In and around Battambang, Cambodia

Left Siem Reap Friday morning for the boat trip to Battambang. I was picked up at my hotel around 6:20am and we arrived at the ferry terminal near the floating village of Chong Kneas on the Tonle Sap Lake, about 11 km away, just in time for our 7am departure. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had reservations about taking this trip, and upon seeing the boat that we were about to be making this journey on, my fears certainly were not alleviated. The trip could take anywhere from 5-10 hours, depending on the water levels, and there were about 10 more people than this boat could comfortably hold. After piling all the luggage on the roof of the boat, 25 people somehow managed to squeeze on to one of the two benches on either side of the boat. Once we started moving, the boat was so loaded down that the wake from the front of the boat was almost coming over the side. Very unsafe. But this is Cambodia, if they can make it work, they will.

The trip took about 8 hours, but after 20 minutes I abandoned my seat on the crowded bench and went on top of the boat with the luggage, dried fish, and who knows what else. Much better as far as comfort and room went, but now I was sitting directly in the sun. Good thing I have a decent tan already, this could be a long journey. I put on some sunscreen anyway and got comfortable. The journey certainly was scenic - crossing the expanse of the Tonle Sap Lake, passing through protected wetlands and floating villages, and following narrow waterways, and brushing past overhanging trees. Every few minutes I would have to wave back at one of the many children seen along the way swimming who were always so excited, yelling "helloooo" to the foreigners. About halfway along we stopped briefly at a floating village for a lunch and toilet break. Some people ate the dish that was on offer, I opted to stick with the baguette and bananas I bought from a child at the boat dock before we left. The "toilet" was interesting. As I walked around to the back of the dock to this outhouse looking building, I enter to see nothing but a hole cut out in the boards of the dock with a bunch of fish swimming around below, eagerly awaiting for whatever it was I was about to deposit. Too bad for them I only had to pee.
We soon were on our way again. I got caught in the rain briefly, but 20 minutes later the sun was blazing and dried me right out. Several more hours later we arrived at the "ferry terminal" in Battambang, which was nothing more than a set of metal stairs on the hill of the riverbank. The awaiting tuk-tuk and moto drivers were all there, competing for your business and offering free rides to whatever hotel it was that is paying their commission. To tired after the long ride to be walking around for the perfect place to stay, I chose a driver for a hotel that sounded decent from what I had read in my (somewhat) trusty Lonely Planet Cambodia guidebook. It was just so-so. Stayed there for two nights and moved to the Seung Hout Hotel, which I found while just roaming around one day. It was much nicer. Newer and cleaner and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Not to mention it was cheaper, and they had the best view around from their rooftop chill area - a completely unobstructed 360 degree view of all of Battambang and the surrounding areas. Great for watching the lightening and storms that came through.

Overall, there's not a lot to do in Battambang. The selection of restaurants or bars is extremely limited, and a nightlife of any kind here is almost non existent. Very unlike Siem Reap, which of course is a direct reflection on the amount of tourists the two areas see. I would have to say one of the highlights of my visit to Battambang was the boat trip itself. Although, I did spend three of my days there riding around the countryside on a motorbike. The countryside can be absolutely stunning at times, but this also provided me with the opportunity to visit some very amazing sites outside of Battambang as well. One of them, Phnom Banon, resembles Angkor Wat to some extent, but sits at the top of a large hill (Phnom means mountain in Khmer). There are stone and cement stairs all the way to the top. 358 to be exact. A bit of a climb, but the views from the top are great and the temple itself is very beautiful. At the top, I had a handful of little Cambodian children following me as I looked around. They were there with their families and were very sweet, and I was thankful they weren't bugging me to buy something or asking for money. They had these little woven reed fans and seeing that I was very hot, they followed me around fanning me trying to keep me cool.

Another place I visited was the Killing Caves at Phnom Sampeau. At the summit of Phnom Sampeau are several temples - some of which are fairly new, being built with donations from Khmer who live and work overseas. Unlike Phnom Banan, I was able to ride my motorbike to the summit. However, there are a series of stairs/steps and trails that allow you to be able to climb to the top if you are feeling energetic. The summit provides more spectacular views of the countryside. Most interesting though are the Killing Caves, found about 300 meters off the access road, halfway to the top. A staircase descends down into a cavern with an opening at the top, kind of like a skylight. At the bottom of the cavern you find a golden reclining Buddha sitting blissfully next to a glass walled memorial filled with the bones found here of the victims of the Khmer Rouge. Many of the victims were bludgeoned to death before being throw into the cavern via the overhead "skylight". I took a few photos, nothing around saying I shouldn't, but I still didn't feel right about it. A monk nearby handed me some burning incense, so I placed them in the urn and said a prayer for the victims of this terrible tragedy.