Battambang should actually be spelt 'Bat Dambong' as it means 'lost stick' after a former Kings magic stick he lost which caused him to lose his throne. Loving the facts these days I am.
Battambang is a smallish city, though supposedly Cambodias second largest. It's a busy and bit dirty little place with a big local market and some really run down old French buildings. Lonely Planet raves about the French architecture, but the little I found was either hidden behind signage, or crumbling to pieces. I don't think the Cambodian people know this is a potential tourist puller, so don't make anything of it. The reason people DO go though is the bamboo train amongst a few other things. Our tuk-tuk guy, a bloke with a huge grin permanently bolted to his face was eager to give us the lowdown on where he could take us that afternoon and how much for. The price was silly money, so we said we'd think about it, and ventured off to wander the streets seeing the city, then ended up in a place called Gecko for dinner overlooking the bustling streets. We went to the bar opposite our hotel that night as it seemed to have the most life and the cheapest beer, and went back to our room where I watched ESPN until the wee hours cheering Chris Hoy to his deserved gold medal, and getting thoroughly annoyed at the judges pissing around which caused Pendleton to have to settle for silver to the Ozzies.
Next morning we had breakfast in a nice little place next door to the hotel, and our tuk-tuk driver came bounding over. He said he had 2 people going on his little tour that morning and we could go for $5, so we polished off our coffees and joined them. The 2 people he had we a pair of Irish girls called Sarah and Emily, and turned out they were the people who I sneered to Jo "who goes travelling with a bloody guitar" when we saw them arrive the day before but discovered they bought it along the way, (so proof you shouldn't judge!) and we got on great with them.
Our first stop was the bamboo train. This is a length of track left by the French (so now almost 100 years old) with little bamboo trains that go up and down, though almost entirely for tourists now. The trains are ingenious; they are 2 axles with a set of bearings close to each wheel and a fixed hub in the centre of one axle with belt around it. There is then a bamboo raft that sits on the bearings so that the whole axle can spin freely and a small engine on the back of the raft on a sliding track. This is so that the driver levers the whole engine back with a stick, which increases the tension in the belt connected to the axle, which increases friction and so drives the whole thing forwards! So bloody clever! Just a huge clutch system whereby the engine moves wholesale by a man pulling a stick! I was thoroughly impressed, and pretty surprised, as were Sarah and Emily, at the speed we got up to. We flew through the countryside for a couple of km, then pulled up as we saw a row of 3 or 4 other trains coming the opposite way. This is where the simple nature of the train proves its cleverness again; you just lift the bamboo platform off the axles and put it by the side, then lift each axle off and the whole thing is dismantled in seconds! Within 5 mins, our train was reassembled and we were flying down the rickety track again. We got to another sort of station and stopped for a bit, a little girl made me a grasshopper out of leaves, we turned around and headed back. We pulled up to the start again and a bit miffed to be told to tip the driver as apparently the $5 each we paid at the start mostly gets pocketed by the bent police. Bloody corruption everywhere, and it just seems the rich get richer and the poor stay put. Cambodia seems terrible for this and it's so sad as they're such a happy nation who've been through so much in recent history.
Anyway, enough of that. Next up was a winery! For a couple of dollars we got some grape juice, ginger juice, red wine, and brandy! I have to be honest, the red wine was fruity and crap, and the brandy like fire-water, but the ginger stuff was spicey and really nice! The grape stuff also made the brandy pretty nice too! We finished our drinks and headed to a Wat with a couple of big trees by the entrance packed with fruit-bats. There were hundreds of them making a right racket, and flying all around us. We took some pics, then carried on up to a set of temples on a hill that the locals reckon were the inspiration for Ankor Wat. I really doubt this after looking at them, and they are falling to pieces with no sign of any restoration going on sadly, but they were quite impressive, especially considering how many stairs we had to climb to get up to them. We had a drink and moved on to another big hill with temples at the top, but this one was where the Khmer Rouge took the temple and turned it into a prison, and used some caves up there for murdering people. Not a nice place, although the temple is now almost complete in its return to original use complete with many painted depictions of Buddha. The killing caves have also been turned into a place of worship, and some bones and skulls kept on display. This may seem horrible, and it is to behold, but in a nation where nation where you can really feel and notice the lost generation, it is necessary to remember.
We were then done for the day, and wanted to head back and get some circus tickets, but sadly it wasn't on, so we ate, got showered, caught up on some Olympic action, and went to the bar opposite for a few drinks. Emily was wiped and hadn't been feeling too hot all day, so it was just Jo, Sarah and I, and we chatted for hours in the warm evening with cold beer.
The next morning we found our way to the post office, found a cashpoint to flex the credit card, ate brekkie and said goodbye to Sarah and Emily as they moved onto Phnom Penh, and we boarded a bus to Pursat!
Battambang is a smallish city, though supposedly Cambodias second largest. It's a busy and bit dirty little place with a big local market and some really run down old French buildings. Lonely Planet raves about the French architecture, but the little I found was either hidden behind signage, or crumbling to pieces. I don't think the Cambodian people know this is a potential tourist puller, so don't make anything of it. The reason people DO go though is the bamboo train amongst a few other things. Our tuk-tuk guy, a bloke with a huge grin permanently bolted to his face was eager to give us the lowdown on where he could take us that afternoon and how much for. The price was silly money, so we said we'd think about it, and ventured off to wander the streets seeing the city, then ended up in a place called Gecko for dinner overlooking the bustling streets. We went to the bar opposite our hotel that night as it seemed to have the most life and the cheapest beer, and went back to our room where I watched ESPN until the wee hours cheering Chris Hoy to his deserved gold medal, and getting thoroughly annoyed at the judges pissing around which caused Pendleton to have to settle for silver to the Ozzies.
Next morning we had breakfast in a nice little place next door to the hotel, and our tuk-tuk driver came bounding over. He said he had 2 people going on his little tour that morning and we could go for $5, so we polished off our coffees and joined them. The 2 people he had we a pair of Irish girls called Sarah and Emily, and turned out they were the people who I sneered to Jo "who goes travelling with a bloody guitar" when we saw them arrive the day before but discovered they bought it along the way, (so proof you shouldn't judge!) and we got on great with them.
Our first stop was the bamboo train. This is a length of track left by the French (so now almost 100 years old) with little bamboo trains that go up and down, though almost entirely for tourists now. The trains are ingenious; they are 2 axles with a set of bearings close to each wheel and a fixed hub in the centre of one axle with belt around it. There is then a bamboo raft that sits on the bearings so that the whole axle can spin freely and a small engine on the back of the raft on a sliding track. This is so that the driver levers the whole engine back with a stick, which increases the tension in the belt connected to the axle, which increases friction and so drives the whole thing forwards! So bloody clever! Just a huge clutch system whereby the engine moves wholesale by a man pulling a stick! I was thoroughly impressed, and pretty surprised, as were Sarah and Emily, at the speed we got up to. We flew through the countryside for a couple of km, then pulled up as we saw a row of 3 or 4 other trains coming the opposite way. This is where the simple nature of the train proves its cleverness again; you just lift the bamboo platform off the axles and put it by the side, then lift each axle off and the whole thing is dismantled in seconds! Within 5 mins, our train was reassembled and we were flying down the rickety track again. We got to another sort of station and stopped for a bit, a little girl made me a grasshopper out of leaves, we turned around and headed back. We pulled up to the start again and a bit miffed to be told to tip the driver as apparently the $5 each we paid at the start mostly gets pocketed by the bent police. Bloody corruption everywhere, and it just seems the rich get richer and the poor stay put. Cambodia seems terrible for this and it's so sad as they're such a happy nation who've been through so much in recent history.
Anyway, enough of that. Next up was a winery! For a couple of dollars we got some grape juice, ginger juice, red wine, and brandy! I have to be honest, the red wine was fruity and crap, and the brandy like fire-water, but the ginger stuff was spicey and really nice! The grape stuff also made the brandy pretty nice too! We finished our drinks and headed to a Wat with a couple of big trees by the entrance packed with fruit-bats. There were hundreds of them making a right racket, and flying all around us. We took some pics, then carried on up to a set of temples on a hill that the locals reckon were the inspiration for Ankor Wat. I really doubt this after looking at them, and they are falling to pieces with no sign of any restoration going on sadly, but they were quite impressive, especially considering how many stairs we had to climb to get up to them. We had a drink and moved on to another big hill with temples at the top, but this one was where the Khmer Rouge took the temple and turned it into a prison, and used some caves up there for murdering people. Not a nice place, although the temple is now almost complete in its return to original use complete with many painted depictions of Buddha. The killing caves have also been turned into a place of worship, and some bones and skulls kept on display. This may seem horrible, and it is to behold, but in a nation where nation where you can really feel and notice the lost generation, it is necessary to remember.
We were then done for the day, and wanted to head back and get some circus tickets, but sadly it wasn't on, so we ate, got showered, caught up on some Olympic action, and went to the bar opposite for a few drinks. Emily was wiped and hadn't been feeling too hot all day, so it was just Jo, Sarah and I, and we chatted for hours in the warm evening with cold beer.
The next morning we found our way to the post office, found a cashpoint to flex the credit card, ate brekkie and said goodbye to Sarah and Emily as they moved onto Phnom Penh, and we boarded a bus to Pursat!
No comments:
Post a Comment