Battambang in Western Cambodia

Battambang is a riverside city in the west of Cambodia, it is very compact for 250,000 inhabitants. This makes it a bit larger than Luton, or around the same size as Aberdeen. Though some say it has 1 million people – I don’t think it anywhere as big as Newcastle. The river cuts a 10-metre deep track through the city and Battambang’s essential bridges are in dire need of upgrading or repairs. Local boys fish in the muddy brown river by hand, or hunt for molluscs. Others scavenge for waste, hoping to amass a collection to sell at the local “recycling” centre for a dollar or two the next morning.

Battambang has a very much a civilised form of wild west atmosphere about the place – it is due to its informal and relaxed attitude, and governmence is underwhelming here. It is a great base to explore the areas such as Banon Temple, the notorious killing caves and for onward journey to Siem Reap for the insanely vast “see it once before you die” temple of Angkor Wat. There are plenty of guesthouses for all tastes and budgets – Victoria Hotel is looking decidedly posh for a rustic town while opposite is a more modest guesthouse. A new hotel is being built outside my office – five floors and built entirely by hand – no tools whatsoever.

Down the road from this under construction hotel is Romance Beer Garden. It is a very good restaurant, and remarkably un-seedy for a Battambang night venue. Be sure to try out the GRILLED BEE LARVAE! It has the soft mushy texture of marshmallow, looks like a scaly fish on the plate, and has no flavour. If you think this is bad, the alternative is grilled wasps larvae.

It was first settled in the 11th Century, and has changed hands between Thailand and Cambodia many times in the last few centuries, and was a stronghold against the Khmer Rogue for a long time and has probably the best preserved colonial-era buildings in the heart of the city. However, what will take the attention of your eyes when you approach Battambang from Phnom Penh on Highway 5, a journey of 4-6 hours over 180-odd miles, is a large statue of a sitting buddhist greeting you to the city. It is black with striking white eyes and red “clothing”.

The next thing you will notice is the awkward juxtaposition of tiny huts that a family of 4-10 will live in at night and turn their homes into shops by sunrise among the very large modern houses clearly built for people with lots of money. The contrast couldn’t be more stark and wasteful especially as most of these modern houses are second, third, fourth… nth homes for the owners and therefore empty most of the time. It must grate on those who are squashed onto the verge between the boundary walls and the city roads. But they do not show it, they smile day in, day out, getting on with life in the best way they can.