A jewel in original colonial architecture style

Battambang is a sleepy little town that most tourists skip on their itineraries. Everything goes a beat slower, ideal for relaxing a little bit. The center of the town is kept in a great colonial architecture from the early 20th century. Here you can still experience a piece of authentic Cambodia. Although Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia with over 180’000 inhabitants, very few tourists make the detour here. But if you take your time you can enjoy a really beautiful landscape and a very comfortable lifestyle.

Our accommodation in Battambang, the Holiday Guesthouse, is kept simple and plain. We have a room on the 5th floor, so actually on the 3rd floor, because the ground floor is already the 1st floor and the mezzanine from the ground floor to the 1st floor is labeled as the 2nd floor. All a bit confusing, but we have a great view from this height, because most of the houses here have no more than one or at most two upper floors. The room is cleaner than the last one and bigger, just like the bathroom, but the shower is still cold. (A small detail: A water flow heater for hot showers is installed, the shower was unfortunately only connected directly to the water inlet instead of the heating…)

To explore the surroundings of Battambang we rent a motor scooter for one day. Paddy was happy. Mimi, on the back of the scooter, enjoys the landscape. From our point of view the scooter is the ideal way to get around the area around Battambang.

What you can experience in and around Battambang

Bamboo-Train

The most famous “attraction” is probably the Bamboo-Train, called Norry by the Cambodians. This “train” is an approximately 2×3 m platform made of bamboo sticks tied together and placed on two railroad axles. With the help of a small motor, similar to a trolley, this construction then travels a distance of about 8km through the Cambodian landscape. Originally, this construction was used as a means of transport during the rainy season, as getting around on the muddy roads on wheels was rather cumbersome. Today it is primarily a tourist attraction. While we enjoy the train ride, we ask ourselves one or two times why the mini train does not derail all the time. It rumbles and bumps and if you pay attention to the tracks, it’s not really surprising. The rails are bent everywhere and don’t really fit together anymore at the transitions from one rail to the next. If it happens that a train jumps out of the rails, the simple construction is quickly lifted back onto the rails and the ride continues. With about 30km/h and a pleasant wind in your face you can have a great view of the Cambodian landscape. At the end of the track there are a few tourist stands waiting for you and then you go back again.

Da es nur eine Schiene gibt und mehrere solche Bamboo-Trains in beide Richtungen fahren, müssen die Züge ab und an kreuzen. Da gilt die Regel „Der Schwächere gibt nach“. Angewandt auf diese Situation meint das den Bamboo-Train, welcher weniger Passagiere hat und/oder weniger Ware transportiert. Dieser wird abgebaut und überlässt dem entgegenkommenden Bamboo-Train den Vortritt auf der eingleisigen Strecke.

Since there is only one rail and several such bamboo trains go in both directions, the trains have to cross every now and then. There the rule “the weaker one gives way” applies. Applied to this situation this means the Bamboo-Train, which has less passengers and/or transports less goods. This is dismantled and leaves the oncoming Bamboo-Train the right of way on the single-track line.

Meanwhile there should be a regular train connection to Battambang again. Since the Bamboo-Train runs on the same tracks and these have been renovated for the actual train, the journey today is not very bumpy. However, Cambodia plans to expand the train service. How long the Bamboo-Train can and may still run on the same tracks is questionable.

The original Bamboo-Train starts from Ou Dambang to Ou Sralau and costs you 5 dollars (if you want to sit alone on a platform it is 10 dollars). But since the Bamboo-Train is so popular with tourists and had a break during the track renovation, a second track was built. The second track starts in Phnom Banan and was built especially for the Bamboo-Train attraction. For this reason this track looks more like a park.

What is the state of things of the two Bamboo-Train during your stay in Battambang? How did you like the ride? Write us your opinion in a comment.

 Psar Nat

The Psar Nat market is the center of Battambang. Here you can find all kinds of food from vegetables and fruits to meat and fish, as well as all kinds of everyday goods. Around the market there is a lot of hustle and bustle all day long, this is where everyday life takes place. Right next to the market on the banks of the river Sangker, there are food stalls close to each other. Here you can find super tasty local food for almost no money.

Wat Banan

The temple was built on a small mountain. There is a seemingly endless staircase with more than 300 steps up the mountain. Quite exhausting at temperatures of 38 degrees and more. The entrance fee to get up the mountain costs you 2 dollars. Of course the small temple is not comparable with big temples like Angkor Wat but from our point of view it is still worth a visit.

After the descent we discover on the right side of the stairs (if you are coming from above) an A4 paper with “Cave 350m” written by hand, curious as we are, we follow the sign. Somehow we end up in the middle of nowhere, far away from all the trouble around the temple. After a good three times 350m we actually reach the cave. In front of the entrance there are two elderly men, one of whom leads us into the cave. After the narrow entrance we are surprised by relatively large cavities inside. If you have time it is worth the detour, especially since the way to the cave is already a little adventure.

Phnom Sampeau

You can see the mountain Phnom Sampeau from far away, not only because Cambodia is usually very flat in this region, but also because on the top there is a golden pagoda glittering in the sunlight. Again, the entrance fee is 2 dollars and again many, many steps lead up to the pagoda, with the difference that the steps here are much steeper and you are at least quickly at the top.

On the Phnom Sampeau there is a rather gloomy atmosphere. About half way up there are huge crevices called “Killing Caves”. During the reign of the Khmer Rouge countless victims were pushed into the crevices and left to certain death. Even today, the bones of the victims are stacked in wire racks and remembered.

When you reach the top, you have a magnificent view of the landscape around Battambang.

The mountain is inhabited by numerous monkeys besides the monks. Cheeky monkeys who are after everything edible they can find.

Bat Cave

At the foot of the Phnom Sampeau the next adventure awaits us. At dusk millions of bats are supposed to fly out of a big cave at the side of the Phnom Sampeau, every day. We are not the only tourists who have heard about it and since it is no longer an insider tip, the Cambodians have also started to profit from the attraction. The roadside is lined with small cafes, all of which are seated towards the mountain, almost like in a cinema.

Thirsty from the ascent and descent, we also sat down in one of the cafes, ordered a cool Angkor beer and waited for dusk. And indeed, as soon as it’s dark, more and more bats fly out of the cave, until they appear like a big black river that doesn’t seem to leave. Really an impressive spectacle. We are told that there are over three million bats that fly out of the cave every evening to search for food. And that is a huge luck for the agriculture in the Battambangs region. A bat eats up to three times its own body weight in insects. Which in turn keeps the plants free from the pests.

Circus Phare Ponleu Selpak

The circus is rather a circhildren acus school (Akademie Phare Ponleu Selpak) for children and young people to get them off the streets and give them an education. It also supports young artists in Cambodia. In Siem Reap there is then the “real” circus, where the trained students from the circus in Battambang have the opportunity to work after their education. The show is designed with a lot of humor and talent, so that the young artists cast a spell over us from the very first minutes. The entrance fee is 14 dollars. A really great experience with which you also support a great project, almost 75% of the entrance fee goes directly to the school, so the courses can be offered for free!

How to get to Battambang

Bus

From Siem Reap there is a bus to Battambang almost every hour. The trip takes between 3 and 3.5 hours and costs +/- 8 dollars.
From Phnom Penh there are also several bus connections daily. The trip takes about 6 hours and costs about 12-14 dollars.
Attention, as soon as you arrive in the city by bus you will be besieged by Tuk-Tuk drivers. They are already running after the bus when it arrives and you will not even have gotten off the bus completely before they try to grab your attention.

Ship

There is a daily boat connection between Siem Reap and Battambang. The trip takes about 3 hours and will cost you 20 dollars.
Especially in the dry season, however, you can expect long delays or even cancellations.

Train

Since 2018 there is a train connection (here you find the connections) between Phnom Penh and Battambang. However, at the moment it only runs once a week, on Saturday.

The trip takes almost 8 hours and costs 5 dollars.