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Date of the journey:- March 2020
Distance travelled:- 104 miles
From Battambang to Siem Reap was a short 3.5-hour minivan transfer. We purchased our tickets in advance from the Mekong Express office in Battambang. The same location that we had to catch the minivan from. The tickets cost 8 USD per person for the 1335 hrs departure the following day.
We were required to report to the office 20 minutes prior to departure. It was a good thing we did, as by 1320 hrs we were on our way.
We didn’t really appreciate just how flat this part of Cambodia is. Only seeing a couple of hills that looked totally out of place in the surrounding flatness. As far as we could see were dried up rice fields. With the odd exception, when all of a sudden, out of the brown dusty terrain, there was a beautiful, lush, green rice field.
We now know why the paddy field workers are always pictured wearing the traditional conical bamboo hats. Because there are no trees or shelter from the sun anywhere.
In between the fields were towns and villages. People going about their daily business on bicycles and scooters. School children cycling back home in their droves. Sometimes 2 or even 3 children on one bicycle.
The roads were in good condition for most of the journey. Very straight, going on for miles and miles without a bend or curve. Water buffalo wallering in what water they could find adjacent to the road.
During the journey, the minivan made one toilet stop and each passenger was given a small bottle of water.
Arriving in Siem Reap just before 1700 hrs, the minivan dropped us off at the Mekong Express Siem Reap office 1. A lot of the Siem Reap accommodation including ours, Grand Elysee La Residence, booked through Booking.com, offer a complimentary tuk tuk pick up service. The Mekong Express office staff were very helpful and called our hotel for us to arrange our collection. A short 5 minute drive and we were at the hotel.