Yesterday, after a relaxing morning spent in town, we hoped in a tuk tuk with the driver, Ola, and set off on a tour of some of the surroundings of Battambang. Ola and his family live in the countryside and so he is very familiar with all the small dirt roads that connect the surrounding areas of the province. He took us through small fishing villages where families rely on what they can catch and what they can grow for food. We saw corn, cabbages and various other vegetables being grown; kids bathing and playing in the brown river water while other kids entertained themselves with elastics and other simple games.
(Fishermen on the river)
(Kids play in teams with elastic bands)
(A mosque for the Cham people of the village)
(Friendly greetings)
(We passed many poor homes)
We went to sample some wine at Cambodia’s only winery, Phnom Banon Winery where they produce red wine, brandy, ginger and grape juice. Ola told us a bit about his life as a tuk tuk driver, which is a job that he does in the dry season, before returning to work on his family’s land to harvest rice during the wet season. On top of the rent they pay to the “rich people” for the use of the land on which they live and farm, they must also give 60% of their rice crop to the owners which means they cannot afford to harvest more than one crop of rice per year. A tuk tuk costs about $800 USD which is too expensive for most drivers so many, including Ola, rent their vehicles from a company in the city.
(A vine at Phnom Banon Winery)
After the winery, Ola took us to Phnom Sampeu where we were driven by motorbike to see a cluster of hilltop pagodas and a cave that was once used by the Khmer Rouge and now houses a shrine to those who died there. Our guide who took us up on the motorbike was in his late teens but was full of information about what life is like for the people in rural Cambodia and how frustrated many young people are by the corruption that permeates every level of Government. He told us that the local people had banded together to raise enough money to have their small roads resurfaced but that the Governor would not give them permission to do the work. Our guide suspected it was due to the fact that the Governor would prefer a foreign company to do the work as he would receive a bribe. He shared his thoughts on a number of incidents in Cambodia that we had read about in the news recently. It became apparent to us that while the Government has control over the media here, that young Cambodians are using social media to empower themselves and find out the truth about what is going on in their country. We hope our young guide won’t have to wait long for the changes he desires.
(One of the temples at Phnom Sampeu. This was used as a prison during the Khmer Rouge period)
(Inside the temple once used as a prison during the Khmer Rouge period)
(A monk dozes in the shade of the hilltop temple)
(A small alter outside the Killing Cave, where the bones of some of the victims of the Khmer Rouge still remain)
(Macaque monkeys think they rule the hilltop but are stalked by a little old man with a slingshot)
(A Buddhist and a Hindu temple on the hilltop.
While most Cambodians are Buddhist, the country's first religion is Hindu)
(Nicky sandwich)
At dusk, we were taken to a cave entrance from which thousands of bats fly out of each evening. It was pretty spectacular and the local people who offer tours, souvenir and food have benefitted from the tourism that these bats generate. The sky looked like a glistening opal as we made our way back to the city.
(The Bat Cave)
(Bats swarming across the evening sky. In the background, the hilltop temples)
(Taco tuk tuk!! Serving $1 tacos)
This morning, armed with a map from Khmer Architecture Tours, we went on a historical walk of the city. The tour covered buildings and monuments dating back to the 19th century which demonstrated the change that Battambang has gone through - from Thai occupation, to French occupation, to its return to Cambodia. While not mentioned in the tour, the crumbling French era shopfront buildings were some of the most charming and interesting. Renovators' dream or nightmare?!
(Battambang's art deco era market)
(French era shopfronts)
(Originally built for the Vice Governor of the city, this old building is now occupied by multiple families)
(A stupa built in 1840, said to contain the remains of one of Buddha's disciples)
(The once Olympic sized swimming pool has been reduced in size,
leaving the old arched diving platform to look on from a distance)
(The Royal Residence)
(A colonial-era villa, the origins of which are unknown)
(Love the balcony on this school building)
Tomorrow we will be leaving Battambang and preparing to leave Cambodia, as we head for the border town of Pailin where we will cross back into Thailand. We've been here for just over a fortnight but have had a really wonderful experience thanks to the warmth and good humour of the people and the captivating history and culture. We certainly would like to return here one day.
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