Battambang is Cambodia’s third biggest city (behind Siem Reap and the capital, Phnom Penh) but my first impressions were that it was not at all touristy. Walking through the streets by the markets and the river, I saw very few – if any – tourists. No pubs, no non-Khmer restaurants, and barely any English language signage.
On our first night, Andy and I walked along Sangker River towards a night market that wasn’t there. There were so few stalls. At one I tried frog legs for the first time and it’s safe to say it was my worst meal of the trip. I just didn’t like having to pick bones out of my mouth on every single bite. The girl serving us spoke absolutely no English, and as we didn’t understand Khmer, communication was an issue – a sign of things to come in Cambodia. Siem Reap had been misleading…
Thank god our Lucky House hostel room had AC cos temperatures in Battambang struggle to drop below 30℃ before midnight.
We had one full day to explore Battambang, and Google advised us to leave Battambang. The things to do here are just out of the city, so you’ll need transport. We hired the services of the tuk-tuk driver who brought us from our coach drop-off to our hostel.
What a legend. Mr Dara was ace, and spoke great English. We haggled him down to $10 each and he still promised us a beer on our adventure.
Mr Dara picked us up at around 2pm. Our first destination was the Bamboo Railway. But first, before we left the city, he showed us this…
The statue of Ta Dumbong, after whom the city is named.
We tuk-tuked on out of the city via the dusty, bumpy roads. We ended up in a place that felt like the middle of nowhere.
If someone was gonna mug us, this would be an ideal spot.
The train is a bit of bamboo on a set of wheels. I was expecting a proper train tbh.
The view down the tracks; any possible destination masked by the mirage.
Usually this railway takes you through lush jungle. We’d definitely come at the wrong time of year. Still, it was quite provocative sitting there on that bamboo, riding down a very old railway line through country so far removed from England… Hot, parched, devoid of industrialisation, hot, empty (but for a few farmers), and hot…
We stopped in a place even more in the middle of nowhere that featured a few stalls. I tried my first ever fresh coconut.
It was alright! I’m really not a fan of coconut. Hate it. But this was alright.
We were expecting the train to take us yet further, but no. The guy just took us back to the start and we were required to tip our driver. I didn’t give him much. I felt a little short changed. The Bamboo Railway is just a bunch of Cambodians driving you through thirsty land to some stalls (that they most probably run) and then driving you back again. I really don’t recommend. AVOID.
Mr Dara picked us up and tuk-took us to our next location.
The hill behind is Phnom Sampeau (or Sampov), and it’s where you’ll find some temples, a bat cave and the Killing Caves.
Mr Dara dropped us off. We could either walk to the summit or take a ride up with someone else. They all work beautifully here to make sure they milk you for as many dollars as they can… However, we didn’t fancy a hike in this heat so we sacrificed some dosh for a lift.
First stop: The Killing Caves.
Watch out for the kids that wait for you. They seem cute but they’re all only interested in your money.
Before you enter the Caves, you walk past a viewing point.
In the distance are the Crocodile Mountains, so named cos from here they resemble a sleeping crocodile.
One of the kids led us into the Caves. She pointed out the shafts in the cave ceiling into which the victims of the Khmer Rouge were thrown. In the 1970s, Cambodia’s ruling regime murdered and butchered their own people on the mountain above, and used the natural chutes as a waste disposal.
Traditionally, the cave served as a Buddhist temple. Today, beside the reclining Buddha you’ll find a glass cabinet that contains the skulls and bones of victims. There is another, wooden memorial (again containing skulls and bones) at the foot of the stairs. It’s quite harrowing to think that this genocide happened just over 40 years ago. Most of these people may still have been alive…
I removed my shoes and paid my respects, and donated some money to the shrine. Then, as we were leaving the cave, the little girl stopped us in our tracks and demanded money. I gave her some Cambodian currency, and she insisted I give her dollars. She then did the worst thing possible and pretended to start crying. That was enough for me. I walked off. I have three nieces and a nephew – crocodile tears don’t work on me.
Just up from the Caves, you’ll find these golden boys.
We returned to our driver and jumped back into the back of his pick-up. He took us to the summit of Phnom Sampeau, where you’ll find macaques…
And more shrines…
A girl, Andy and I walked along a narrow one-way ledge beside this shrine before turning back to see our path blocked by a macaque. All over the place there were signs warning tourists that these buggers can be aggressive, so obviously we were all a bit scared. I walked up to it and clapped, to try and move it on. What a tool. It just looked at me and hissed. Fearing rabies, I retreated whilst Andy and the girl looked at me incredulously.
We were stuck, with nowhere to go. I thought about taking some food out of my bag and throwing it to the side, but these macaques are clever. They recognise you simply removing your bag from your back as dinner time, and can attack. All we could do was wait for it to move to the side a little before we nervously creeped by. Andy was NOT happy with me. Fair, tbh.
The golden temple at the summit. There were monks here and again I found tourists shamelessly taking photos of them, like zoo animals… Is it just me that thinks it’s a bit weird?
After skirting around a rowdy gang of macaques we made our way down the mountain. It only took about 10 minutes. We found Mr Dara and he drove us around to the western slopes of Phnom Sampeau. He directed to climb up this bank…
Quite a task in sweaty flip flops! But up here we could sit and watch the sunset.
And eventually…
…the bats.
From over our shoulders came a seemingly endless stream of bats emerging from their cave elsewhere on the mountain. Their dividing, snake-like streams painted black veins in the sky and their smell, oh, their smell… so musty. We could definitely smell them before we saw them.
There were a fair few people on that hillside to enjoy the spectacle, thus there were a few locals there again trying to flog us pop and beer. There are millions of bats in the cave and 30 minutes later they were still pouring out. It can take up to an hour for the cave to empty, but we left when the sun dipped below the distant mountain.
There were two reasons we left early. One: our eyes had had their fill. Two: We had been chatting with fellow travellers and the conversation focused on Vietnam, our destination within the next few weeks. Rumours were circling that western tourists were being denied entry and stranded at the Vietnamese border. Touristy destinations such as Ha Long Bay were closing. There was also a rumour that a Japanese man had tested positive for Covid-19 in Siem Reap, not two days ago (when we were there… gulp…). We needed to get back to the hostel for some WiFi and try and figure out what the hell was going on, what rumours were true, and how the coronavirus could suddenly affect our trip…
Anyhow, Battambang was alright. Phnom Sampeau is definitely worth a visit, for the temples and the bats, and to pay your respects at the Killing Caves (avoid the children). We absolutely recommend Mr Dara. And if you’re visiting in the dry season, give the Bamboo train a miss.
Next stop: Sihanoukville, where our trip was about to enter rock bottom.
#VidOnTour 