SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

Today we traveled by a so-called "fast boat" from Phnom Penh north to Siem Reap along the Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia. Actually, it's sort of a combination lake/river that during the rainy season expands to five times its normal size and, bizarrely, reverses direction! At times along our six-hour journey it was fairly narrow river, but at other times, you could barely see the shore on either side. It was a nice sunny day, which made for a fairly pleasant ride--for part of the trip, I sat on the roof of the boat, where a number of people were sunbathing as they watched the water buffaloes pass by. Most of our journey was through rural areas, with lots of small farms and houses on stilts, but as we neared Siem Reap, we passed through an entire "water village" of houseboats, which was kind of neat.

On arrival, we caught a tuk-tuk to our guesthouse, the Shadow of Angkor, which I had picked out of the Lonely Planet guide. It's in the Psar Chaa area of Siem Reap, near the old market, and across from the small river that runs through town.