Saturday 29th November 2008

An early start to catch a bus to catch a boat; however the worms were definitely absent - we spent 90 mins driving round Siem Reap and to compound matters the bus ran out of diesel at one point! It was refilled in the usual Cambodian way - a pop bottle and funnel. They held the boat; an old fashioned steamer without the steam and filled to gills with tourists. Seven hours to Battambang; including the drivers lunch stop and getting grounded twice at least. It won't be many years before the river is completely impassable. Very scenic though, with lots of river dwellings and traditional boats and people to set the cameras going. Battambang is a world away from Siem Reap - a real backwater despite being Cambodias second town. An Amok and beer at the wonderfully named street cafe Smokin'Pot restored our equilibrium. A bit of a disappointment; the train to Phnom Penh is no more so a more conventional way of travelling to the capital tomorrow - a bus.