Battambang by boat.

  Departed hotel at 7:30. After a short 20 min trip to the port we said goodbye to our driver, who has been with us since Phnom Penh and boarded a small boat for the long trip to Battambang. Starting out across the Tonle Sap lake one begins to appreciate the close connection between these people and the water. All across the choppy, brown water are make shift buoy markers denoting fish trap locations. We pass several boats, some our size and many smaller, all heavily laden with a variety of goods. Entire families fill some of them and you realize that your looking at a floating home. Once out in the "middle " of the lake, the traffic thins a bit and I realize I can't see the other side of the lake. Nathan says this is the biggest lake in Southeast Asia. Let's see, we didn't get any kind of safety briefing like at home. Where are the life jackets? Oh, they're stored overhead.
  I'm surprised to find out that this small vessel has a toilet on board.    Going inside what would be considered a really small closet, it's hotter than the dickens because you are closed off from the breeze and right next to the engine. But there is the commode sans any kind of seat. Again, thank you Lord for making me a male. Right on target, but gotta hold the door shut with one hand.


  Not much to photograph now so I pull out "The Dark Side", non fiction about how the "war on terror" was used to basically abrogate our constitution. Scary stuff but fascinating reading. 

  Finally we reach the other side and the entrance to the river that leads to Battambang. Now there are tons to photograph. We pass floating villages, tons of people all plying the river in some way. Either
directly by fishing using a variety of means or transporting and selling merchandise. Kids swimming in that god awful looking water, young women shampooing their hair, they all stop and stare. I smile and lower my camera and they smile back. The kids wave and make the peace sign. It's wonderful. Again I'm amazed at how these people can be so happy with so little (in terms of material things). 

  At various points we are made acutely aware that this is the dry season and the river gets pretty low and narrow in spots. I might actually call it a large creek at times. Our "Captain" is obviously very proud of his association with the tour company, All Points East, through which I booked this trip, given he's wearing their t shirt and their emblem is in the boat.  He and his mate manage to get through every obstacle including clearing a prop fouled by a fishing net.

Our Captain

  Along the way we see a small boat with four or five people in it. Some discussion takes place between them and the Captain and their boat starts to follow us for a bit, pulls alongside and transfers this beaming young lady and her baby aboard our boat.  When I take this beautiful little girl's picture she breaks out in tears. Mom laughs and tries to console her. Even when I show her her picture, she won't stop crying. I apologize and soon mom has her calmed down. A few miles up stream we pull over to the river bank and let her and the baby off at their home. 

  More neat stuff to photograph. Elaborate bamboo rigs used for lifting large, rectangular fish nets form a great back drop, fishermen casting their nets, etc. I dont see anyone catching anything large, these all sardine sized fish.
  Finally we reach Battambang.  It has begun to rain, very unusual for this time of year. We have to navigate some very steep steps to get to our ground transport. Porters help with the luggage but I hoist my 40 lb camera back pack on my back and climb the stairs. Transferring to a van we are

whisked off to the hotel Star in town.  The room is ok and there are computers I can use to transfer files from my camera memory cards to the portable hard drive.  It's late already and after dinner I just want to read a bit and collapse.