Battambang - Phnom Penh - Bangkok

Trip Start Feb 19, 2012

Trip End May 13, 2012

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Flag of Thailand Bangkok, Thailand
Tuesday, March 6, 2012

We spent 4 nights in Battambang after our trip along the Sangker River on the slowboat from Siem Reap. Battambang was not the pretty place at all. It is the 2nd largest city in Cambodia. On the 2nd day we hired a tuk tuk for the day, the first thing we did was go for a ride on the bamboo train which goes along a single straight clickety clackety rail line which takes about 20mins each way. If another bamboo train comes along then one has to be dismantled to allow the other to pass. Only takes a few mins for this to happen. Novelty fun. We also visited a few villages on the outskirts of Battambang where we saw rice paper being made, fish paste which stunk to high heaven, and rice cakes being made as well. All very interesting. We went to one of the 350 killing fields in Cambodia. The one near Battamabang was at the site of a temple they used for a prison. A memorial is now there. Very sad. It only prepared us a little for the one we visited in Phnom Penh.

Statue of Dambong... Battambang

Another day we had a good walk around the city where we visited the deserted railway station where we watched some kids kicking around 3 thongs soccer style for a small pile of money on the ground. ???
Next day we took the bus back to Phnom Phen, 6 hours of Mr Bus Driver king of the Bipidy Bip Bip !!! Non stop all the way and the bloody horn was so loud. :) We saw a terrible accident on the way between a double decker bus and a truck. The truck driver had been killed not a pleasent site very sad.
Arrived back in Phnom Penh in the late afternoon. Went to Sisowath Quay area for dinner.
Next morning we headed out for our day to the Killing Fields and S21 Prison. Both places gave you an insight into the madness of the Khmer Rouge (Pol Pot led) between 1975 & 1979. S21 Prison was used to torture people no matter their status in life and then once finished they would transport them to the Killing Field about 15kms away to be executed. This is very confronting stuff and impossible to try and understand this total madness. On the way back to the hotel we had a look around the Russian Market...........same same!!
Yesterday we flew from Phnom Penh (Cambodia) to Bangkok (Thailand). Took the train from the airport to Silom as it is way faster than the road which are clogged up.
This morning we walked from our hotel down to the Chao Prayo (River) bought a day ticket for the ferry so we could hop on and off wherever.... We decided not to visit the Palace and the reclining buddha as there were people everywhere and we have been before. We walked around the Memorial Bridge, China Town and a few other areas around Bangkok. Back to the hotel for a swim as it is Hot Hot Hot..........
We fly to northern Thailand in the morning - Chiang Rai for 3 days beside the swimming pool before heading into Laos.

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Us on the Bamboo Train	Dismantling the train	House outside of Battambang where monks live.	Oncoming traffic on the Train line
Fish drying out for making the Fish paste. Comments!	Making Rice Paper	Construction Site in Battambang	Eggs on a stick... What the !
The power of the motorbike	Our bus from Battambang to Phnom Penh	A house along the way.	The bus/truck accident.
At the killing fields	The Killing Field	One of the mass graves (Children)	S21 Prison in Phnom Penh.
A beautiful bird	On the river in Bangkok	Russian Market	from the river in Bangkok
On the BTS train Bangkok	Sparky's paradise Asia Style