The slow boat to Battambang

Not our boat...this boat was bound for Phnom Penh

We left Siem Reap on a slow boat to Battambang (Fe 18th), a small town on the other side of Tonle Sap Lake.  During high season the boat trip is an easy 5 hours but we were approaching dry season and it took us over 9 to reach the town!  The views were stunning but the ride was a bit too long...

Tonle Sap lake is the largest fresh water lake in SE Asia and is quiet remarkable because, not only does it supply Cambodia with most of its fish and fresh water, it also reverses flow twice a year, once during the dry season it flows into the Mekong river and during the monsoon season the river flows into it swelling the lake to nearly twice the size.

We passed many floating villages along the river with smiling children eager to wave at the passing boat.