Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the mrlukeniktravels blog from Battambang, Cambodia. Since last week I have crossed to the other side of Tonle Sap, Cambodia’s largest freshwater lake. I have spent the last couple of days here exploring the city and the surrounding area. There is certainly plenty to see here. I am relieved to be out of the tourist hotspot of Siem Reap too. There are not as many historic sites here though! As I write a street seller makes their way leisurely along the street below with the clouds gathering for an afternoon downpour. A cat snoozes lazily in a basket next to the bar. Above me flutter a butterfly around the ceiling fan. Here is what I have been up to in the past week.
Situated a five hour, bumpy, coach ride from Siem Reap, Battambang is Cambodia’s second city. Despite this, it has none of the frenzied atmosphere of Phnom Penh. The pace of life here is much slower in Cambodia’s agricultural heartland between the Kulen and Cardamon mountain ranges. Construction on highway five made the trip here long and pothole-ridden. It seemed to be much further than it was. I have noticed since I was last here that, in general, journey times are shorter and smoother. Arriving in Battambang involved a short tuk tuk ride to my accommodation on the banks of the Tonle Sap river. As dusk fell, I headed off to the night market for food and a beer. Night markets are something that should be everywhere in my opinion. Delicious, fresh cooked and cheap food, even if you’re not entirely sure what you are eating!
The next morning I embarked on a tour of the local area taking in a bit more history. I visited one of Battambang’s killing fields, a bat cave and a fish sauce production area. The latter was one of the smelliest places I have ever been! The smell of rotting fish, wood smoke and boiling fish guts certainly was pungent. Catfish from Tonle Sap lake are mashed and essentially left to rot in a plastic barrel for three months. Apparently the more bugs there are in it, the better it tastes(!). Later in the process rice is added to complete the maturing. Fish sauce is an ingredient or accompaniment to almost every Khmer dish. Fish in general forms a large part of an average Cambodian’s diet providing protein. For tourists chicken, beef, pork and seafood are also available and, occassionally, tofu. These are often served in a Khmer curry, flavoured with lemongrass and kaffir lime. I enjoy trying lots of different combinations of flavours if I can.
In the afternoon I had the experience of riding on the bamboo train, to which this blog post is titled. The rail line between the Thai border and Phnom Penh is often shown on maps as being disused. In fact, a train runs once a week between these destinations. The rest of the time part of the line is used by the bamboo trains. These are essentially a wooden pallet on the rails with a motorbike engine attached. The bamboo name comes from a time, before engines, when they were propelled by four people hefting bamboo poles. The noise created by the engine and friction with the rails was incredible. Earplugs were needed to save my hearing! I found the sensation of travelling at approximately 45kph a mere 30 centimetres from the wheels exhilarating. I also enjoyed the views of the surrounding countryside, wandering cattle and all. Rice paddies spread far into the distance and offered a different vista to the city and riverside.
As afternoon turned to evening, I headed to a local bat cave. The cave is home to around six million bats who emerge at dusk to spend the night feeding in the surrounding countryside. With that number of animals, there was plenty of time for me to see them. After scrambling up a steep slope, the view of the bats and sunset was great. Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy so not the greatest sunset, but that’s how it turns out sometimes. Returning to the theme of smells, the smell of bat guano was very strong too. After the fish sauce experience in the morning, I was more than prepared! The owner of the cave enters it once a week to harvest the droppings to sell as fertiliser. Finishing off a busy day with a few drinks at a bar, I was just about ready to hit the hay.
That is almost it for this week from Battambang. Next week I will be writing from a new country, the tenth to feature on this trip. A brief stop back in Siem Reap is needed before heading east. I suppose that makes this the final post from the wonderful country of Cambodia. My time, and visa validity, has almost run out. To find out what I’m up to until next week’s post, you can follow me on social media. My Twitter is @mrlukeniktravel and Instagram @mrlukeniktravels- I don’t know why twitter wouldn’t let me have them be the same handle. Furthermore, you can subscribe to this blog using the link below to be notified every time I post. With all that said, until next week, stay safe and travel on!
