Just south of Siem Reap in central Cambodia lies Tonle Sap, a vast lake covering 16,000 square kilometres and containing one of the world’s greatest fisheries providing Cambodians with 80% of their protein. In the dry season the lake drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh: in the wet it backs up, acting as a giant natural flood control valve. It’s possible to travel by water all the way south from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, or on the other side of the lake to Battambang in central western Cambodia, 150 km from the border with Thailand. It was the latter route we took yesterday.The day began with the most shambolic early morning bus pickup we’ve ever experienced. After several loads and unloads the bus was finally packed to the gills with luggage and extra passengers piled shoulder-high in the aisle, and we were on our way to the lakeside dock at Chong Kneas where we transferred to a long boat. Minutes later we were on the Tonle Sap, navigating through vast wetlands and weaving between water greens and marsh vegetation. It was like going into a lost world, passing small floating and stilt-mounted settlements where many of the people live their entire lives in this watery cosmos, largely untouched by the outside world.
We stopped for the inevitable breakdowns and fidgeted while the crew wielded machetes to chop the vegetation from the fouled propellor, replace the fan belt and recondition the engine gear box etc. Later we entered the narrow maze-like channels of the Steung Sanker River, having to concentrate carefully to dodge the lacerating canes that scraped menacingly along the edge of the boat and whipped in through the open sides to strike any passenger not quick enough to evade them. The journey ended in the small city of Battambang where we were welcomed by small groups of children waving and shouting excitedly from the riverbanks.
We overnighted in the Banan Hotel and the following morning hired a tuk tuk driver to take us on a 3 hour tour around Battambang. We passed by the former French Governor’s residence and old french colonial buildings and stopped to inspect a temple that was surprisingly large and ornate for a place the size of Battambang. At noon, having had our fill of boat travel for the moment, we boarded a bus and headed south down Highway NH5 - bound for Phnom Penh.
