Last week we left you wondering whether
we were pushed or did we jump into the pool - neither (as you had probably
guessed - far too sensible!!!), but we did have an extraordinary adventure in
Battambang (pronounced ‘Battambong’), which was our last city before crossing
the border into Thailand.
Battambang is the home town of our tour
guide, Jay - it was lovely to see his joy at being back in his 'happy hunting
ground'! He knew all the best places to
eat and little alleyways to nip down to see the 'real' life.
Battambang suffered much the same as
the rest of the country under the Khmer Rouge - the city was evacuated as the
population was moved to the countryside where many people died. The city was
liberated by the Vietnamese a week after the fall of Phnom Penh on 13th January
1979, but the Khmer Rouge continued to fight on in the north west of the
province only suspending hostilities in 1996. During this period the city was
off limits to most visitors as it was on the front line in the war against the
Khmer Rouge. Typically the government forces would push the Khmer Rouge back
towards Pailin in the dry season only to lose most of the gains once the
monsoon rains came.
After 1996 Battambang was at peace for
the first time in decades and experienced some growth. However, it is not until
very recently that tourists have come to the city in any numbers - most of the
minefields have now been cleared (thankfully!!) and the main roads have been
rehabilitated.
Battambang is also famous for its 'Bamboo Train' - we
had no idea what this was, but definitely wanted to go on it. I have to say though, that Ken had visions of
sitting in a nice carriage made of bamboo and sipping a cup of tea as we
rattled gently along a railway line to somewhere!! Sorry Ken, it wasn't quite
as he had expected!! We arrived at the station to find bamboo boards on rollers
(bogies) powered by an outboard motor, 4
cushions for 4 people to sit crossed legged on ( no tea in sight!!) ready to
rock and roll!! We climbed on and off we went speeding through jungle and small
villages - it was incredible, such good fun, exhilarating and completely beyond
the pages of any 'health and safety guide book'!!
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| "Where's the restaurant car? I'm dying for a cup of tea" |
On the journey, we had to suddenly
stop, jump off, lift the bamboo platforms off the bogies as well as taking the
bogies off the tracks, and wait for the oncoming 'trains' to pass, then build
our trains again and head off for our destination, which was a small farming
village. Wow!! Loved it!!
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| Paul and Jay dismantle the train |
The journey back was speedy and without
stops, but we had to make sure we kept our mouths shut as there were many
flying insects and although we had tasted some from the market, this was not a time to be beetle tasting!!
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| Jay helps to put the train back together. No sign of Paul! |
When the road to Phnom Penh was
upgraded, making it a five-hour or so ride, the 16-hour (on a good day) train
services more or less ceased operating, but locals continued to use the
existing tracks for goods and passengers as a means of accessing Battambang
town and its markets from outlying villages. Locals quickly caught on that they
had an excellent, ready-made tourist attraction but plenty of villagers do
still use it.
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| The locals using the train to move goods to the market |
As you arrive in Battambang (‘the City
of the Lost Stick’) there is an enormous statue of a mythical villain now
affectionately known as Ta Dambong (grandfather stick) and revered by locals,
who sometimes place incense at the foot of the large statue.
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| Ta Dumbong with his stick! |
See the link for the full story if you're
interested - could be where our saying 'stick in the mud' comes from? - It' a
good one!
Jay took us to a beautiful temple where the
monks were working, children playing and many, many dogs barking and giving us
a bit of a fright ( never quite sure about stray dogs!! We were all behind you
Helen!!)
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| Kids lazing about in the temple grounds |
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| Monks preparing the vege patch with menacing guard dog! |
Sunday saw us crossing the border of Cambodia and
Thailand and travelling on by bus to Bangkok.
Our last hotel on this tour was lovely, with a swimming
pool and a beautiful room with these pretty swan folded towels - wondered
whether we were in the honeymoon suite and then spotted the 'elephant' towels
in another room - does anyone know where the 'school for folding towels'
is? I would like to enroll!!!! (Well, we have got 4 weeks in Bangkok, and
I'm sure a new skill will come in handy somewhere!)
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| Love is in the air...da da da da da |
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| A sneaky peek revealed other guests had elephant towels |
We celebrated our last night together in the
Roof Top Bar on Khao San Road listening to and singing along with two brilliant
musicians.
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| Brilliant musicians playing golden oldies |
We have now moved to our Airbnb flat - it's
quite a way out of the centre so we are going to be getting to know a new
area. The rail links to the centre are
excellent and we have a nice walk to the station.
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| In Indian speak, this is our 'backside' canal |
Already exploring, we went looking for a recommended
restaurant called Sud Yod Kuay Teow Reua in Boat Noodle Alley where they
apparently sell the best 'Boat Noodles'.
They are porky, rich, full of succulent flavour
and most of all, they are fun to eat.
Boat noodles got their name from originally
being served from boats floating in Bangkok’s former extensive network of
canals.
In Boat Noodle Alley they still stay true to serving
small bite sized bowls of food – a practice that was formerly used so the
noodles wouldn’t spill out of the bowl on the choppy canal. The idea is that
you keep ordering small bowls of noodles and pile the bowls up. When you can't eat any more, the bowls are
counted and you pay for what you have had.
We managed 12 bowls, approx £3 (including two bottles of cola)!!! Some
tables had 20-30 bowls piled up (bigger appetites than us!!). We will be back
for more though.
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| A modest number of bowls this time! |
We have made contact with a group called
'Spotlight' through a church in Bangkok. They are running English conversation
classes for University students.
Yesterday we went to meet 3 of the teachers and some students to join in
their class and see how it is run etc.
We met at a coffee shop and 3 Chinese students joined us (it's holiday
time at the moment so many are away). It was also Buddha's Day yesterday (Buddha’s
birthday), so again some students were off at the temples. We had a lovely time talking with the girls,
sharing our travels and hearing about their lives. We watched part of a movie and used that to
discuss and extend their English language.
It was a good experience and we will definitely be involved in more
classes. In fact, we are in charge of
next Friday's lesson as a couple of the teachers will be away!! (Jumped in at the
deep end I think - a bit of pushing involved this time too perhaps!!).
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| Emma, Karen and Jane, the Chinese students |
At the end of our day we met up with Graeme (V/C
tour guys, you'll be glad to hear he and Michele are fine and had a great time
in Mayamar). Great to see you Graeme and share some delicious ice cream. Ken
had hoped for a beer, but as it was Buddha’s Day no beer was allowed to be
served.
We've heard it’s been 45C+ in Delhi - it’s 37C
here in Bangkok - London 15C…We are thinking of you all and praying for our
friends in Delhi living with the heat, power cuts and water shortage!
Love and best wishes
Heather and Ken xx
P.S. Just off to fold a towel or two – now, what
shape will they be…? Hmm. I could manage a square, I think!!
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