Battambang

Day Six - Battambang

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battambang

We went straight for our cookery lesson the afternoon that we arrived in Battambang. First things first we had to chose from the menu what we would like to cook, I wisely decided to cook a vegetarian curry dish (wisely as we had to go to the markets to buy the ingredients and the looks of horror on the faces of everyone who had chosen meat dishes...). The cooking class went well, I really enjoyed it and then we were able to sit around and try our dishes. We were lucky enough to catch the circus in town, the kids were great and so funny, it was mostly locals watching (and a few French tourists) so that was cool.

Day 7 - Battambang

In the morning ... there was more walking. Of course. I think every temple built was at the top of a hill. Anyway it was good exercise! We visited both Wat Phnom Sampeau and Wat Banan.

"Wat Phnom Sampeau is located on top of a striking limestone hill 18km southwest of Battambang. It was formerly the front line in the government’s defense of Battambang.
There is a long, hot climb to reach the summit, which is topped by both a small wat and a stupa. Nearby are a couple of large field guns, a hangover from the long civil war. Unless you are on a fitness drive, it may be better to take the winding road up the left side if the mountain and come down the main stairs. The gentler, winding road comes out at a grisly killing field located in a couple of caves. A small staircase leads down to a platform covered in the skulls and bones of victims. Look up to the right and there is a skylight hole where victims were bludgeoned before being throne into the cave beneath."

"Wat BananWat Banan has five towers pointing skyward and is like a smaller version of the rather more illustrious Angkor Wat. Locals claim it was in fact the inspiration for Angkor Wat, but this should be construed as wishful thinking as there are considerable differences in size and scale. Built in the 11th century by Udayadityvaman II, son of Suyavaraman I, it is in a considerably better state of repair than Wat Ek Phnom and its hillside location offers incredible views across the surrounding countryside. There are several impressive carve lintels above the doorways to each tower, although most are now housed in Battambang Museum. There is also a large field gun, dating back to the bad old days when the government had to defend this hill from the Khmer Rouge."

In the afternoon we went on the back of motorbikes (motos) for a tour of the surrounding countryside with lots of small stops to see things along the way. Including a stop to try some lethal rice wine.
(How's this for a family bathroom?!)

The journey ended with a trip on a 'norry' - bamboo train. A small wooden platform powered by an electric motor is placed on the train line and used for short trips up and down the train line. It was a fun but incredibly bumpy ride.