DAY 6 SIEM REAP TO BATTAMBANG

It's another bleary eyed start this morning as we load up the backpacks to catch the boat to Battambang for 7.00. The ruthless efficiency of the party autocrats determines that we are first on the scene and we sit and wait for our fellow passengers. And wait. And wait. It's past 8.00 before we leave. The quality of the boat is not great but we are led to believe that we will be transferred to a bigger craft at some point during the journey. I'm not convinced.

Lake Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and at this time of the year at the end of the rainy season it is at its fullest. There are many small partially submerged islands and an abundance of treetops poking through the surface. During the coming summer months the waters will subside and the lake will shrink dramatically in size allowing the lake communities, mostly Vietnamese, to carry on with their lives. For now however they are marooned and appear to survive by fishing and trading with the passing boats.

As soon as they hear the boat the kids rush out and wave, shouting 'Bye' as we pass.

After a while we move out into the open lake and the scenery becomes fairly monotonous. The ageing plastic seats are sweaty and sticky and the journey is pretty uncomfortable. From time to time we are consumed by acrid fumes from the overworked engine. There is no sign of the promised transfer.

After 3 1/2 hours we stop for a break. The fresh food at the island store may look appetising, more so as we had no time for breakfast before we left and have survived so far on Pringles and water, but there are not unreasonable doubts about potential contamination. There is clear evidence that the river provideth and the river also taketh away. The available WC is literally that - a closet perched above the water where an audience of enthusiastic fishes await.

Soon after we continue on our way we have a near collision with a passing craft as both parties appear to be asleep at the wheel. One of our fellow passengers had asked her travel agent if this journey was safe; if there was any chance of sinking, to be told 'It's difficult to say!' We are learning why.

The riverbanks become more populous the closer we get to Battambang with clear signs of the effects of the recent flooding. Many of the shacks are partially submerged and it is clear that these people have suffered. They are living life literally on the edge and will always be vulnerable to environmental and economic change and cannot rely on the authorities to help them out. The kids appear immune to all this and are desperate to catch our attention. They wave and smile with the widest grins and the whitest teeth. In the main the adults display a weary disdain as we pass by. Who can blame them? Recording their plight makes me feel uncomfortably voyeuristic.

We finally arrive at Battambang after 6 1/2 hours. We are delivered to our hotel by the inevitable tuk-tuk and are greeted by our host. The hotel is a gated residence, disconcertingly protected by tall security gates and razor wire, a legacy of Khmer Rouge rule. Our host is an interesting guy. For reasons that will become clear I will not reveal his identity; we know him as 'Crazy'. He has a strong French accent and for him everything is 'cray-zeee'. We learn that Battambang is a crazy city, that Cambodia is a crazy country, that the Khmer Rouge inevitably were crazy and that the current administration is corrupt and includes former Khmer Rouge officials. Now that is crazy.

Crazy refers to himself as a 'jungle baby'. He was born during the Khmer Rouge years. His parents were hiding out in the forests in fear of the regime and he tells us he survived  by sucking on suger cane when his mother's milk failed. The family eventually escaped to France where Crazy was brought up. He always planned to come back to Cambodia and reached an agreement with his family to run the old family house as a hotel. He gives us a great insight into the recent history of the country and he is quite pessimistic about its immediate future, convinced that there is a high probability of further conflict in the coming years. He is scathing about the current regime and makes it quite clear that he has to be very circumspect about who he discusses such matters with as the government does not permit dissent. He tells the story of a relation of his who interviewed a party official, penned an unflattering portrait and was given 24 hours to leave the country.

We ask him how despite the appalling recent history and the continuing privations the Khmer people are so welcoming and friendly with no apparent signs of resentment. He responds with a question: 'Is there an English word for dignité ?'