Battambang - Kampot - Phnom Penh
Having spent some time in Siem Reap, we wanted to see some other regions of Cambodia. To be fair, we transformed into typical tourists sometimes. Our first stop was Battambang, one of the bigger cities in Cambodia, located between some small mountains. To get there, we took the bus—a very luxurious bus, to our surprise. During the ride, we saw a lot of rice fields, small towns, and all kinds of roads. Our first impression of Battambang was not spectacular. It was already dark, and the pollution was so bad that we felt like we were driving through thick fog; not only was visibility poor, but also the smell was overwhelming. We had never experienced this before, and it made us wonder if the pollution was coming from traffic alone or from one of Cambodia’s neighboring countries. Turns out it was burning season—in this period, they burn whatever is left on the rice fields, together with some rubbish.
We really started to doubt our decision when we arrived at the homestay. We had booked a tent for three nights with a local family, but arriving at night at a basic wooden Cambodian house didn’t look very promising. Nevertheless, our tent was very cozy, and the food they made for us was delicious! When we got up in the morning, we had a better look at how everything was, and it turned out to be much cozier than expected.
After a strong breakfast, we explored the region around the homestay by foot. There is this hill that attracts a lot of tourists with a couple of things to see-of course, there was a temple and a giant Buddha. Next to that, there were the Killing Caves and a cave considered a sacred place. But all those things are not the main reason why there are huge amounts of tourists. In the late afternoon, just when the sun goes down, a massive colony of bats leave the cave to go hunting. We lowered our expectations when we heard from two women that they had only seen a few even with a torch, but the amount of pollution that day was also a lot better. You just never know precisely when they are going to leave. We could see a bat flying out of the cave every now and then but were not impressed knowing it is a colony of 10 million. And then it happened; a big stream of bats started flying out. We followed the stream and stood right under it. God damn impressive, the amount and the sound of them flying by. We were not able to count them, but we stood there for more than 10 minutes, and they were still coming out of the cave. We learned that they are very important for rice production because they eat the insects that harm the rice plants, and by doing so, they secure nearly 2000 tons of rice every year.
Not entirely sure what we would do the next day, we asked the host what he recommended and decided to do a tour with a personal guide. Just like a real tourist. The next morning, our local guide, Chin Chin, was ready to take us to the most interesting places in Battambang. We started with the bamboo train, a local transportation device built to get to the rice fields. Nowadays, everyone has his own vehicle, so the train is just there as an attraction. It is known by tourists and locals but personally we didn’t find it very spectacular.
After that, we stopped at local enterprises to see how they make water reservoirs of cement, bamboo sticky rice, rice paper and fermented fish. We also went to a market with fresh foods, where we were a bit shocked. Not by the fish being cut on the asphalt or most of the food that was just there on the ground and in the sun, but the rats that were roasted and ready to eat. We respectfully declined the offer to try some and buy some peanuts instead, only to realise they were boiled and not roasted. They didn’t taste that bad, but we prefer roasted for sure.
Chin Chin also took us to a couple of temples and a killing field. Our first introduction is about the horrible past of Cambodia and how everything happened. This turned out to be more difficult than imagined and confused us many times.
Having enjoyed Battambang, we moved to Kampot, the other side of the country. Again we used a bus because it is very convenient and you can see things along the way. The ride this time, however, was a mini-bus, which meant that the driver was able to drive in Cambodian style, overtaking other vehicles in the other lane, flashing and honking to the traffic to make way. You’d think this was only for slow vehicles, but it was like that the whole trip. Glad we arrived in Kampot in the evening without accidents and enjoyed the vibrant small town.
To be able to see things in the area and to stop wherever we wanted, we rented a motorcycle. As we learned from the locals, you can transport everything on a motorcycle; it would be no issue for two persons and a couple of backpacks. Renting one goes extremely fast as well; no driver’s license required, just sign a small paper, hop on the bike and enjoy. And so we arrived at the hut we’d booked.
Kampot is known for the pepper plantations, salt fields and the Bokor National Park, and that’s exactly what we visited. Starting the morning with some good Belgian pastries, no fake Belgian bakery but people from Ghent who moved to Cambodia ten years ago. Even after all those years away from Belgium, they knew how to nail the recipe.
After we enjoyed breakfast, we went to La Plantation and got a free tour of the plantation and tasting session. The plantation itself was built by someone from France and Belgium, but they kept the traditional Cambodian style for the infrastructure and provided good working conditions. The people that work there get lunch and eat all together, good working conditions and can join the teaching sessions that are organised on the farm to help the children in the neighbourhood. This way, they have the option to learn English and other topics.
We learned that the plant produces different types of pepper, and by using different processes or picking times, they are able to get white, green, black, and red peppers. The pepper plants originally came from India but are now recognized as Kampot peppers. The difference in location and soil makes a big difference, and peppers produced in Kampot can only come from those plants. Also, importing new plants is not allowed—new plants must be grown from existing ones by cutting a small branch and planting it in a shady place.
In addition to Kampot peppers, they also grow long peppers, chilies, mangoes, and more. Regarding things that don’t grow on the farm, they work together with Cambodian farmers and families and handle fair trade. The tasting session was great; we tasted a lot of peppers, spices, and mixes and got a handy paper to score everything to keep track of what we liked. Within the shop, we were able to taste the other products, like the sauces and tea. We’ve gathered a nice list of things we are going to order!
The next day, we went to Bokor National Park, not only to see nature but to visit an old French town. The Bokor palace, a Catholic church, and some villas were built in 1925 to house French colonists who wanted to escape the summer heat. The town was abandoned, re-inhabited, and abandoned again when the Khmer Rouge took control over the mountain. Today, there is a new part built by the Vietnamese, together with a hotel and casino. The old French part is still there but not used anymore.
The palace was renovated in 2018 but closed again a few years later. It would have been nice to explore it, but we did get to see the annex hotel, city hall, and the King’s Villa. It was a nice place to wander around, and the French were certainly right about the cooler climate, but we don’t think it was worth the loss of 1000 Cambodian lives to build it.
After dropping off the scooter, we took the bus to Phnom Phen, the capital! Again, it was an eventful trip, but we survived. One of the most important things we wanted to see was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, which was about the horrible things that happened during the Khmer Rouge. We still didn’t fully understand what happened in Cambodia years ago and wanted more information. The museum takes you back in time and tells the story of thousands of prisoners who were tortured and killed at that exact place. The building, S-21, was an old school that transformed into a deadly prison. After a few hours in the museum, you can kinda imagine how horrendous life was back then. The complete history was still not clear to us, but we are destined to find out. The history of Cambodia seems far more complicated than we imagined because of all the different countries involved. After listening to multiple podcasts and researching on the internet, we have a better view already.
We also did a walking tour in the city where we saw the famous nightlife street, rulers statue, Cambodia independence statue, the palace, riverside, Wat Phnom and various markets. A beautiful sunny day and a nice walk within the city. While in the city and exploring its streets, we noticed something strange. A street mostly consists of the same kind of shops and stores. If you find a pet store in the street, you will most probably find multiple pet stores further down the street. In our opinion, this makes comparing stores easier but monotonous.
We had a wonderful and interesting time, learned a lot personally and about the country and said goodbye to Cambodia. We wish Cambodia to stay united and continue to grow as a nation without the intrusion and interference of other countries. From them, we take home gratitude and a cheerful spirit.
