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

[Show as slideshow]

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

[Show as slideshow]

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.

[Show as slideshow]

Boat on one of the tributaries feeding into Tonle Sap Lake

Floating villages on Stoeng Sangke river

Monk in traditional orange on Stoeng Sangke river

Man with fishing nets on Stoeng Sangke river

Lush vegetation along Stoeng Sangke river

Fishing boats with large nets that pickup fish that have swum over the nets

Children playing on the banks of Stoeng Sangke river

Reflection of palm trees on Sangker River

Plenty of taxi drivers trying to get business on arrival to Battambang

Prae Roup Temple, Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Travis

On the fourth day in Siem Reap we decided to visit the Angkor region one last time, our three day pass had finished so we purchased a single day pass.

We made one last round of Angkor Wat temple, Prae Roup Temple that we had somehow missed, and gave the sunset on Phnom Bakheng a proper go.

Angkor Wat Temple

We had a quick stop at Angkor Wat from the eastern entrance, it wasn’t as crowded and still presented some nice views of the protruding central towers.

[Show as slideshow]

Angkor Wat viewed from the Eastern entrance

Gopuras of Angkor Wat viewed from the East

Travis and Sonya at Angkor Wat Eastern entrance

The outer Eastern wall of Angkor Wat viewed from the West

Outer entrance Eastern wall of Angkor watt with Sonya taking a photo

Gopura of Angkor Wat viewed from the windows of the Eastern wall

Prae Roup Temple

Pre Rup temple is an eighteen meter high platform of three large towers. Once we reached the top we saw glimpses of Angkor Wat from afar.

[Show as slideshow]

Pre Rup stairs to the base of the three towers

Looking down towards the entrance of Pre Rup

Mythical lions with the towers in the background

One of the towers of Pre Rup, notice the growth on the bricks

Simple person figure carved into the tower's bricks

Sonya and Travis at one of the entrances

East Mebon

Small temple with elephant statues around the outer terraces that made for good photos.

[Show as slideshow]

Elephants around the terraces of East Mebon

Phnom Bakheng

Having left Phnom Bakheng prematurely previously, we decided to give the sunset viewed from this hill once last go, it was a nice way to end our time in the Angkor region, though I still think the sunset is overrated.

[Show as slideshow]