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16 NOVEMBER 2013 - BAK PREA TO BATTAMBANG: 108.5KM

And so Day 3 began for Sam and team at around 3am when everyone awoke to the cacophony of sound that is life upon the water in the floating village of Bak Prea -- somewhat earlier than the scheduled 5.30am roll call due to some very enthusiastic cockerels.

Following breakfast, a gift of Take the Pledge T-shirts from Sam to the elderly matriarch of the home in which we stayed, and a prayer of thanks to the house spirits for their protection over night, the team jumped on board the barge for the first leg of the day’s journey.  Sam felt pumped and ready for the 108.5km journey -- boating, swimming, running and cycling -- that lay ahead.  Today was all about ‘Cooking’ (Sam’s chosen t-shirt) pledging his support for the students at Sala Bai Hotel and Restaurant School who participate in the 11-month program to become chefs, a training that subsequently sees them enter the kitchens of 4 and 5-star hotels in Siem Reap and beyond.

The next 2.5 hours were spent navigating the water highways of the Tonle Sap and Sangke River, before entering the outskirts of Battambang, the fourth largest tourist destination in Cambodia.

Along the way we witnessed isolated lake dwellings, solitary fisher folk, a variety of waterfowl and treetops barely visible above the surface of the water due to recent monsoon rains.  After an hour or so trudging the muddy waters of the Sangke, Sam made the pragmatic decision to forgo his morning swim.  As our barge chugged upstream past ramshackle villages lining both banks, it soon became apparent that diving into murky brown water that absorbed the ‘life’ of the river would not be wise if it compromised Sam’s health and thus affected the rest of the expedition.

River journey complete, the team disembarked in front of Kdang Knea pagoda, where Sam received a special blessing from the most serene of monks.  Travel spirits appeased and with four trucks loaded to the hilt, Sam made haste to run the 8km to Battambang town, where the production team dived into the nearest Internet café to make the most of the available connectivity.  Following lunch, Sam kicked his heels for a further 6.5km to O Dambong Station where it was all aboard the Bamboo Train.  These low rolling platforms of bamboo slats powered by a small engine, known locally as Nori, threw up a deliciously cool breeze, providing a welcome respite from the rising afternoon heat.  Lush green countryside and pungent wafts of trackside honeysuckle added to the most tranquil of settings.

However, there’s no rest for the passionately committed.  With little time to waste, and as the sun was already setting, Sam got on his bike for the first time in this adventure to cycle 40 km, followed by final run of 11km.

The documentary team of Scott, Mike, Meghan and Gaynor, along with the magnificent Teka and Jasmine from Heritage Adventures and drivers Sovan and Poev, had a little adventure of their own while departing Battambang, when one of their four wheel drive vehicles became heavily entrenched in deep mud.  It soon became clear the vehicle was going neither forwards nor backwards.  Scott and Mike gleefully jumped upon the opportunity to add that little extra nuance to their movie while Meghan unfortunately took one step a little too far and literally got stuck in the mud.  Thankfully, rescue came soon after from a handy length of chord, our spirited drivers and a special touch of magic – a smiling full moon.

It was well into the night before Sam and the rest of the team bedded down in Beung Ampeul Pagoda on the outskirts of Battambang.  Tomorrow we enter Pailin, a town renowned as a refuge for ex-Khmer Rouge and high numbers of human trafficking victims.  Though drenched and tired Sam says, “I’m happy and prepared for the day ahead.”

Donate to support Sam, Sala Bai and the fight against human trafficking.

Watch 'A Step Between', a short documentary film that chronicles Sam's 2012 Cross-Cambodia Journey through the voice of one courageous human trafficking survivor.

And learn how Sala Bai empowers Cambodia's most impoverished young women to obtain employment in Siem Reap's growing hospitality industry in 'Khatna's Journey: A Sala Bai Story'.

- Gaynor Fitzgibbon