Batty Battambang

---

Sarah: Tuesday evening took us wandering round a soggy Battambang, picking up some cheap beers and some green curry and a fishy dish for dinner for Nick and I, respectively. We had a pretty relaxing evening trying to figure out where to go and what to do next on our SE Asia leg. However, after our early start it was not a night for making big decisions and so off to bed we went!

We had arranged a tuk tuk driver for the following afternoon and so we could have a free morning on Wednesday, mostly taken up by research and planning! Our first stop on our afternoon tuk tuk tour was the bamboo train. This is described in the lonely planet travel guide as 'one of the world's all-time classic rail journeys'. Hmmmm...now I haven't been on the Orient Express, but I think that it might just be a bit more than a cut above the bamboo train! The bamboo train consists of individual 'carriages' which are planks of bamboo laid on axels. These are then chugged along for 7km on a straight track (apart from the wobbles from the uneven line and gaps in the track). Once you get to the end, buy the necessary drink from the locals, you then chug back to where you came from. When meeting other carriages coming in the opposite direction, one party gets off their train while it is taken off the tracks and leap-frogged over the other. It was a nice way to see the countryside but to call it a 'classic' I'm not so sure about that!

After the bamboo train we headed towards some mountains and caves nearby. First stop was a late-ish lunch of rice with a bit of 'morning glory' greens and some spicy beef fried rice. After lunch we began our ascent up the mountain steps. At the top were some Buddhist shrines and statues as well as some resident monkeys. Not quite as bold as some that we saw in Bali, but we did see one drop a coconut from very high up in a tree and another steel a mango from a fruit stall. There were further monuments / shrines that had been built in to some caves which were very impressive. We had been unable to cool down after climbing the steps and were flagging a bit. We think that we missed out the very top of the mountain, and instead headed back down to rehydrate. We had some time to kill and so we sat with our tuk tuk driver, adding to his dictionary of English phrases and Cockney rhyming slang while he showed us some tricks he had learnt from other tourists.

Our last stop was just down the road at the bat cave. We were driven down in good time to get a good seat to watch the popular daily spectacle of millions of bats emerging from their cave at dusk for a night of feeding. Promptly at 6:30pm a stream of bats started to emerge. It was a really amazing sight and they just didn't stop coming. We were there for about half an hour watching the continuous flow, all of the bats heading out together along the same path. Apparently they keep that up for about an hour. I have no idea how they organise the departure from the cave, whether they form a queue or if they have their own allotted time slot, but it was really amazing. As the evening set in we were driven back to Battambang and dropped in town to pick up some food. We had an early start for the bus to Siem Reap the next day and so after a couple of (pretty grinding) games of pool and a bite to eat it was back to the hotel for showers, packing and bed!

After about four hours on the bus the next morning, we were greeted by a local tuk tuk driver holding a sign "Welcome Nick Adams, Cheap as Chips". Our tuk tuk driver from the previous day had offered the services of his friend in Siem Reap and primed his friend with one of the new phrases that we'd taught him! Pleasantly surprised that he was there and amused by his sign he took us to our hotel and we arranged to meet him for a tour the following day. Angkor Wat, here we come!

---

Comments

[Jean Adams]

Bats about bats
Loved your latest blog about the bats. Must have been quite a sight and loved your analysis Sarah about the orderly queues! That really promoted some amusing images in my (in bed) brain!! Tuk tuk train sounds slightly scary, but laughed out loud reading about the meeting of trains! Do all the passengers muck in and help?? Can you imagine 'elf and safety here?? SO funny. Continue to enjoy and relay your experiences. You have a very appreciative audience here. And yes, the baby is gorgeous!!XXXX

[Nick and Sarah]

'Elf and Safety
Haha, your comment reminded me: we saw a poster advertising the bamboo train in Battambang, which proudly announced that it "breaches EVERY US and European rail regulation" or something like that! Not sure about that but it was certainly a bit juddery! Xxx