I am a little sad to be leaving Siem Reap, but given that this has been my first taste of Cambodia, I am excited to see what the rest of this magical country has to offer. Siem Reap is what it is; a busy, bustling, tourist trap, but I have loved it nonetheless, and will probably make a stopover there again before I wrap up my time in Cambodia.
Thankfully I am not leaving Siem Reap alone either- I have my Spanish travel pal David to hang out with for the rest of my stay here. Which is a blessing really, because some of the bizarre hinterland places that we stumble across are so quiet and rural that having someone to talk to is a novelty.
Our first stop is Battambang, a really 'local'city devoid of the westernisation of Siem Reap, and a place which is largely neglected by most backpackers. Upon arrival it is easy to see why; there is no city centre as such; no focal point to the town. Instead, we are met with wide dusty streets, market stalls and little else. Not even that many people. In fact, I'm almost incredulous to learn that Battambang is one of the largest cities in Cambodia.
Undeterred, we exit the bus and are met with the standard flurry of tuk-tuk drivers jostling to pick up whatever human traffic they can. Most of them, as usual, offer to take us to our desired accommodation for free so long as we throw a little business their way in the coming days. Usually I am skeptical about such ploys, but given that Battambang is so spread out, and that most of the main "attractions" are definitely not within a walking distance, this doesnt seem like such a bad deal. There aren't exactly a wealth of places to stay, so we settle on our 2nd choice (while looking around the first place, I fall down a flight of stairs and have to leave out of utter shame), the centrally located Tomato Guesthouse. At $1.50 (approx £0.90!) each per night for a double ensuite, I definitely can't complain! And of course, we arrange a tuk-tuk trip for the following day, in the hope that we can see a little of the real Cambodia.
Ok, so it's no buzzing metropolis, but Battambang really does have some old-world, sleepy charm that is quite enchanting. Our first stop on the tuk-tuk tour is a small winery, about 30 minutes drive from the centre of town. There isn't really much to see, but lets face it, we only came here for the wine-tasting at the end. I won't be betraying a Rioja or Malbec any time soon, but for a tiny vineyard in the sticks in Cambodia, I am pleasantly surprised. The enterprise alone is enough to merit buying a few glasses of not-quite-mature-enough red, or the eye-wateringly potent brandy.
Next stop is the (ahem) "famous" Bamboo train, a must-visit attraction in the town. Basically, it's a small bamboo platform that sits atopsome rickety old tracksand whizzes through the countryside, totally open air. For $5, it's a cheap and fairly unique way to see a little rural Cambodia. Just bring something comfortable to sit on - it's a rickety and bumpy ride, and bruising is more than likely!
Our final destination in Battambang is one that would make even David Attenborough jealous. Just 20 minutes outside of town and more-or-less adjacent to a former Khmer genocide site, there is a large rock-face with a convealed cave which is home to (allegedly) more than 2 million bats. And astonishingly, every night around 6 pm, these bats begin to fly out of the cave in one of the most incredible feats of natural phenomena that I have ever seen. It starts with one bat, and then steadily increases until there is what I can only describe as a long thin swarm flying out of the cave, all blithely following one another, in thier evening search for food. The whole "show" last about 15 minutes, and given that Battambang isn't particularly a tourist hub, there are only really a handful of binocular-clad anoraks there to witness this speactacle. I am completely awe-struck, and definitely glad that we stopped off here before out foray in the frantic, manic city of Phnom Penh.
The next morning (after picking the ants our of our backpacks...grrr), we board the bus to Phnom Penh, both ready for some city action again. 6 hours of break-neck driving later and we arrive in the city, a vast, sprawling urban landscape. A little tuk-tuk negotiation later and we arrive at the one of the cheaper hostels we have come across, The White River. At $8 per night, it is pretty much half the price of other similar standard accommodation that we have found, and also located in the "backpacker district" - a tangle of streets clustered next to the city's river.
Phnom Penh is not for the faint-hearted. It's seriously vast, very busy and verging on a little bit seedy. The main reason that people stop off here is to visit The Killing Fields and the S21 Genocide Museum; 2 brutally sad but important Khmer Rouge legacies. But before we venture out on a day of genocide tourism (inevitable), we decide on explore the city a little. It's different to Cambodia that I have seen so far; gone are the dirt roads and bicylces, and instead there are colossal American trucks, luxury hotels, high-end restaurants and fancy boutiques. This city, on the face of it at least, is modern, rich and rapidly developing. Perhaps with the end of the old regime, a middle class has emerged here who can afford the lifestyle that Phnom Penh offers.
Of course there is still poverty, but this is different to the rural, agrarian poverty that exists elsewhere. The poverty in the city is almost more heartbreaking; children pound the streets selling books on a genocide that their families lived through, young mothers push their babies in the faces of tourists at street-side bars, hoping for a dollar or two, and young boys, girls and ladyboys alike frequent the myriad bars that essentially sell sex to foreign tourists, who come to Cambodia for widespread availability of young, cheap and willing prostitutes. There are girls walking about here who look no older than 14 or 15, holding hands with old western men who are no-doubt paying for the pleasure. It's difficult to reoncile my feelings of love for this country, with my overarching guilt at essentially being a "genocide tourist"; a complicit voyeur in sex tourism.
The Killing Fields, or Choeung Ek in Khmer, is about 15 minutes outside of the city and bizarrely located right next to the Angkor Beer Factory. Although not exactly an enjoyable day out, this open-air museum is one of the most worthwhile excursions I have ever made, in Asia or otherwise. The entrance fee is a tiny $5, and for this you are given a headset, with facts, information and a wealth of real stories,survivor tales, poems and music, all connnected to Choeung Ek. The atmosphere here is still very raw,and smiliar to that of Auschwitz or Sachsenhausen; numb and haunting. The fact that the events of the Killing Fields are such recent history certainly only stands to exacerbate the heightened atmospehere here. During periods of heavy rainfall, buried bones and clothes are still ocassionally washed to the surface, such is the recency of this genocide. Perhaps one of the most emotive sections to the Killing Fields is the so-called "Baby Tree," essentailly a tree where young babies were thrown against to be killed. And of course, the memorial stupa at the end filled with over 9000 skulls of prisoners. The Killing Fields really is a humbling place; a place where genocide was not effiicient or organised like the Nazi concentration camps, but instead sporadic, disorganised and brutal. Weapons were not guns or grenades, but instead agriculural tools and shaperned tree leaves. Not that this is any better or worse, of course. Just different.
Bizarrely, when we meet our tuk-tuk driver to return to the city following our visit there, he suggests that we might like to finish off our day witha trip to the shooting range. Ok, so no-one was actually shot at the Killing Fields, but the incongruity of these two excurions; and the irony of this is certainly not lost on me.
We finish our intense afternoon with a visit to the S21 Genocide Museum, a school-turned-prison/interrogation centre/torture centre for victims of Pol Pot's regime. It's an eerie place; empty rooms with scratches on the walls, or only a single tiny iron bed rusting away in the corner. It still feels very "real", as though it has been frozen in time actually. Truly harrowing.
Back in the city centre, we decide that it's a must do to sample a bit of the local nightlife, so along with 2 other guys that we meet in a backstreet, me and David head to Pontoon - allegedly the best nightclub in Phnom Penh. It's a strange mix of locals and foreigners alike, and there are more ladyboys strutting around the dance floor that you can shake a stick at. To be a bystander in the action here is pretty interesting, particularly as there are so many young Cambodian girls desperately vying for the attention of Western men. A heady mix of hilarious and tragic.
The following day we will leave Phnom Pehn, bound for the southern Cambodian coast. I've absorbed about as much cuture as I can take in the past 10 ten days, and am rather looking forward to finding a paradise beach and reading for a few days. The tough life of a gyspy nomad...
BATTAMBANG
Where to Stay: Tomato Guest House. Prices start from about $3 per room per night. Alternatively, the owners sometimes give roof space for sleeping, at the bargain price of $1.
Where to Eat: There are a wealth of little stalls set along the river front, selling everything from noodles to filled baguettes. For around $1, you can eat well. Alternatively, head to any one of the NGO cafes dotted around the town - stuff your face and it's all for a good cause/.
What to Do: Negotiate a tuk-tuk to take you on a tour around the town. For anything between $8 to $15 per day (haggle hard!) a tuk tuk will take you to the Banan Vineyard, The Bamboo Train, The Bat Caves and the Killing Caves. A trip on the bamboo train will set you back $5, and the bat caves are free.
Getting There: Buses run frequently from Siem Reap and Phnom Pehn. Prices are generally around $5.
PHNOM PENH
Where to Stay: White River Guest House. Double rooms for about $8 per night. This is pretty much the cheapest accommodation that we found in the backpacker area of town!
Where to Eat: Phnom Penh has something for every budget and taste. You can eat on the street for a dollar, or visit any one the vast number of restaurants on the town. Friends, an NGO tapas place, is perenially busy and serves up delicious tapas dishes. Be prepared to queue!
What to See: Obviously The Killing Fields ($5) and the S21 Museum ($2) are the must see sights in the Phnom Penh. There are a wealth of beautiful palaces dotted around town too, and the wide street along Sisowath Quay is lovely to walk along and people watch. There are heaps of lovely bars along the water to take in a sunset with a beer. And even better, beers start at around $0.50 per pint. Perfect!
Thankfully I am not leaving Siem Reap alone either- I have my Spanish travel pal David to hang out with for the rest of my stay here. Which is a blessing really, because some of the bizarre hinterland places that we stumble across are so quiet and rural that having someone to talk to is a novelty.
Our first stop is Battambang, a really 'local'city devoid of the westernisation of Siem Reap, and a place which is largely neglected by most backpackers. Upon arrival it is easy to see why; there is no city centre as such; no focal point to the town. Instead, we are met with wide dusty streets, market stalls and little else. Not even that many people. In fact, I'm almost incredulous to learn that Battambang is one of the largest cities in Cambodia.
Undeterred, we exit the bus and are met with the standard flurry of tuk-tuk drivers jostling to pick up whatever human traffic they can. Most of them, as usual, offer to take us to our desired accommodation for free so long as we throw a little business their way in the coming days. Usually I am skeptical about such ploys, but given that Battambang is so spread out, and that most of the main "attractions" are definitely not within a walking distance, this doesnt seem like such a bad deal. There aren't exactly a wealth of places to stay, so we settle on our 2nd choice (while looking around the first place, I fall down a flight of stairs and have to leave out of utter shame), the centrally located Tomato Guesthouse. At $1.50 (approx £0.90!) each per night for a double ensuite, I definitely can't complain! And of course, we arrange a tuk-tuk trip for the following day, in the hope that we can see a little of the real Cambodia.
Ok, so it's no buzzing metropolis, but Battambang really does have some old-world, sleepy charm that is quite enchanting. Our first stop on the tuk-tuk tour is a small winery, about 30 minutes drive from the centre of town. There isn't really much to see, but lets face it, we only came here for the wine-tasting at the end. I won't be betraying a Rioja or Malbec any time soon, but for a tiny vineyard in the sticks in Cambodia, I am pleasantly surprised. The enterprise alone is enough to merit buying a few glasses of not-quite-mature-enough red, or the eye-wateringly potent brandy.
Our final destination in Battambang is one that would make even David Attenborough jealous. Just 20 minutes outside of town and more-or-less adjacent to a former Khmer genocide site, there is a large rock-face with a convealed cave which is home to (allegedly) more than 2 million bats. And astonishingly, every night around 6 pm, these bats begin to fly out of the cave in one of the most incredible feats of natural phenomena that I have ever seen. It starts with one bat, and then steadily increases until there is what I can only describe as a long thin swarm flying out of the cave, all blithely following one another, in thier evening search for food. The whole "show" last about 15 minutes, and given that Battambang isn't particularly a tourist hub, there are only really a handful of binocular-clad anoraks there to witness this speactacle. I am completely awe-struck, and definitely glad that we stopped off here before out foray in the frantic, manic city of Phnom Penh.
The next morning (after picking the ants our of our backpacks...grrr), we board the bus to Phnom Penh, both ready for some city action again. 6 hours of break-neck driving later and we arrive in the city, a vast, sprawling urban landscape. A little tuk-tuk negotiation later and we arrive at the one of the cheaper hostels we have come across, The White River. At $8 per night, it is pretty much half the price of other similar standard accommodation that we have found, and also located in the "backpacker district" - a tangle of streets clustered next to the city's river.
Phnom Penh is not for the faint-hearted. It's seriously vast, very busy and verging on a little bit seedy. The main reason that people stop off here is to visit The Killing Fields and the S21 Genocide Museum; 2 brutally sad but important Khmer Rouge legacies. But before we venture out on a day of genocide tourism (inevitable), we decide on explore the city a little. It's different to Cambodia that I have seen so far; gone are the dirt roads and bicylces, and instead there are colossal American trucks, luxury hotels, high-end restaurants and fancy boutiques. This city, on the face of it at least, is modern, rich and rapidly developing. Perhaps with the end of the old regime, a middle class has emerged here who can afford the lifestyle that Phnom Penh offers.
Of course there is still poverty, but this is different to the rural, agrarian poverty that exists elsewhere. The poverty in the city is almost more heartbreaking; children pound the streets selling books on a genocide that their families lived through, young mothers push their babies in the faces of tourists at street-side bars, hoping for a dollar or two, and young boys, girls and ladyboys alike frequent the myriad bars that essentially sell sex to foreign tourists, who come to Cambodia for widespread availability of young, cheap and willing prostitutes. There are girls walking about here who look no older than 14 or 15, holding hands with old western men who are no-doubt paying for the pleasure. It's difficult to reoncile my feelings of love for this country, with my overarching guilt at essentially being a "genocide tourist"; a complicit voyeur in sex tourism.
The Killing Fields, or Choeung Ek in Khmer, is about 15 minutes outside of the city and bizarrely located right next to the Angkor Beer Factory. Although not exactly an enjoyable day out, this open-air museum is one of the most worthwhile excursions I have ever made, in Asia or otherwise. The entrance fee is a tiny $5, and for this you are given a headset, with facts, information and a wealth of real stories,survivor tales, poems and music, all connnected to Choeung Ek. The atmosphere here is still very raw,and smiliar to that of Auschwitz or Sachsenhausen; numb and haunting. The fact that the events of the Killing Fields are such recent history certainly only stands to exacerbate the heightened atmospehere here. During periods of heavy rainfall, buried bones and clothes are still ocassionally washed to the surface, such is the recency of this genocide. Perhaps one of the most emotive sections to the Killing Fields is the so-called "Baby Tree," essentailly a tree where young babies were thrown against to be killed. And of course, the memorial stupa at the end filled with over 9000 skulls of prisoners. The Killing Fields really is a humbling place; a place where genocide was not effiicient or organised like the Nazi concentration camps, but instead sporadic, disorganised and brutal. Weapons were not guns or grenades, but instead agriculural tools and shaperned tree leaves. Not that this is any better or worse, of course. Just different.
Bizarrely, when we meet our tuk-tuk driver to return to the city following our visit there, he suggests that we might like to finish off our day witha trip to the shooting range. Ok, so no-one was actually shot at the Killing Fields, but the incongruity of these two excurions; and the irony of this is certainly not lost on me.
We finish our intense afternoon with a visit to the S21 Genocide Museum, a school-turned-prison/interrogation centre/torture centre for victims of Pol Pot's regime. It's an eerie place; empty rooms with scratches on the walls, or only a single tiny iron bed rusting away in the corner. It still feels very "real", as though it has been frozen in time actually. Truly harrowing.
Back in the city centre, we decide that it's a must do to sample a bit of the local nightlife, so along with 2 other guys that we meet in a backstreet, me and David head to Pontoon - allegedly the best nightclub in Phnom Penh. It's a strange mix of locals and foreigners alike, and there are more ladyboys strutting around the dance floor that you can shake a stick at. To be a bystander in the action here is pretty interesting, particularly as there are so many young Cambodian girls desperately vying for the attention of Western men. A heady mix of hilarious and tragic.
The following day we will leave Phnom Pehn, bound for the southern Cambodian coast. I've absorbed about as much cuture as I can take in the past 10 ten days, and am rather looking forward to finding a paradise beach and reading for a few days. The tough life of a gyspy nomad...
BATTAMBANG
Where to Stay: Tomato Guest House. Prices start from about $3 per room per night. Alternatively, the owners sometimes give roof space for sleeping, at the bargain price of $1.
Where to Eat: There are a wealth of little stalls set along the river front, selling everything from noodles to filled baguettes. For around $1, you can eat well. Alternatively, head to any one of the NGO cafes dotted around the town - stuff your face and it's all for a good cause/.
What to Do: Negotiate a tuk-tuk to take you on a tour around the town. For anything between $8 to $15 per day (haggle hard!) a tuk tuk will take you to the Banan Vineyard, The Bamboo Train, The Bat Caves and the Killing Caves. A trip on the bamboo train will set you back $5, and the bat caves are free.
Getting There: Buses run frequently from Siem Reap and Phnom Pehn. Prices are generally around $5.
PHNOM PENH
Where to Stay: White River Guest House. Double rooms for about $8 per night. This is pretty much the cheapest accommodation that we found in the backpacker area of town!
Where to Eat: Phnom Penh has something for every budget and taste. You can eat on the street for a dollar, or visit any one the vast number of restaurants on the town. Friends, an NGO tapas place, is perenially busy and serves up delicious tapas dishes. Be prepared to queue!
What to See: Obviously The Killing Fields ($5) and the S21 Museum ($2) are the must see sights in the Phnom Penh. There are a wealth of beautiful palaces dotted around town too, and the wide street along Sisowath Quay is lovely to walk along and people watch. There are heaps of lovely bars along the water to take in a sunset with a beer. And even better, beers start at around $0.50 per pint. Perfect!
Good stuff. Thanks
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