By Garrett Cooper
13 Jan 2014
I had been told about a place at the north end of the Tonle Sap lake with so many birds that the are like the leaves of a tree. When I heard this I knew I had to go, so while Matt went to Angkor Watt, I was researching Prek Toal and how to get there. I have been to Angkor Watt before, so figuring out how to go to a new place was a better way to spend my time.
14 Jan 2014
Before sunrise I was out of the hotel and loading up the tuk tuk I had arranged to pick me up and bring me to the docks. I usually pay $4-$5 for this ride and since it was so early, I was happy to pay the agreed price of $5. When the driver decided to try for $10, I laughed at him and started unloading my bags. He said it was more to see the sun rise. The day I pay a driver to watch something that I can see anywhere in the world for free is the day I stop breathing so nobody can charge me for oxygen. When I was on my way to find another tuk tuk and he realized there was no negotiating the price, especially since we had a prior agreement, he said "okay $5" and away we went.
At the docks I had to hire a boat to take me to Kaoh Chiveang and I watched the sunrise over the lake at no additional charge. Kaoh Chiveang is a very nice floating village and much calmer than other more touristed floating villages. From here I had to take another boat into the Prek Toal bird sanctuary, down paths cut into the brush just wide enough for the boat to pass through. We went out to a tree fort made from twine and bamboo where the guide instructed me to climb up. On the top platform was a spotting scope which I used to see the thousands of birds like the lesser and greater adjutant storks, milky stork, and spot billed pelican, which covered the trees in the distance.
I had hoped to do a paddle around the village and surrounding area, but since it is a floating village, space is at a premium and I didn't have a good place to put our Pakboats Canoe together.
We decided not to bring the CPR equipment to Siem Reap because we didn't expect to be in any good places to teach, and I think we were right. We weren't anywhere I thought we would have good classes.