Battambang is Cambodia's second biggest city after Phnom Phem. And while there's not that much to see in town (you can easily see everything in a morning or afternoon), there's plenty to see in the surrounding area. Added to that - it's a nice relaxed place - definitely worth stopping in at.
Perhaps the most famous thing to see here is the Bamboo Railway (more of which later) and as noted in my previous post, I'd decided to rent a motorbike, along with a guide to show me around.
Rich - the guy who organizes the moto tours at the Royal Hotel - said he'd arrange for me to spend the day with a guide called Phi-Lay, and the next morning I was down at reception early to meet him.
He'd been told to look out for a guy with three studs in his ear - and when I arrived, he quickly introduced himself. After a quick breakfast, we set off on our bikes to head to Phnom Sampeau - a collection of ancient temples - and the Killing Caves.
The ride took us through some incredible scenery - and Phi-Lay was an excellent guide, quickly picking up on what I was interested in stopping at:
Riding through the rice fields:
Growers Of Mushroom's. First you burn some rice stalks, then you sow your mushroom's (you can just make out the white blobs):
Then you cover them over, and keep picking the results until they run out - at which point the process starts again:
Entrance to one of the temples on route:
Riding through the fields - dirt roads - my first motorbiking experience:
Me - on the Mean Machine:
OK - so it wasn't the most exciting bike in the world - but it's a start.
One thing you see a lot of here are these strange contraptions:
Phi Lay explained to me that they are known as Motor Cows - like cows - but with motors. They're used for everything here - as a tractor, to plow the fields, to pump water, to carry people.
A motor cow used as a tractor and as a water pump to irrigate the fields:
From there it was on to Phnom Sampeau to see the temples, and the Killing Caves
Phnom Sampeau:
Hindu imagery at the top:
And a Buddhist Temple, with beautiful painted murals:
The entrance to the Killing Cave:
The Killing Caves were used during the time of the Khymer Rouge to throw the bodies of the people they'd killed. Phi-Lay had lived through these terrible times, and gave me the history - along with the things he'd seen and experienced. I'd already read up on some of the history of the Khmer Rouge - but for Phi-Lay - these were real personal stories of loss - which he freely shared - it made the history all the more real.
At one of the temples, Phi-Lay took me to see a painting depicting Heaven and Hell. On the top - those who followed the teachings; on the bottom - those who didn't:
There are different punishments depending on the sins committed - for example - the two guy's with the chicken heads organized cock fighting - but there's also greed, adultery, and stealing on there.
After a rather tasty traditional lunch sitting in hammocks by a river, we headed off to the famous Bamboo railway - something I'd read about some years ago and always wanted to see.
The problem: You've no transport to the market - but you do have a single railway track through your village.
The solution: Invent a simple - easy to run train system that can be dismantled in minutes (just in case you meet someone coming the other way).
Norry (as they are known) waiting to be put onto the track - interestingly - the "wheels" are actually taken from tanks used during the fighting here:
Our bikes waiting to be loaded on:
Loading the bikes on:
Er...me:
And just to prove it's not just for tourists - here's one being used by the locals:
When you meet someone coming the other way - you just lift one of the Norry's off the tracks and let one of them continue. Given the fact that this is a much used railway, there are rules so everyone knows who gets to stay on the rails.
Here's a video of some of the ride:
And here's one of a Norry being dismantled:
In fact - at one point we had to dismantle ours to let a really heavy one go the other way which was loaded with rice.
After I took the second video - it absolutely chucked it down. In fact - it was raining so hard my shoes filled up with water and I had to pour the water out. The rain was so heavy that the belt that drives the train kept slipping. So I held one of the bikes, while Phil-Lay and the driver kept the engine and belt tight.
At the end, we were just about moving, and the driver is pushing - so I jumped off and helped the guy push the train to the station. An absolute adventure.
And then it was back to the hotel and the end of a perfect day.
The next day I had a look around town. Here's a few shots of Battambang:
The Governor's House:
The center of town:
I'd talked to Phil-Lay about maybe going out for an afternoon trip with him, and having seen everything I wanted to see, we set out again on the bikes to explore the north of the city.
The roads were rougher today - which made the riding really enjoyable:
Along the way we stopped at a snack stop - on the menu: Snake, Frogs, Fish, Eels, and Mice:
On the way we stopped at temples, rice paper makers, and a fish paste factory. The day was really incredible. I'd asked Phi-Lay to take me through some of the villages, and he took this incredible route through these small villages by the river with children shouting and waving Hello as you go past.
But I'm not going to cover anything else - other than the last thing Phil-Lay took me to.
The thing about Cambodia is - it goes from heart stopping to heart breaking - all within a few minutes. One minute you see people laughing, children playing, incredible temples, the bamboo train, and the scenery. The next your faced with the horrors that people inflict on other people.
This (not very good picture) is of a monument called the Well of Shadows. It remembers the dead - killed by the Khmer Rouge. Around the base, are reliefs, showing some of the terrible things that happened.
It's impossible to put into words what it showed - or the stories Phil-Lay told me.
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If your in Battambang - I'd recommend the Royal Hotel. Great rooms, kept really clean, and the people at reception are super helpful. I'd stay there again in an instant.
If you want to do a day out, I'd recommend Phi-Lay with no hesitation. You'll not only see the countryside - but he'll share the real Cambodia with you.
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