Sunday 28th November 2004
A Day On The Boat To Siem Reap
The boat left at 7.30am. We are told that ETA is 12.30pm. Wow I didn't realize it would be as long as that. I have heard that this is the most scenic boat ride in Cambodia. So far I've enjoyed what I have seen, lots of houses on stilts on the river banks. The water must be so much higher in the wet season. The boat stopped off many times along the way as we traveled through the floating villages of the Tonle Sap region, starting along the Stung Sangker River, which flows into the Tonle Sap Lake, which is absolutely huge and even bigger in the wet season. The boat dropped off and picked up people along the way. It looks like we're on the local boat rather than the high-speed tourist one, which is fine by me, but the journey actually took 8 hours, so basically an entire day in a wooden boat moving at about 5 miles per hour! Heiko & Katrien were also on the boat as were another Couple called David and Mila. David is from England, like me, and Mila is from Spain. Mila was talking about Ko Lanta and what a lovely place it was as it was far less spoilt than many of the other islands in Thailand. I am going to check that out to see if it's a good place to go for Christmas.
We finally arrived just outside Siem Reap where all five of us squeezed into a taxi, which was a doddle for me as this felt quite comfortable after my Pailin to Battambang jaunt! We drove into the town to find somewhere to stay. The others stayed in a different guesthouse to me as there weren't enough rooms available, but I found a good, clean, affordable room close by in a place called the "Lovely Guesthouse" run by a Mr. Hab who's really cool and does his best to provide a great service. All his family work there with him. I was surprised to find that the prices of accommodation were higher than I expected, but on reflection it's high season and it is the most booming industry in Cambodia right now- tourism on the doorstep of one of the true wonders of the ancient world, so I can't complain about $5 a night! Breakfast is good, Fruit shake, coffee and eggs. There is a bicycle for rent for $1 a day and a laundry service. My clothes came back cleaner than when they were new I swear! I found a great place to eat and drink with my new 
friends Heiko & Katrien. It is called Mollopor. It looks quite expensive, but is one of the cheapest places to dine in town. It's not in the centre, so maybe that's why it seems like a bit of a secret. The beer was cheap too and for me the best selling point is the cashew shake. I have never tasted anything like it. It only cost 40p for a shake and the cashew was the most amazing shake I have ever had. I would go back to Siem Reap because I thought it was a lovely place, but even if I liked nothing about this town I would still come back here, just so I could have another cashew shake in Mollopor! I got back to the Lovely Guesthouse at about 11pm and prepared to track down Mr Hab, discovering on arrival that he sleeps outside the front of the guesthouse in a little tent. He must sleep with one eye open because he had my room key with him in the tent ready for my return!
