Relaxing on the Tatai River

Most of the trips Jeremy and I have been taking have been active ones - a packed schedule of visiting the temples, seeing the sights, bargaining at the markets, etc.  Our most recent trip was a welcome break from the busyness.  We traveled to 4 Rivers Floating Lodge on the Tatai River in northwestern Cambodia.  The "lodge" is a floating pier with a dining area in the middle and 12 individual tents as the sleeping rooms.  The only way to reach the lodge is by boat, which gives you an idea of the "get-away-from-it-all" feel of the place.

Our first view of 4 Rivers as we arrived by boat

After being welcomed by the staff and unpacking our bags, we looked at each other and said "now what?"  The lodge didn't have satellite TV or wi-fi; my BlackBerry didn't even get reception!  Luckily one very nice feature of the lodge is their collection of kayaks which guests can use at their leisure.  We jumped in and Jeremy reactivated his kayaking and canoe instructor skills (from his college days as a summer camp counselor) to take us on a peaceful tour of the river.  We returned to the lodge in time for the beginnings of an overcast sunset:

The next day, we visited nearby Tatai Waterfall.  It involved another boat ride and another picturesque arrival to our destination:

We wandered around on the rocks a bit, getting a look at the multiple cascades of the falls and the many swimming holes it created.  Finally, we got into the water ourselves and even received a hydro-massage under the falls!  Jeremy took a zen-like pose as the water tumbled down on him, but I found that I needed to keep two hands on my bathing suit bottom to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions!

After a lovely picnic lunch and a bit more swimming, we said goodbye to the waterfall and returned to the tranquil lodge.  As always, the weekend passed too quickly, but we were pleased to enjoy a short respite on the beautiful Tatai River!