really should have been the ones getting the sun lecture also stayed up here, and got extra red!

Having to reapply sunscreen every hour (almost!) and have raincoats on hand for quick cover-ups was worth it for these views!

trading boat, it appeared to trade exclusively in green coconuts and blue poly-pipes

we did get blue sky for parts of the journey

We also past lots of little fishing boats and floating villages. Or people going to or from market, kids being delivered by boat to the floating school. Very different lives! Lots of kids smiling and waving and yelling out hello too. We stopped at various locations dropping of supplies and people before we reached the giant Tonle Sap lake. The best bit about this is that other people in Siem Reap were paying top dollar to go on boat tours of floating villages. We got it for free! and the villages we visited we real villages, as opposed to places where tourists constantly go and pay locals to take their photos.

Local kids and families

It did take a lot of hours - but the bus trip would have taken almost as long. 

There was a lot of sun - but we had the option to go downstairs and we were well prepared for sun.

We stopped for food only once, briefly and the food options for mostly expensive pringles or soft drink - but we thought ahead and got supplies.... mostly bakery products because that's what we found!

So overall - a highlight of the Cambodian trip..... When the water is high and you prepared with plenty of supplies. I would still do it in other seasons when the water is lower, it would just be more adventurous! 

Some of the highlights

These are actually crocodile farms. When we went past a couple I was trying to work out why their fish farm had some much space out of the water. Then, after I managed to see into one, trying to work out why they had tires in them.... Eventually I got a better look and realized they were full of crocodiles

This weed is devastating the rivers. It is seeing stuff like this that makes me so glad that customs and DPI are so strict on people bringing stuff into the country. Apparently this was originally introduced by the French from the Amazon, because they thought it would be a good place for fish to breed and so the people can catch more fish. Turn out, the fish don't eat it, it grows incredibly fast and it jams up boat motors when you drive over it.

Tonle Sap lake. It is gigantic! I don't think think the lake is even really full yet because it is still the very start of the wet season!