Battambang - Best for Kids!
Of course, like everyone else who goes to Cambodia, we went to Siem Reap and saw Angor Wat. I love the fact that now, when the kids learn about Notre Dame in Paris, they will think, "ah, that was about the same time Angor Wat was built" rather than vice versa. We had a lovely time scrambling about the ruins of some outer temples off the tourist trail and Siem Reap itself is a beautiful, serene town right in the sweet spot of western comfort and eastern exoticism.
But the place that most surprised us was the little town of Battambang. From Nori train to the abandoned pepsi factory, we had so much fun in this little town. Architecturally it isn’t anything special, neither does it have any traditional charm or up to date comfort. And it has no grand Wats or temples. But it is a great base for noodling around and hopefully basking in the warmth of the Cambodian people's smiles and welcome.
But the place that most surprised us was the little town of Battambang. From Nori train to the abandoned pepsi factory, we had so much fun in this little town. Architecturally it isn’t anything special, neither does it have any traditional charm or up to date comfort. And it has no grand Wats or temples. But it is a great base for noodling around and hopefully basking in the warmth of the Cambodian people's smiles and welcome.
The first secret is arrive by boat, not bus, not car. We took the slow boat from Siem Reap across the Tonle Lake and it was slow - 7 hours. Since the depth and width of the lake changes with the rains whole villages are made from houses that float on the water, moving with the currents, a long boat tied up next to every front door. Small gardens and even pig pens float near by. We passed villages on stilts and floating houses, fishermen, overstuffed boat taxis and children paddling tiny crafts home from school and in general gorgeous landscapes.
This was our boat filling up with Farangs. It was surprisingly comfortable with cushions on the wooden bench seats. The open sides provided a constant fresh breeze and unlimited view. About halfway through the kids went and laid our on the front deck for the rest of the ride.
This was our driver. No, actually, he was the captain’s son helping out while his dad maneuvered the landing. But they definitely start em young here. We saw a lot of very young kids fishing as we passed by.
Once you finally do arrive in Battambang, any guest house or hotel you stay at can organize a visit to the Battambang railroad. This is a tiny track maybe only six kilometers long that you ride on with a bamboo raft. The locals used to use this for bringing produce to market but it is so much more valuable as a tourist destination that now the only ones riding the rails are westerners. You ride on what is essentially a bamboo raft of two sets of wheels called a Norry. I had the idea that it would be sort of like those push things you see in old silent movies where two men pump up and down and the raft moves down the track. So I was completely unprepared for how fast it went! It zooms along that track! The kids absolutely loved it, more than any roller coaster ride we’ve been on.
The other added attraction was that whenever another norry came from the opposite direction the one with fewer people has to stop, dismantle their equipment and move aside. Since we were starting off with 6 people the only time we had get off was when two norries met us at the same time.
Up to the end of the line, stop and have a drink (maybe buy a souvenir from the hopefully positioned warangs there) and back the way you came. It only takes an hour or so but it was hilarious and fun the entire way.
We had our snack at at this little girl's mom's stand. While the girls were smiling at each other she quickly wove some grass together into rings which she gave them as gifts. They spent the better part of our rest stop comparing origami skills. Seeing how easily kids connect despite any language or culture barriers is definitely one of the best part of traveling with children.
We had our snack at at this little girl's mom's stand. While the girls were smiling at each other she quickly wove some grass together into rings which she gave them as gifts. They spent the better part of our rest stop comparing origami skills. Seeing how easily kids connect despite any language or culture barriers is definitely one of the best part of traveling with children.
One thing we had been noticing in Cambodia was that women and children tended to wear pajamas as day clothes. At first we thought it was only one or two people who maybe had just not bothered to change but we kept seeing them and seeing them. At the bamboo train stop and the markets everyone was wearing them and we finally had to admit this was a bizarre but legitimate sartorial style.
We spent only a few days in this little town but we did a lot. We learned how rice wrappers like the ones used for spring rolls get their criss cross designs - from the bamboo frames they are dried on.
We visited an eerie old Pepsi factory, defunct since the Khmer Rouge marched in 60 years ago. Obviously most of the equipment had been carted off years ago so I couldn’t understand why in all those years nobody had thought of a use for all the unused pepsi bottles.
One of our favorite things was going to the circus, This is a small circus school that originated in a Cambodian refugee camp on the Thai border. Now they educate and support 86 street children, teaching them not only acrobatics but also traditional Cambodian music and art.
Overall we came to some general conclusions -
The food in Cambodia is so good. So, so, so good. We took two cooking classes, one in Siem Reap and one in Battambang and still wanted more. We decided Cambodian sticky rice was the best in South East Asia. They cook it with coconut rice and red beans in bamboo tubes and it is just slightly sweeter and moister than that found in Thailand or Laos.
The food in Cambodia is so good. So, so, so good. We took two cooking classes, one in Siem Reap and one in Battambang and still wanted more. We decided Cambodian sticky rice was the best in South East Asia. They cook it with coconut rice and red beans in bamboo tubes and it is just slightly sweeter and moister than that found in Thailand or Laos.
Furthermore, their Tuk Tuks totally rock. They are the rolls royces of Tuk Tuks - large, luxurious with ample soft seats for six. No other place before or since had lived up to this conveyance for comfort or price.
Cambodia hewed to our philosophy of keep your expectations low and be pleasantly surprised. We had had high, high expectations for Angor Wat (who doesn’t?). Billed as one of the major wonders of the world it was a must see. But once we got there it was no more or less interesting than Notre Dame or the Empire State Building. Far more atmospheric and touching were the ones not completely restored like Ta Prohm or Beng Meale. Bayon (the one with the heads) was completely overrun by tourists although we did like the very sweet dance troupe that had figured out there was money to be made posing for photos.
On the other hand we had not really thought much about the bamboo train as a destination but it ended up being one of our favorite experiences of the whole trip. We took a chance and decided to visit some small temples way out of town that barely rated a paragraph in Lonely Planet. Not only were we the only people there but they were still in a romantic state of tumbledown decay which meant we could all scramble over rocks and release our inner Indiana Jones.
We spent too little time in Cambodia - I would love to go to Kep and try their pepper crab or to the wild northeast where there is very little tourist infrastructure. But I guess that will just have to wait till next time. It only took 14 years to get back to this area after the last time right?
Cambodia is right now in the perfect sweet spot for independent travelers. Perfectly easy to get around on your own; you can still just show up somewhere and find accommodation and guides without having to book ahead. Yet the beds are large and the pillows soft so they have learned the demands of Western tourists. Their history of French colonialism has given their Asian cuisine an added fillip of sophistication and zest. Most importantly, the people still seems excited to see you and aren't yet treating you as a walking pocket book.
Cambodia is right now in the perfect sweet spot for independent travelers. Perfectly easy to get around on your own; you can still just show up somewhere and find accommodation and guides without having to book ahead. Yet the beds are large and the pillows soft so they have learned the demands of Western tourists. Their history of French colonialism has given their Asian cuisine an added fillip of sophistication and zest. Most importantly, the people still seems excited to see you and aren't yet treating you as a walking pocket book.
We are already planning our next destinations. We know we want to take the Transiberian Express train across Russia, Mongolia and China. We have also been convinced that we really do want to do a photo safari across Africa (though still haven’t figured out who is going to pay for that!). I would like to see Alaska before anymore glaciers melt. And we haven’t even gotten to South America yet. We may like it so much we want to visit all the countries there! Suffice to say, in the best of all possible worlds we would take off for a two month trip the moment the kids get out of school every year. But with a son who insists on going to camp, with an eldest who will probably be picking up internships or “real jobs” during the summer and with two others with who knows what interests, sports or community service required during the summer break who knows how viable this pipe dream really is. Even though it is amazing to see all the places we’ve seen and learned all the things that we’ve learned. The most amazing part has just been having this time together.
