#2: [08-Oct-04]

26-Aug-2003 -- We came close to this Confluence on our bike tour between Hanoi and Phnom Penh on the 24^th day of our trip, after visiting the Confluence 12N 105E. The Confluence is located right in the middle of the big lake Tonle Sap.

Cambodia's road infrastructure is not the best (to say it nicely). The bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap takes 15 hours, while by speedboat it's a pleasant 5 hour trip. Siem Reap is Cambodia's Number 1 tourist attraction because the famous Angkor Wat (the largest ancient Buddhist temple complex in the world) is nearby. So all the tourists take this route in a speedboat, which runs daily from Phnom Penh to the floating village of Phum Chong Kaoh Nea. Our time was running out, so we decided to take the boat as well.

When we got on this ship, I did my very best to convince the captain to let him take a route right through the confluence point. Actually the beeline for the ship would go right through the point. But in order to make it sure not to miss the point, my plan was to guide the steersman by show of my hands to go left or right. Meanwhile, Guang would take the required pictures for a successful confluence visit. Everything was well thought-out.

So far so good, in theory, anyway. In reality, they figuratively flipped me the bird. These high-speed boats travel at a speed of 50 km/h. They have to stick to their given route and can not follow a crazy confluence hunter's will.

Well, there was still a little chance, that we would get into the 100 m distance to the point. Unfortunately we missed the point by 2.44 km (see GPS picture). At our destination in Phum Chong Kaoh Nea we were already 20 km away. We choose to see Ankor Wat rather than go back by a small boat in order to hopefully see a tiny little strip of land at the Confluence in the middle of Tonle Sap.

This story of 8 Confluences (beginning with 20N 106E) is finished here.

In the large Tônlé Sab Lake, about 12 km from land.