Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Battambang
We arrived in Battambang from Phnom Penh late afternoon. We jumped on a moto to Bus Stop Hotel, but it was full, so we walked around town looking for somewhere else to stay. We decided on Chhaya hotel, checked in, and went back to bus stop for some food. The next day we had arranged to be picked up by our moto driver to do a day tour of Battambang and the surrounding area. First we went to Phnom Sampeau, which is set high on a hill. The caves used to be used as slaughter chambers by the Khmer Rouge, and still contain the remains of their victims. Wat Banan was our next sight, but to get here we had to drive down a road with the largest number of pot holes on the world! It was not a fun experience, and least Gareth's driver with limited English shouted 'brace' to him every time they approached at unavoidable pot hole! Wat Banan is known at 'mini Angkor Wat' and sits on top of a 400m hill. It was a steep walk up to the top and we had a little boy follow us most of the way with a fan (we didn't ask him to, his mother made him). At the top there were great views and the Wat was impressive. We then went and saw some fruit bats before making our way to the Bamboo Train! This train was amazing, it is made up of two axles, a motor engine and a rectangular base to sit on made of bamboo. It went sooo fast along the uneven, wobbly track. In the evening we got a tuc tuc to Riverside Balcony Bar for dinner before retreating back to our hotel to pack and sleep. We had decided to get a boat to Siem Reap as it is meant to be the most picturesque journeys through Cambodia. Our hotel shuttle bus dropped us at the 'port' (a plank of wood along the riverbank) the next morning. The journey was long, but interesting. We sailed through wet lands and got whipped by marshland trees because the route through was so narrow, it was an experience!
- comments