Market Day and my Final Day in Battambang

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Well, after waking up at 4 to the prayers, I opened my window to check the neighborhood out that early and realized this was not buddist chanting, this was definitely middle eastern in nature. Luckily David shed some light and found out there is a Muslim neighborhood close by, so that is where the prayers are coming from. This goes on for a good hour.

Today was one of my favorite days in a city, Market Day! I love to spend a good hour roaming the market checking out all the fruits and vegetables, the meats, and maybe sit and have a bowl of soup. Right after arriving, the bottom fell out again and it rained very hard for about 20 minutes and made a big mess of everything in the area. Luckily that was the last rain of the day. The Markets are great because you can buy anything there – its like an open air Wal Mart. You can get clothes, shoes, toiletries, get your hair cut, get meat, pork, fish, chicken, duck, frog, get a manicure, have breakfast, buy souvenirs, and of course every food item you can think of. It’s literally a maze of places and so easy to get lost and not find your way out. I dearly love going there more than anything. The only issue with trying to take pictures is the aisle is very narrow and its crowded as heck, so if you stop to take a picture you get bumped around all the time by these short Cambodian women on a shopping mission.

After that I walked over to the Nary Kitchen Restaurant for my cooking class. I was the only one in the class, being the slow season, so I got first hand teaching. We immediately went back to the market to shop for supplies. After we got back the rain had stopped and it was sooooo humid and warm, more so than any day so far. We made some traditional Cambodian dishes, Fish Amok, Spring Rolls, Beef Lok Lak. It was really fun and learned about a lot of new ingredients. Towards the end I started getting a little woozy from the heat and had to sit with a cold rag while he finished my last dish. But all in all, it was a fun way to spend the morning.

Afterwards I went back to the hotel to lay down in the cool air, which helped a lot. The hotel I am staying at, the Seng Hout, is going through some renovation, and they told me when I checked in that during the day it would be busy. They are adding a pool and renovating all the rooms. My room is actually a newly renovated one and they did a great job. The construction has not been an issue because I have been gone all day long. When I went back to rest, it was ok until they started jackhammering something. But hey, its only $16 – lol.

Went walking around the river front late in the day and enjoyed that. Found out in 2 weeks they are going to have the big boat races on the river. I guess people come and bring boats from all the villages in the Battambang Province and spend 3 days racing. Some boats can have as many as 80 people on them. Wow, I wish I would still be around to check that out. The winners in each category will go to Phnom Penh in November to represent Battambang Province in the big races for the whole Country on the Mekong River. David says the river banks are lined with people from all over the area.

Also went to the old Train Station and it was kind of eerie. When you pull up you can see the 40’s – 50’s architecture and the clock at the top of the building is permanently stopped at 8:05. There are the old tracks and one old rotted box car still remains. Across the street are some old buildings that David said were hotels in the stations hey day, It really is like the place is froze in time.

After dark went up and down the river front checking out the beehive of activity that you can find, such as food stalls, shopping. Its dark in spots, but never feel unsafe, and there are people walking around everywhere. I think its so hot during the day, most people get out and enjoy the cool evening. One of the bridges was decorated up with lights that changed colors, kinda cool.

I bought my bus ticket to Sihanoukville for tomorrow so have to be out front at 6:45 so David can take me to the bus station. I have been assured this is a comfortable bus with air conditioning. The ticket was $12 and I think the trip takes about 7-8 hours with a transfer in Phnom Penh. I hope that is not a mad house.

I hate leaving Battambang, this place is great. Its so laid back and you don’t get hassled like you do in the major tourist towns. This town is one of the best preserved towns for the French Colonial Architecture in all of Cambodia. While there is construction around town, some parts of town are probably the same as they were in the 50’s. I saw a new building on the river that David said was Condo’s for sale around $80,000. Hmmm, this place is for sure going on my list of possible spots to retire. I could easily live here and love it.

Happy Travels, Don

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Photos

Snake Fish
We used this fish to make the Fish Amok

Ducks
This fruit is banned at hotels all across Asia - Smells like a sewer when you open it,

Comments

[Nurse Don]

Oooops
Before I get a ton of emails about the pics, yes, for some reason the order of the pics got switched after i saved it. I am sure you can figure out what a duck is and what a chili looks like - lol! Don

[Beth Ferris]

Karaoke you say....
I love that there was karaoke! Please tell me you went and watched! Looks like you are having an amazing time! Love you! Travel safely!