Published: 07.11.2025
Since we enjoyed the tour to Kampong Phlouk on Tonle Sap Lake a few days ago so much, it seemed appealing to continue our journey to Battambang via the lake. Only after booking the ticket do we ask the travel agency about extending our visa. The outcome is known; we must leave Cambodia on November 8 for the time being - see the entry from November 5. We feel conflicted, unsure if we have seen everything we wanted to in Cambodia. The sea and the islands are actually less enticing to us.
We decide to proceed with the already booked tour, even though that means: on the 6th we take the boat to Battambang, on the 7th we return by bus to Siem Reap, and on November 8 a flight to Saigon. If we like Battambang, the guidebooks promise a friendly city with French flair, then we will know if and where we will continue our journey through Cambodia.
At the beginning of the trip across the lake, there are only tourists on board, but right after leaving, the boat makes its first stop on the water to load barrels. The boat driver is very friendly and soon points out to us that the navigation channel is now very narrow.
When I take a look at Google Maps, I notice that we have left the river and are - according to the map - still on land.
The shrubs we are passing through are mostly treetops. We reach the open lake, but where we leave the lake...
Finally, we do reach the riverbed. The boat stops frequently to take on cargo and unload. Many of us are now enjoying the ride on the 'upper deck' and absorbing the impressions.
... beneath us, along the power lines, there is a road according to the map that we are following. The river takes several twists here; we are basically taking a shortcut.
Only shortly before Battambang do we reach the river again. We see the first cars and also a manually operated ferry exclusively for mopeds.
After this magnificent boat ride, I spent the entire journey on the roof of the boat, Battambang turns out to be a dusty metropolis. After an initial walk, we are relieved that we will not stay longer than a night.
Today's bus ride back to Siem Reap will be the last leg in Cambodia for now. We look forward to Vietnam! But we already know that this will also be a journey into the unknown. The center of the country is flooded after the typhoon that swept through the Philippines and Vietnam. Let's see what comes our way!
