Bamboo Station

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The drive to Battambang was ok, we had a nice driver who was actually a guide but during low season was doing some driving to help suppliment his income. We stopped for a toilet break at a sandstone stall along the road and have to say experienced the cleanest, best squat toilets ever. White, shiny, non-smelly, they made a pleasant change from the usual Cambodian standard.

Once we had arrived and settled into our hotel we thought we would spend the afternoon during a light spot of sight seeing however it turned into a marathon of cramming in as much as possible.

First was the Bamboo train, a train which is basically a platform made of bamboo and a two stroke engine curiously balanced over a centre hole providing the muscle. Strangely enough this odd contraption seemed to require a fair amount of persuation to get us moving but once up to speed it became quite a ride feeling like something straight out of mario cart.

Once we had made it to the other end, twenty minutes in all, we managed to find ourselves touring a brick making factory. There were three kilns, half a dozen people and an old woman and her daughters, one of which became our guide.

Showing us the in's and out's of daily life in the factory we discovered all bricks are made by hand three thousand at a time. They go onto a kiln for a two week baking, three thousand at a time again, then a three week cool down period. Each kiln is heated using rice kernels, everything is manual and hard work.

At the end of our pottery round we sat and had a couple of scoops (Leicester talk for drinks) with the old woman and her daughters, one of which ended up doing the translating as the mum couldn't speak English. During our conversation the old woman presented me with a coconut leaf cricket and I must say it was rather good, so good in fact that No said it must have been sometime since she had worked the bricks, waiting for the translation delay until eventually there was a rore of laughter, glad it see the old bird had a sense of humour.

I'm sure we weren't the first and won't be the last but it was a memorable experience. We left covered in leaf stars, rings and crickets. No even took away a few leaves to practice on but quickly forgot the technique as soon as we departed bamboo station.

Next was Phnom Sampeau where we hooked up with a couple of motorbikes to take us up the mountain. Handily our riders spoke very good English and one of them turned into our guide (again!) for the next hour or so.

We visited the newly renovated buddist temples and looked out over the views of the Battambang rice fields. Our guide was only seventeen but knew about the Khmer Rouge from his family so he spoke and we listened to the stories of how the people had been forced to work the rice fields, given hardly any food and little sleep. This was their life and if a person was too ill to work they got killed by being thrown into a hole, nice.

A few years ago they were able to clear the caves of the bones and put all the remains into a shrine. We saw the hole in which the people were thrown down, its a lot more peaceful today but strange to think it went on not that long ago.

The rains threatened to roll in once again so we raced down the hill just in time to watch the evening performance of thousands and thousands of bats leaving the caves. From afar they looked like a swarm of wasps.

Next day we met up with the same tuk-tuk driver and went to visit Wat Ek Phnom. On the way we saw rice paper being made on the roadside, a smelly fish paste factory and another memorial to the killing caves.

We arrived at Wat Ek Phnom to find ourselves once again with another guide, an old lady and a kid but this time they could speak hardly any English. The temple was in a bad state in comparison to the ones we had previously seen but it was nice and quiet and home to a sweet little moggy who happily posed for a few photos.

Before heading back to town we decided to do a quick visit of the crocodile farm. Stepping out over concrete walkways above the pools we were able to get really close to about three hundred croc's. All were there being fattened up eventually for eating and turning into boots.

That night we experienced one of the largest cock-roaches ever in our room and a huge thunder storm directly overhead in the middle of the night. At one point I thought there was so much rain we would end up stranded but as ever anything is possible in Cambodia if you have the holiday monies.

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Photos

Moggy In Wat Ek Phnom
Praise be to the cat

All Aboard The Rattan Train
Us and the engine driver

Leaf Cricket
Just one which I made earlier

Phnom Sampeau
View Over Croc Mountain

Killing Cave
Says It All

Comments

[Morag Willsher]

I never knew about people being forced to work in the rice fields like slaves, great that the art tells the story for all to see though!