Feb 25, by boat from Battambang to Siem Reap

Turns out the most crucial decision when embarking on a whole day boat trip, besides taking enough provisions, is picking just the right side to sit on. When heading to Siem Reap from Battambang it’s ideal to be on the west side [left side of the boat when already inside and facing the front] - all the floating village action, bathed in beautiful light, seems to be happening on the west bank and seats are shaded on this side for most of the day. Otherwise, rooftop is also a great viewing platform but mid day turns it into a scorching hot plate. There was no way for us to find out about all this and foresee direction of travel until it was too late - we’ve grabbed our seats away from the engine [paradoxically our only concern when we boarded] but on the wrong side of the boat. We though we had it all figured out, then the engine started and we went in the opposite direction than the boat was docked, our handy compass stuffed uselessly at the bottom of a backpack.  
Coated with sunscreen we cruised along, passing floating village after floating village, entire neighborhoods on stilts, fishermen collecting daily catch, women doing laundry, kids splashing around and waving hellos to us with all the strength in their bodies. Our boatman kept the element of surprise going with every sharp turn, under steering and gently bumping into opposite banks, almost getting swiped by bamboo trees off the boat a couple of times. 

 floating house attached to a huge fishing net contraption, counterweight on the opposite end

It was by far the most colorful and memorable river tour we’ve been on, however, after twelve hours we were happy to step onto solid ground on the outskirts of Siem Reap, from where we took a tuk tuk to town. This of course didn’t happen without some serious haggling. Within seconds of reaching the dock we got swarmed by drivers asking for $15, even outrageous $20, so we just started walking down the dirt road. After about 1.5 km the price went down to $7 and once we said we’d like to hire him for a day of sightseeing around Angkor he agreed to $16 total - a deal that seemed to have made both sides happy.