Shallow Waters

Trip Start Dec 01, 2004

Trip End Apr 08, 2005

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Flag of Cambodia Stung Treng, Cambodia
Tuesday, February 1, 2005

We got into Stung Treng right around 4:30 and there were fast boats waiting for us at the dock when we arrived. We decided to stay the night, as it gets dark around 6:00 and we weren't sure when the border closed - not to mention we weren't interested in the "danger factor" involved with the fast boats. We met some people on the way to Stung Treng and found they were heading for the border as well. We made plans to hire a 2 hour boat (the fast boat alternative) and travel as a group the next morning.

Stung Treng was a quiet little town, similar to Kompong Cham - just a stop over for travellers and nothing much going on...

The ride to the border was in a smaller, narrow, long boat. The water was really shallow in some spots and we all wondered how the fast boats navigate through the rocks -those visible and those just under the surface

01 - The 2 hour boat

. At one point our boat went into neutral and the captain used the current to turn and move us until we were in deeper water. The current was so strong in some places, creating whirlpools and rapids that there were a few scary moments. Over all, though, it was a great way to travel.

We made it to the Cambodia side of the border just before lunch. Some of us had to pay $2.00 to get our stamp to leave the country, some only paid $1.00 and a couple got away without paying anything! Because it isn't an international border, they don't have to let us cross, so there is a money-making opportunity for them. We wondered how much it would cost on the other side...

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