Phnom Phen, Cambodia – Killing Fields, Shooting Range, National Museum and Romdeng Restaurant

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Travis

Back in Phnom Phen we visited a few more of the cities sites, including visiting the Killing Fields, shooting an AK-47, shopping at the Central Market, visiting the National Museum and ate some unusual food at Romdeng Restaurant.

Choeung Ek Killing Fields

A chilling reminder of the atrocities during the Khmer Rouge regime, of one million people were executed in the area with many mass open graves located in the area. Today there is a memorial marked by a stupa which encases the skulls of those that were murdered.

Thunder Ranch Shooting Range

Located nearby Choeung Ek is the Thunder Ranch Shooting Range run by a unit of the Royal Cambodian Army. For forty dollars I had a taste of a noisy AK-47 assault rifle.

National Museum of Cambodia

A nice museum with plenty of Buddhist statues of devas and deities. The photographs below were taken in the surrounds of the museum.

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Romdeng Restaurant

A nice way to finish Phnom Phen and our Cambodia trip, unusual foods were no-uncommon in Cambodia, having already tried fried tarantula and fresh lotus seeds. That night we order a jackfruit salad, lotus root salad, a beef dish with fried tree ants, among other dishes.

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Around Battambang – Three Temples and a Train, Cambodia

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Travis

Our second day in Battambang we decided to hire a scooter to explore some of the outer around Battambang regions.

Sonya and Travis on their scooter in Battambang

1. Killing caves of Phnom Sampeau

After arriving at Phnom Sampeau hill we first visited the killing caves, the killing caves was a natural cave with skylight opening that was used by the Khmer Rouge to toss victims through the skylight to their death. Inside the cave are glass cased memorials of skulls and bones.

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Sleeping Buddha inside the killing caves

Shrine to those murdered, inside you can see the skulls

Looking up towards the skylight of the killing caves

2. Wat Phnom Sapeau

We continued up the Phnom Sampeau hill and reached Wat Phnom Sapeau. The surrounds of Wat Phnom Sapeau is home to a bunch of macaques monkeys, which at the time were being fed by monks, this presented some good photo opportunities.

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View from Phnom Sapeau hill looking towards Battambang

Monkey statue found at Phnom Sapeau Temple

3. Wat Banan

From Wat Phnom Sapeau we headed to Wat Banan which was an ancient temple situated on a hill near the Sangker River. Wat Banan has a five tower design similar to Angkor Wat, as well some well preserved stone carvings.

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Mythical lion statue at the start of the stairs

A few of the stairs leading up to Banan Temple

Sonya reading the LP with Wat Banan in the background

Wat Banan was consecrated as a Buddhist temple

Intricate Kala deity carved in the stone

4. Bamboo Train

One of the more enjoyable experiences was the bamboo train. The bamboo train is a rudimentary train consisting of no more than two axels, a metal base lined with bamboo and an small engine. All components could be lifted with two persons, though the axels which they were lifting individually were extremely heavy. As it is a single track, the protocol for two trains going in opposite directions, meeting is for the least passengers and cargo to disembark and disassemble to allow the other train to parse.

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Reassembling the bamboo train after dismantle

Our bamboo train driver waiting for the other train to pass

5. Wat Phnom Ek

A ruined eleventh century temple with some well preserved stone carvings. Nearby is a newly built temple and sitting Buddha statue.

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Magenta flower growing between the temples stones

Battambang walking tours, Battambang, Cambodia

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Travis

During our stay in Battambang we decided to explore the city by following the free walking tour produced by the Battambang Municipality.

Along the walking tour the city’s French and Khmer history is seen in building’s architectural style.

Whilst interesting, having arrived from the Angkor region, the city was a little underwhelming.

The walking tour is broken into two parts, Central Battambang and South Battambang.

Central Battambang

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Mythical creature on the columns of Wat Pipetharam

Archer at the surrounds of Wat Pipetharam

French influences in Indochinese shop houses

Picturesque monk walking along the Sangker River

Chinese paintings at the entrance to the Chinese Temple

Cambodian flag outside Corner Building and Villa

The French style lamps of Corner Building and Villa

French style shutter windows along Street 119

French influenced buildings along Street 119

French influenced buildings with traditional balconies

Dilapidated French style windows in Battambang

Shop houses from the colonial period in the early 20th century

Blue door and window on one of the corner shops

White elephant statues surrounding Wat Damrey Sor

Statues of Royals in front of Wat Damrey Sor

Wat Pipetharam
Building of the Cantonese Association
Psar Nath
Shophouses next to the Chinese Temple
Chinese Temple / Chinese Spirit House
Corner Building and Villa
Street 2 ½: Series of Shop Houses
Chinese School (opposite of White Rose Restaurant)
Buffalo Alley
Battambang Cinema (on Street 2)
School Pi Thnou
Apartment Building
Sangker Cinema and Battambang Warehouse
Department of Land Management
Wat Damrey Sor
Former canal south of Wat Damrey Sor

South Battambang

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Exhibition Hall used during Sangkum Reastr Niyum

Post Office built by the French administration between 1907 and 1926

Electricity Company and Department of Water Authority

Intricate detail on a traditional style roof

Kenor a mythical female dancer with a body half human and half bird

Sonya and a giant statue at the Provincial Court

Garuda carved into the fence of Wat Kamphaeng

Exhibition Hall
Provincial Museum
Boxing Stadium (Sports Ground)
Post Office
Electricity Company and Department of Water Authority
House for the Vice Governor of Battambang
Provincial Court
Former Prison Location
Wat Kamphaeng and Stupa of 1840
Kamphaeng High School
Sport Centre (Au Circle Sportif de Battambang)
Sala Khaet
Royal Residence (Royal Bungalow)
Department of Tourism
First Concrete Bridge

You may download GPX way-points of the above maps by clicking on the GPS icon in the bottom-right corner.

Unfortunately, the Battambang Heritage website is temperamental, you can use these links to download the Central Walking Map and South Walking Map.

Boat ride from Siem Reap to Battambang, Cambodia

Posted on July 20, 2014 by Travis

After four days exploring the Angkor region, we were quite templed out, the idea of a ferry from Siem Reap to Battambang was a welcome change. A shared bus picked us up early in the morning, and did a round collecting tourists till the bus was full, and dropped us off at a small tributary entering the Tonle Sap Lake. The dryer season meant that the boat had to start a lot closer to the lake than normal, with the bus covering initially following the shallow tributary. The boat was a colourfully painted wooden boat, with a very loud engine, do not sit at the back.

During the boat journey we came across a lot of interesting birds, animals and of course the local floating villages. Amazing to see how people lived on the Tonle Sap Lake. After seven hours we reached Battambang and greeted by comical taxi drivers on the shore all after our business.

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