Battambang

Trip Start Aug 16, 2009
1
10
25
Trip End Apr 20, 2010


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Cambodia  ,
Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Battambang, with a population of 140,000 people, is Cambodia's second largest city (in other words, it has 14 times fewer people than Phnom Penh, the capital, with its 2 million inhabitants). And, not surprisingly, it feels like a big small town. McNeill and I arrived in Battambang around noon on Wednesday, September 23. Stepping off the bus, we were immediately swarmed by almost a dozen men trying to persuade us to lodge at a particular guesthouse. Signs were shoved in my face advertising the benefits of this or that hotel, and I could barely see to walk to the side of the bus to claim by bag. With all the shouting in my ear ("Sir, you need a room? Come to the International Guest House." “Mister, I take you to the Chaya Hotel! We have very nice rooms.”) I could barely hear myself think. Fortunately, McNeill and I had already decided to stay at the Royal Hotel (recommended in our guidebook), so when I finally located the tout pushing the Royal, we accepted a tuk-tuk ride from him. The Royal was only a few blocks away from the bus station, so minutes later we had secured ourselves a decent (though hardly royal) room for $6 a night
Caught napping
Caught napping
.

The next day we arranged to have a tuk-tuk driver show us around the countryside. On our eight-hour tour, we saw the only vineyard in Cambodia, a hill-top temple (a very small version of Angkor Wat, with 358 steps leading to the top); the Khmer Rouge’s “killing cave,” old artillery left over from the civil war of the 1980’s, and lots of beautiful countryside (check out the pictures for more info).

That night we went to Phare Penlau Selpak, a school that began originally in a refugee camp in Thailand. Its purpose back then was to teach art skills to children as a way of helping them express some of the horrors they had experienced during the Khmer Rouge regime and the subsequent civil war. Today, it not only teaches art (specifically, illustration, graphic design, and animation), but also music, English, and circus skills to children from all around Battambang. Every Thursday, they put on an art show and a circus performance. We went, and both were amazing. The art was some of the best I’ve seen in months, and the circus acts were very well done. We were so impressed we asked if we could stop by the next day to observe some of the classes.

We did go back to Phare Penlau Selpak on Friday afternoon, and it was great to see classes in progress
Downtown Battambang
Downtown Battambang
.  But that morning we took a class of our own: Khmer (Cambodian) cooking! Our instructor took McNeill, me, and the other five students to the local market where we bought fresh meat and veggies. Back at the classroom, we chopped, minced, crushed, and fried the ingredients into three different dishes: fish amok (a classic Khmer dish), spicy basil beef, and hot and sour soup. It was great fun, we learned a lot, and the food was delicious!

That evening, in search of chocolate, we walked across the river and ended up at La Villa Hotel, an upscale touristy establishment. At their restaurant we treated ourselves to chocolate mousse and crème brulee; they were divine.  On the way back towards our guesthouse we enjoyed the bustling riverside local scene.  There were several groups of Khmers doing aerobics routines to blasting Khmer and American music, lots of people walking and hanging out, food stalls, and a small set of fair rides for kids.  It was a fun spot, and I am sure it is a regular source of evening entertainment for the locals.
Slideshow

Comments

ben on Oct 28, 2011 at 08:12AM

I like your blog:)..!!

Add Comment

Use this image in your site

Copy and paste this html: