Sofiya and I left Siem Reap early in the morning on Wednesday. We were going to be picked up for the boat ride to Battambang at around 6 in the morning. Since I like taking a shower before I go anywhere, that meant that I woke up at about 5. None of that is really important except possibly for context of what trans folded as the day progressed.
We were picked up from the guesthouse at about 6, and then dropped off at a staging area. There was something like about fifty people all being dropped off in this one area in front of a travel ‘shop.’ Even though we had to wait for about an hour I was still looking forward to a relaxing trip down the Tonlé Sap River. I was a little bit nervous though because Sofiya was going along and I had convinced her that it would be a better experience taking the boat than taking the bus. So after about an hour a bus pulls up to take us to the pier. Everything would have been fine if the bus fit fifty people, but they were using a bus that seated seventeen. Seriously they were forcing us to sit five across with only four seats. The end result was that they stuff about thirty-five of us in this bus for about an hour-long ride to the pier. I’m not really sure, maybe it’s my age, but I get pissed when I’m treated like cattle and that’s what it felt like stuffed into this bus. Anyway, we finally make it to the pier only to find out that they are over-stuffing the boat as well. The boat probably seats about fifty and by the time Sofiya and I get on there are no seats left. We kind of try to find a spot that we could call our own for the eight-hour ride but with no luck… again, I’m a little pissed. The boat leaves the pier and we are underway for about an hour and Sofiya decides that we should sit on top of the boat. I didn’t want to because the sun was blazing hot and I didn’t think I could take it, but in all honesty she really made the best decision of the day. We went up to the roof found our backpacks and made a place to stretch out. Then we used our umbrellas to protect us from the sun, and because it was so hot only about two other people braved the roof which meant that she and I had the area completely to ourselves. It was both relaxing and romantic just dozing off in the shade of the umbrellas listening to the chugging of the old boat as it made its way down the river.
To give an example of how crowded the boat was, it was forced to go very slow because if the driver took a turn too fast, the boat would lean so much that it felt that it was going to capsize. A few times they would ask people to sit on one side of the boat or another. Again, maybe my age, but I felt that it was very irresponsible for the tour company and the captain of the boat to risk it because of their greed.
With all the problems, I’ve got to say that the day started really poorly, but turned into one of favorite experiences so far.
We got into Battambang kind of late, maybe about 6, which meant that it was nearly dark as the boat pulled up to the dock. I had reserved a room at a hotel that gave free rides from the pier so Sofiya and I were in a tuk-tuk minutes after getting our bags. It was very nice not to haggle with a tuk-tuk driver after the long ride down the river.
Battambang is a nice city, and even though I was told that the city is the second largest in Cambodia, it really feels small and comfortable though. We would end up staying for two nights.
