Arrived after a very spectacular drive through the country side, so green and lush, a lot of traffic as some roads are closed due to flooding so are coming this way.
Booked into the Seng Hout ($16 a night for a room with a window and one big bed and one small), said our Goodbye’s to Sameth. He is such a great driver, it will be a long trip back to PP for him.
We have a stroll around town and hire some push bikes after a terrific meal in the Gecko café. There are a lot more places to eat than when we were here last time. Bikes were $1 for the remainder of the day – so about 5 hours, good bikes too! We ride out to the historical Village but all looks the same to us! Over the River and out through flooded areas, its so wet! It rained and rained and rained, Pita Bread buys her third poncho of the trip and it is already ripped! and l nearly wet myself laughing, needed to stop off for a drink after that!!!
We have tea at the original Smoking Pot Café, there are two in town now.
Day Two – we meet up with Mr Kim (kim_chhaya@yaho.com) and to be quite honest is most possibly the best Tuk Tuk driver ever! So gently spoken and wonderful English and information about Battambong. We head out to the Bamboo Train. Change since we were last there too, Tourist Police now run it and its $5 a person and on you get, 20 minutes down the line, have a stroll around and get pestered by the kids, back on and back to central Bamboo Station! It really is a bit of fun and Pita Bread just about died when another train came the other way! There is only one line and who ever has the least load has to get off and let the other pass and the entire bamboo train has to be dismantled! Fun!! And it rained!
Into town for lunch and then back off again to Mount Sampeau, it is also called the killing cave, l have no idea why we want to go to these places and hear these horrific stories! But we seem to! It’s a beautiful limestone Mountain in the paddy fields with temples on the top off it, during the Khmer Rouge they were turned into prisons and people from the city (Phnom Penh) were sent there and later killed by being beaten and pushed to their death of the edge of the mountain in the caves. It was very sad and l certainly had tears in my eyes as l asked my God that they be resting in peace. Anyway, we paid $2 to ride moto’s up to the top and walked down the stairs. As much as this is a terribly sad place, it is still worth visiting. Its now a beautiful place and even the monkeys were nice!
Off out for tea tonight with some Aussie's that we met, lovely meal and chat.
Day Three – Up early and head out with Mr Kim again to the Villages, we experience a day in the life of a villager and what they do to make a living – noodle making which is a bloody hot job! They’d been up since 1 am making noodles for Pchum Ben. Rice paper wrap makers, even popped in on a family making sticky rice puddings for the festival, bamboo rice, a trip to a beautiful 300 year old pagoda and then a trip out to the lotus farm. Gorgeous, l practice my photography but it will never be as good as Tori Greens!!
A lazy afternoon and wander about town and a juice at the stalls along the river and then dinner with Denise and Dom, how wonderful to catch up. Thanks for taking the time out of your holiday guys xo .
We head off to Siem Reap tomorrow morning, we have loved our time in Battambong, some people find it dull and it does close up about 10pm, but we love the Village feel to it and have enjoyed Mr Kims company, it s a quiet and gorgeous town.
