Photo Traveling Southeast Asia: Battambang, Cambodia

We stopped here on our way to Siem Reap and although it is not an overly popular place for tourists to visit we did enjoy our three days here. It is the second largest city in Cambodia and is not really a city for tourists as much as Khmer people as evidence of the limited hotel options and lack of ATMs that accept VISA debit cards!

We hired a Tuk Tuk for the afternoon to "see the sights" of the city. We shared one with two German girls and started our afternoon.

We went on an old railroad that used to run between Phnom Phen and Battambang but has recently been closed except for the last 10km. It is being redone but the old track is an interesting ride through history. Each cart carried goods between the cities by push-pole or small engine attached to the wheel trucks. When a cart encountered an oncoming cart the one with the least people and goods would need to disassemble the cart platform and remove the two wheel trucks from the rail to allow the other to pass!

We stopped and learned how the locals fish the river with bamboo pole nets that they drag downstream 50 yards at a time and then collect the haul. The catch is kept alive in the net pens until the late afternoon when people start showing up to buy fresh fish. There was no way a single fish made it downstream past all the nets, it was a little sad.

Mushroom farm

We stopped at the only winery in Cambodia and had a glass of course! The red Cab was not very good, but they made a ginger juice that was great and a brandy that was nice. The other taste sample was grape juice.

Mushroom farm

The highlight of the day was at dusk watching 2 million bats fly out of one cave. It was so interesting to watch. It started all at once too, not a slow tickle building up. It was like they all gathered up and someone blew the whistle for them to leave the cave.

The locals eat bat. They toss sticks in the air at them trying to knock them out of the sky. Unfortunately we did not see any on the menus at the street stalls. It is a delicacy served in the countryside home.

That black cloud is actually thousands of bats flying over the fields

We saw signs for a Circus and at first didn't want to see an animal show for fear of the treatment we would witness in an Asian Circus. However, the Circus was humans performing amazing talents and was actually a school to teach youths the Arts. They have two graduated students that work with Cirque du Soleil group as well as three touring groups that perform under their own school name.

That black cloud is actually thousands of bats flying over the fields

The most exciting part of this city was actually leaving. We went on the boat from Battambang to Siem Reap across the largest lake in Asia. It was not exactly a ferry boat as much as a powerboat.