Cambodia: Battambang

After seeing the temples at Angkor, I wasn't sure where the rest of our month-long visa in Cambodia would bring us. We ended up buying a bus ticket to a nearby city, supposedly the second largest in the country, Battambang. The road between Siem Reap and Battambang was pretty decent and the trip took only a couple hours. We found a guesthouse for $3/night and went out to walk around the city center. Not at all what I would consider a big city, it is a quaint place with the bustle of street vendors, motorbikes, tuk-tuks and a few cars (many from humanitarian organizations) alongside remnants of French colonial architecture and a small river. Most places are closed by 8pm. After that, you can find some local bars open, a night market or the main hostel for backpackers still operating and serving your choice of Cambodia, Angkor or Anchor beers. (They get around the fact that the latter two have such similar pronunciations by calling "anchor" "anshor.")

Central Market.

Before coming on this trip, I thought it would be a good idea to read a book about each country we visited. I chose to read The Lost Executioner by Nic Dunlop and would recommend it if you're interested in learning more about the genocide in Cambodia. Another popular book is First They Killed My Father. Learning more about the genocide has changed my perspective of being here, made me realize there is a reason you don't see many old people and reminds me that this country really is just beginning its life after a crazy period of unrest and unimaginable terror that only really ended in the 90s.

Our first visit to a memorial site of these atrocities was outside Battambang city at the "killing cave." Apparently a place where the Khmer Rouge took people to throw them into a pit, you can see the skulls and bones of hundreds of people that were discovered here. The soldiers would throw people down about 30-40 feet, which wouldn't kill them, just break their bones and they would lay there waiting to die lying atop the others just like them. Obviously a sobering experience and frankly I still don't quite know how to wrap my mind around it, but I am glad we went. I think it's important to acknowledge and remember this part of the country's history in order to truly appreciate what the people have come from and how things are today.

A boy showing us the way to the killing cave.

This smaller opening was for children,
the larger on the right for adults.

Monks at the viewpoint from the pagoda near the caves.

View of Battambang.

The area near the "killing cave" has many other caves. One in particular is home to millions of bats that exit every evening at dusk in a continuous flow for about 45 minutes.

Bats exiting the cave.

Bats staying in line.

As far as you can see.

The quiet of Battambang was a nice change of pace after being in busy Siem Reap and served as the beginning of our journey through non-Angkor Cambodia.