Cambodia .. Battambang

Battambang was so interesting.

The monkeys here are very aggressive. Glynis hates people who drop crumbs, geckos and monkeys. I assume she has armed herself with a big stick and is in search of people who are dropping crumbs.

This guy, Peter absolutely made our trip to Battambang. He was our Tuk Tuk driver and guide for two days. Interesting and fun, a mixture of Bear Grylls and MacGyver.  He would grab some seeds from bushes on the side of the road and show us how they explode when water was added or get some flax and show us how to make a wrist band.

He took us to some great quirky places.


Bamboo rice. Cooked in a piece of bamboo. Had one for lunch. Yum.

Crossing a bamboo bridge to see some fighting fish and have some swigs of homemade rice alcohol

The fighting fish had cards between the jars so the fish could not see each other. If they did it was all on.

We had brought some writing materials from Penang and handed them out to some village children.

Battambang is major rice producing area.

This did not happen. I was not allowed to drive the Tuk Tuk

Not fair because Serenity had a turn.

The bamboo train. One of the worlds unique rail journeys. Half an hour of clicks and clacks along a warped  misaligned rails and bridges left by the french

No problem if you meet a train coming the other direction. The driver simply disassemble the  train to let the other pass

Meanwhile you can keep up the exercise regime.

Alternately just pretend to lift.

Kids, never skip legs day.

For me the highlight of our trip was giving a small impromptu English lesson. There is nothing better than encouraging children with schooling.

The fish farm. You think you know smells. You don't know smells.

Women making rice paper. She gets paid next to nothing for her finished product. The average wage in Cambodia is less than 950USD per year. She would earn considerably less than this.

Having a nice meal in a Battambang restaurant when I needed the toilet. The staff directed me up a flight of stairs. At the top was a darkened room which I boldly stepped into. There I was, standing in someones lounge while they were all watching TV.  Some moments past before one of the TV viewers motioned to a cubicle in the corner of the lounge. I went quietly.

 There was a wedding happening in a street at the back of our hotel. They last for 3 days and the music is set to distorted rock concert volume.

One morning it woke us up at 6am with a full onslaught. I went down to the wedding to see what was happening. The only people  there was the band who were playing there hearts out.

Later in the day scores more people arrived. Three days of  wedding means  pacing yourself.