We’ve made it to the little town of Stung Treng, where adventure (and, more importantly, separate sleeping accommodation) awaits! Lunch is at the delightful Ponika’s Palace, and—surprisingly—the chicken with eggplant steals the show. Absolutely delicious.

There’s a lively market nearby, but let’s just say I nearly brought up my lunch when I saw all the meat laid out on the ground. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. The veggies, though? They looked fantastic!

The next morning, we set out for a full day of exertion. First up: a riverboat ride, followed by a bone-rattling journey in a tractor-pulled cart. Then the real challenge begins—a hike to the “waterfall,” battling leeches along the way.

Now, about that waterfall… I’d like to query the definition. More like rapids, really—though I wouldn’t fancy kayaking down it! We were right on the Laos border, and naturally, all the flotsam washed up on the Cambodian side was blamed on them. 😉

After that, it was back via the same combo—hike, tractor ride, riverboat—before switching gears for kayaking. No way was I volunteering for a single kayak when I could team up and let someone else do the hard work!

Good portions of the downstream ride were spent idling while we waited for others to catch up—because I’m ridiculously competitive and happened to be paired with the guide. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Tomorrow, we roll into Siem Reap for a well-earned day of rest. And trust me, we’ll need it, for a 40km cycling day awaits.