2RapitenquesAroundTheWorld3: Battambang

Battambang province is mainly known by having a very fertile land. Everything growing here seems to have an excellent production. Rice is the main plantation; that is why this area is known as the "Rice bowl of Cambodia". The rice production of this area is enough to feed all the country!! Furthermore, rice here is of the highest quality. But besides rice you can also see corn, peas, oranges and sesame fields.

We decided to visit Battambang area by motorbike.

Our tour started in Phnom Sampeu. This is a temple in a hill called the Ship mountain… the locals say that it is called like that due to its shape… as a ship.

You have to go up a very steep slope to reach the peak. There you have a Buddhist temple and some grottos to visit. So hot as well!!! A slope and the hot weather…. We had to stop every now and then.. I think menopause is already affecting us!! Hahahaha
But it was worthy the effort! The best thing was the views from the top and the peacefulness there…surrounded by beautiful green fields… and an amazing silence.

After being there for a while enjoying the landscape and recovering from the heat we went with our guide to visit one of the grottos. He explained to us that these were used by the Khmer Rouge to kill the people. They used to bring people there and throw them from the top.. if they didn’t die due to the fall they ended up doing it there… as they were injured and very weak to get out of there. Hundreds of people were piled up there.
To be honest, when someone tells you that and you are there it gives you goose bumps…

He explained to us that he was 13 when the Khmer Rouge invaded Cambodia. He was separated of his family and he was sent to work on the land. He was working for 12 hours a day and he just had one meal a day (a bowl with water and a few rice grains). They were hungry and tired. Two of his brothers died. One of them died by starvation and malnutrition and the other by a disease. Khmer Rouge got rid off any medicines from the country so the hospitals were not able to look after the people. They didn’t have the material or capacity to treat them.

A criminal regime that lasted for 4 years.

He consider himsleft very lucky for having been able to survive (a third part of the population died during these years).Now he looks ahead with hope but still a bit frustrated by the progression of the country. He told us that the recovering is being very slow and some people opted to live a life outside Cambodia.
He, deeply rooted to his land, has rebuilt his life in Battambang but he doesn’t doubt when he says that if Khmer Rouge or any other similar regime invades Cambodia again he would be the first one running away. He doesn’t want to go through such a cruel experience anymore.

To be honest when someone that has lived this kind of experience explains it to you is quite shocking. Yeah.. we read book and articles about this tragedy and we visited the museum and the killing fields.. but when someone who suffered it tells you it is different...

A very positive person with a look between sad and bohemian … he just wants to look ahead and do not think about the past.

The way down was easier… very relaxing and just contemplating the Buddha statues and stupas along the way.

After that we took the moped and we drove to the Phnom Banan temple. We have to say that the drive is the thing we enjoyed the most!! Infinite roads among huge rice fileds… just going through little villages and looking at locals and the way they work on the lands.

Cambodia has an amazing landscape!!!! Taking a motorbike and getting lost around anyplace is worthy!

Phnom Banan is a temple located 25Km away from Battambang city. To get there you have to walk up almost 400 steps!!!! On the top you can enjoy the views as well as visit the ruins of the temple.

We were starving after all these steps!!! so we decided to go for something to eat in a small village located just beside the bamboo train. It is called Bamboo train because its wagons are made of this material. It is a little train that goes through the fields and brings you to the villages around. The experience was good but you can’t imagine the bumping!! Our bums were sooooooooo sore!!!!