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Published: March 4th 2009
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Boat to Battambang
These are our happy drivers! And that's the engine that has probably damaged my hearing! We took a long weekend break to Battambang this weekend, a city in a province of the same name. Battambang (pronounced Battambong) is the second largest city in Cambodia after the capital Phnom Penh. Quick warning: I took over 100 photos at the weekend, so I will try my best to filter them but there will be a few...
On Friday we got the boat from Siem Reap to Battambang. Upon seeing the boats, we realised we'd been told a couple of porkies at the travel agents, such as you will have an assigned seat (ha ha ha), and there is a toilet on the boat! The journey took around 9 hours (we were told 7), luckily we made a stop about halfway through! And in true Wilkinson style, I had a plastic bag with a substantial picnic. I was on a smaller boat to most of the other volunteers - they were really cramped on their boat; I had more space, but was sat next to the engine (it took my hearing quite some time to return to normal!). Despite being very noisy I enjoyed the boat ride, it was very scenic and we went through a lot of
Boat to Battambang II
Some floating houses in one of the floating villages we passed through floating villages (see photos). However, we were in no doubt about getting the 4 hour bus back!
We checked into Royal Hotel, I was in a really nice triple room with a private bathroom; the room was $8 per night (so $.2.67 each per night!). Saturday was a really fun day; we got one tuk-tuk and two motos for the day (this was also insanely cheap), and our moto drivers not only took us to the standard sites (Wat Ek temple and bamboo train) but also stopped at around 4 different houses in villages around Battambang, where we saw various foods being made (see photos!). They also took us for a really nice Khmer lunch at a local restaurant, and told us lots of rude jokes when we stopped for a drinks break after the temple! They really made the day what it was.
Unfortunately Edi (a volunteer) had $40 stolen from her purse on the bamboo train by the driver - the ride back to the station was very awkward! When we got back to the station our moto drivers confronted them. Thus followed a very long discussion in Khmer, while a rather large crowd built up,
Boat to Battambang III
Some houses on stilts that we went past - this is so that they (hopefully!) don't flood in the rainy season when the lake level rises and eventually they offered to pay Edi $30 not to go to the police!
On the Sunday, I did a walking tour of Battambang (again, not wanting to stray too far from a bathroom, was fine by Sunday evening!) while the others visited a temple further out. I don't think Battambang is as charming as Siem Reap, it made me glad that we're living in Siem Reap.
Unlike the boat to Battambang, which was full of Westerners, we were almost the only white people on the bus back. Again, our "assigned seats" (I'm not falling for that one again) were taken as the bus was really full - at which point the conductors started whipping out little plastic stools from under seats and placing them in the aisles for people! Laurel-Leigh and Paula were on plastic stools for a while, but got seats when the bus stopped. The general consensus was that, plastic stools and all, the bus journey was more comfortable!
Back in Siem Reap now, and I have a couple more weeks at the centre before it closes. Today the kids were doing arts, so we made jumping frogs and envelopes, and I wrote them
Boat to Battambang IV
My boat is the white one, the others were just pulling up in their green boat. Think there were around 20 people on my boat some simple English letters. A few weeks ago it started to really heat up here, and we all got knocked back a bit by the temperature! And it's only going to get warmer...!
I really want to enjoy the next few weeks because I know I'll be really sad to say goodbye to Thidas house, the centre, and the other volunteers. I'm sure my visitors will cheer me up though :-)
p.s. Mark, I've heard from Pete that Jock is printing you out my blog entries - hello! And thanks Jock, that
s really kind. I also hear that Pete is moving into 23 Weyview this weekend - he's much less messy than me and a much better cook, so I think you'll have a fun couple of weeks!
p.p.s Happy Birthday to all of the Rostrevor March babies!!! Sami and Dave, I'm sure we can raise a glass on our hols :-)
p.p.s.s. Hannah Coombs is doing a 20 mile run this Sunday called the Grizzly - it's up and down hills! Good luck Hannah!!!!! Don't break a leg or an ankle please!
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