Another Cambodia (in Battambang)

After two nights spent in crazy Siam Reap, we needed to see some other places closer to “real life”.  We took the boat on Sangkae River that links Siam Reap with Battambang and which is considered the most scenic boat trip in Cambodia. Frankly speaking, I have seen better but it was a good opportunity to see a little bit of local life on the floating villages by the river. The boat trip takes 8 to 9 hours during the dry season.

The city centre is small and one can visit it quickly. There are some colonial houses and French shops which give some color on the streets. Actually Battambang is home to some of the best preserved French colonial architecture in the country.

The following day, we decided to try Battambang’s most famous attraction: the bamboo train. This is a motorized frame 2,5 x 4 m covered by bamboo which uses the old French railways to go through rice fields. The maximum speed is 15km /h and it is a funny rail journey. The only inconvenient is that this bamboo train goes through a single line track so when 2 bamboo trains meet, one of them must be disassembled and put beside the tracks. The golden rule: the one with more passengers stays 🙂

In the afternoon, we took a bus back to Siam Reap.