Cambodia part 2

Last time we promised to tell you more about Battambang, so that's what we are going to do.

Battambang
In the following days we booked a tuktuk-driver to see the surroundings of Battambang. Our first stop was the giant black Buddha (see picture), which was on the way to the bamboo train. The bamboo train was something special: four wheels, one platform, one motor (sort of), one driver, and some tourists to pay the bill (us). We drove through the beautiful countryside and stopped near a small hut next to a clay factory. The children showed us around the factory and tried to sell us some Khmer scarfs and drinks. In addition they were eager to learn English from the tourists. On the way back we encountered some other tourists that were on the way to the factory which is a problem because there is only one railway. The rule is that the one who is the lightest needs to get off the rail and dismount there so called train (in this case it was our train). When the other trains had passed we had to assemble our train again to continue our journey back. When we got back our tuktuk driver was waiting for us to bring us to our next stop: The "biggest" wine garden in Cambodia. Since there was not much to see we took some pictures and left for a famous snack called: bamboo sticky rice (bamboo filled with rice, coconut milk and beans steamed above a fire). Quite nice and really heavy on the stomach. Back on the road again the tuktuk driver (who loves to eat spider, bat, mouse, frog, snake and dog...) took us to a temple that is supposed to be older than Angkor Wat. Located on top of a hill (about 1052 steps to the top in the heat of the day...) it was impressive and had some nice views of the surroundings. Last but not least we arrived at the killing caves. These caves were used by the Khmer rouge to kill more than thousands of people. There were three different caves: one for the elderly, one for the women and one for the babies. Buried in the caves there were skulls and other human remains: horrible to see. After this impressive tour we called it a day.

The rest of our time in Battambang we spend in cafes and restaurants planning our trip to Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh
After a sweaty bus ride (we think only the driver had a/c) we arrived in 'The pearl of Asia' Phnom Penh. Again a city with big contrasts but it has a mellow vibe. On the one hand you'll see a well maintained boulevard full of Lexuses and on the other hand extreme poverty and pollution (it seems normal to throw all your garbage on the road and not having to clean up the mess).

On the second day we met Gert (Floor her father) and Natalie for some cold beers on a way too luxurious rooftop terrace (definitely no backpackers hotel). Because they were on a holiday and had planned there entire journey, we joined them the up coming days in their private tour (incl. a tourguide, driver, minivan and free cold water). For us this really felt like a holiday aswell.
The first tour day started with a visit to Wat Phnom a temple located in the center of Phnom Penh on a small man made hill. After this visit we drove (with our private driver) to the grand palace. The visit was interesting because our tourguide was explaining everything about Cambodia and the royal family. After this visit it was time to go to the killing fields. The fields were located a little outside of Phnom Penh. Here you could see the mass graves still filled with bones and in the center a memorial building where you can pay your respect to the dead. After this impressive visit it was time for lunch break. Our tourguide brought us to a really nice (luxurious) restaurant serving good Khmer food. After our lunch break it was time for our last item on the tour: tong sleng museum. This museum was once a high school that in the time of the Khmer rouge was turned into a prison. Again impressive to hear the stories about the horrible things that happened here.
We ended the intensive day at a local restaurant with great food, cheap beer and free hair washing (including a nice head massage).
The following day our private driver picked us up at our guesthouse to bring us to Gert & Natalie. Together we went to Wat Oudong: a temple holding a big Buddha on top of a hill. This Buddha was build by the Chinese. The legend tells us that this mountain was inhabited by a dragon who would bring prosper and wealth to the Cambodians if it comes out. To prevent this from happening, the Chinese build the giant Buddha on top of the only exit of the dragon. In addition to this Buddha, all former kings were buried on top of this hill. From this hilltop you had nice views over the countryside and a big Buddhist campus. What comes up, must come down so we went to the Buddhist campus. After some blessing words of a monk, we went back to the city to end our tour. Since we had the rest of the day for ourselves, we decided to go to the cinema! The only available movie at that time happened to be Battleship: quite a good movie! We had a great time and finished the day again with a nice meal at the night market.

Again, it was time to say goodbye to Gert & Natalie and to return to our backpacker life. That's when we went to Sihanouk Ville.

Sihanouk Ville
A nice, but very touristy, village at the beach. Here it was time for some relaxing days, doing nothing until we decided to go to Bamboo Island (to do nothing, but now without the overload of tourists). This island was absolutely amazing: perfect beach, nice weather, blue sea and a bamboo hut with a hammock at the beach. The island is run by stoned and drunk Western guys (wannabe hippies) creating a very mellow vibe (perfect to do nothing). Although the island was nice we had no real connection with the people living there except for a nice couple we met on the boat. Without the luxury of electricity, hot water, clean rooms and a private bathroom, it was good for 2 days. Back at the mainland, we are enjoying our earned luxury (clean room, nice bed, private bathroom and hot shower) unless the power fails (which happens a lot). During this power cut, the shower turns cold and than the pressure drops resulting in an 'air' shower (no water). However, we are enjoying ourselves.

Byebye, kisskiss, love
Floor & Rob

PS. A new link to some photos, the internet connection is really slow, so the rest of the photos will come.

https://picasaweb.google.com/floor.v.wakeren/CambodiaBattambangFirstPartOfPhnomPenh?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOetr6-Vrryp7QE&feat=directlink