Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (Continued)

Day two involved all of us going to the coast of the Tonle Sap lake which is in the middle of the country to catch a speed ferriboat. This boat had to be the skinniest and longest boat I have ever traveled on. It was about 100 feet long and 8 feet wide. For the entire 3 and half hours we sat on the roof of the boat, which gave us amazing views. Also before this boat ride, I had never been on a body of water that was so large that you could only see water on all horizons. And yes the thought did cross my mind a few times about what would happen if I or someone fell off of the boat or if the boat flipped. Basically, I concluded, you wouldn't be found or in the end wouldn't live. Happy thought, I know.



Everytime we stopped we seemed to gather a crowd. Even when we biked down roads people would gather on the sides of the road and cheer us on or say hello. When we stopped for breaks we would instantly be surrounded by children and then the adults. They usually would watch us do the stretches, but sometimes we were able to coax some of the kids and adults to do the stretches with us.



After the boat ride we got on our bikes and road to Phnom Penh. This ride was great and the best part was riding into Phnom Penh during rush hour. It was quite the rush to dodge traffic and pass motorcycles, cars, etc. The biggest rush and near "peeing the pants" moment came when a lady on a scooter with her three kids, husband and a couple of bags came within inches of hitting me. I tried to stop quickly and partially fell off of my bike while cars, trucks, and scooters wizzed by me.



Traffic in Phnom Penh


Aside from the near death rushes, the path we took into the city was amazing! We drove by the palace and many other monuments as well as the river. It is definitely a view I would like to see again under less stressful circumstances.