I caught a mini-bus to Battambang - packed as full as possible (9 seats, 22 people)and bathroom breaks were stops in bushy fields. Battambang is small and dusty but comfortable, no hard sells and a few convenient, really good places to eat. There is plenty to do around here though - the Killing Caves, Temples, bamboo train. I did a lot of climbing here and hired a kid to be my guide to the caves and temples. It was a lot of work - at one point we took a shortcut down a mountain path, encountered a troup of monkeys and the girl was really scared, said we'd have to go all the way back up because it we tried to pass them, they might bite us. "Monkey no good!" "Hurry!" So I hurried back up, protesting all the way but not really arguing. The temples on top of the mountain were unbelieveably beautiful, like a fairy tale. I spent a day seeing the ancient temples (pre-date Angkor Wat) and exploring the villages via the back of a motorcycle. The guy driving me around took me all over the place on back roads - through villages on dirt roads where tourists don't usually go. I didn't stop and take many pictures, just looked and listened and watched - past (rare) old men leading cows across the roads, past young boys fishing with nets, people walking with baskets, washing cloths, working in the fields etc.,...life just happening in a very natural way. No electricity, no machinery out there - but lots of plastic! Plastic trash everywhere... people grow all kinds of vegetables and fruit without the use of pesticides - no GMO crops, no Roundup! The balance is apparent and the fruits and vegetables you see in the market are beautiful and tasty! And (if not for the dirty water) clean!
The bamboo train ride (pictured) was a completely unnecessary trip; I did it only for the experience of riding the train itself. So I went about 30-45 min one way, then the same distance back. FUN FUN FUN - it went super fast, I thought it was going to fly off the track at one point! Kind of like a noisy magic carpet ride. So when you meet up with another train, someone has to get up and move out of the way, but it's only a minor inconvenience and only takes a minute or two to take the bamboo platform apart and put it back together.
