We took a 4 hour bus from Siem Reap to Battambang. Not many people make the trip out but we had the time and I really wanted to ride on the bamboo train! (Jack Whitehall visits Battambang in his travel series with his father). We stayed at Blue Diamond restaurant for $4 a night. It's actually really nice, we wondered how it was so nice at such a cheap price, then we saw 'happy' pizzas on the menu and realised how they could afford to set the room prices so low.
The next day we arranged to go to the famous bamboo train! The bamboo train began after the Khmer Rouge left Cambodia, the railroads were broken and abandoned so villagers took tank and truck parts leftover from the war and cut them to fit the railroad. They then placed a bamboo platform on top and added a small motor to the back. The bamboo train is capable of traveling up to 40km per hour down the warped and bumpy tracks, which can be taken apart and reassembled in under two minutes. Nowadays the train is purely used for tourist purposes, it will cost you $5 each to ride and it's well worth it! We boarded our cart after buying a few drinks from the local shop and sat back, relaxed, laughed and enjoyed the journey. There are no barriers so you could literally fall off at any point, it was really fun going over bridges and looking over the edge! We rode for about half an hour before stopping off at this village. The local kids ran up to us with bracelets and other things to buy. I looked at the stalls for a bit before sitting in someone's shop under the fan. They had such a cute baby and we got to hold it which was adorable! Then we headed back to where we started on the train. We met another train on the way back which meant we had to get off and remove our train from the tracks to let others pass. it was so cool to see how the train was taken apart and reassembled. We then set off again, I loved being in the open air with a cool breeze in my face watching local life go by.
We also visited the killing caves, during the Khmer Rouge regime they used the caves to kill people. To get up there we needed to hike up the mountain. My stomach was 'playing up' a bit so I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but I did! And I felt super sick at the top! But it was a great view and really interesting to see the caves. It cost us $2 each to go up. At around 5:30pm everyday thousands and thousands of bats fly out of the caves and it's truly beautiful. A great thing to happen considering the horrible history that the caves have. We sat outside and watched the bats fly out for about 25mins. It was a great end to the day and a truly amazing thing to see.
The next day we relaxed by the pool which was nice, but I can't sit by the pool for very long! In the evening a friend and I went to the Battambang circus. It cost us $14, you can buy tickets on the door. It's run by an organisation which trains people in performing arts, music and circus skills as well as having a kindergarten and a child development centre, so your money is going to a good cause. It was great fun, the story line was so random but the tricks and skill that the performers had was amazing. Very entertaining! Would 100% recommend going to see it.
Battambang is definitely worth a trip! If you're there pop into the Eden café, it's super cute and they sell clothes, bracelets, books and jewellery. I also think it's linked to YWAM. Tonight we catch a night bus to Phnom Penh, wish me luck!