Cambodia - Kampong Chhnang and the slow boat to Siem Reap

---

Our second night in Cambodia was spent in Kampong Chhnang - there's not a lot to do there but it's fantastic to get a feel for how most of Cambodia lives. We had to get up early and have breakfast at the same restaurant that served us veins and balls ... so you can only imagine how excited we were to find out what our breakfast was going to be like. Our guide Sna felt bad about the food the night before and wanted us to know that we were eating in the best restaurant in the town and to prove it, the football team from Phnom Penh joined us for breakfast as well. I admit that I like the breakfasts in Asia - it's not the traditional eggs and bacon - they have soup, noodles, rice and anything else you would eat for lunch or dinner. Some people in our group were having a difficult time with this and were getting a bit cranky after five days of bad coffee and lack of toast and butter. Today was our day of rest - so to speak. We were taking a ferry (fast ferry) to Siem Reap. Five hours on a boat. It's exhausting. Like most of the passengers, our bike group found space on the roof of the boat and camped out there. It wasn't comfortable but there was a nice breeze and lots of sun. Even though we applied sun screen, most of us got burned - really burned. What was even better was that we were wearing our bike shorts so it wasn't the best tan line. I think that the majority of people were getting drunk - since there was a guy that would walk around selling cold beer. When we finally arrived at the floating village in Siem Reap it was chaos. If you ever travel to Siem Reap by boat, be aware. Men will start to grab your bags off the boat and walk away with them and then demand money. You have to watch your bags the entire time. I would also recommend that if you are backpacking through Cambodia that you bring a bag that is easy to carry. Many people were having difficulty carrying their bags off the boat (you had to walk on the side that was approximately 1 foot wide and no railing - so if you fall, you're in the water). Similar to Phnom Penh, people are bombarding you, asking for money or for you to buy something. I was so pleased that we had a car and driver already arranged. We headed to our hotel, The Days Inn and couldn't be more pleased with our facilities. We had a beautiful room with an outdoor patio next to the pool. We all changed into our swimsuits and went swimming. I can't remember the last time that I enjoyed swimming so much. When Ricardo came out to the pool, I was hanging on the side of the pool relaxing and he asked me if I could swim. I thought he was joking, so I said no. He got a big smile on his face and then I asked him if he could swim. 'Not really' was his response. Then he pulled out his swim goggles. He CAN'T swim without them. How goggles can make somebody swim - I don't know. I can't describe how funny it was to watch him, but we (the bad boys - Teetsie and Roberto) couldn't stop laughing. We ended our swim with drinks by the pool and then out to a nice dinner at Viroth's. I really liked the feel of Siem Reap and was so happy that we were staying three nights at our very nice hotel. Now this is how a tour should be.

---