Weekend in Battambang

Battambang is the capital of Battambang Provence. Founded in the 11^th century, Battambang today is the largest rice producer in Cambodia. The City is situated on the Sangkae River and has some of the best-preserved French architecture in the country.

Look at that Big Stick!

Battambang means, literally, “loss of stick” referring to the legend of Phreah Bat Dumbong  Kranghoung, known as Ta Dumbong. There is a large statue of Dumbong at the eastern end of town, on National Road 5. He was a cowherder who found a magic stick; chaos ensued – gods were destroyed and created.

City Market on the banks of the River

Decidedly, from our last visit 1.5 years ago, the town is prospering. There are new restaurants, hotels and business. They have installed their first 2 traffic lights on Route 5, which winds thru town on its’ way to Phnom Phen. Now a destination instead of a rest stop, tourist dollars as well as the rice industry are enriching the citizenship. According to Primo Troxell, 2 years ago the average Cambodian made 85.00 USD a month. Now that figure is 145.00USD. I am thrilled that the populace is doing well, but am very glad that we visited when we did, before gentrification sets in. Down the street, in a lovely 2 story French colonial building, a KFC is in place. We had ice cream at the Swenson’s last night. The infamous Bamboo Train has been closed

Click here to see our ride on the Bamboo Train

Fun inside the Market

Along the river is a large park, on both sides. There are bike paths, exercise courses, small temples and plenty o’ Buddhas. Venders fill the street at night with tasty treats, balloons and music. We get around town in Tuk-Tuks. The city is in a grid and is very walkable, if a TukTuk is not to your liking, and very safe. About the worst thing that can happen is someone asks you if you want a “boom boom” or if there are fried spiders on your dinner plate.

Prima buying scarves in the Market

Signs around town warn Tourist’s about the Orphanage Crisis. Given Cambodia’s desperate living conditions, many younger folks have gone to Thailand in search of jobs. They leave their children with grandparents, if they are lucky or some sort of relative. Good meaning foreigner’s started orphanages, thru NGO’s (non-government organizations) but a lot of unscrupulous folks started the business of orphanages. Old folks were offered pittances to take grandchildren off their hands. The orphanages solicitated money from tourist and foreigner’s – give to the good cause. The more children-the more money that could be made, little or none of it going to the children. Now a remedy is underway to support families to stay together and to bring parents back home to jobs, a future and to a family. 

TukTuk's - good for everything!

At The Classy Hotel, where we stayed, the International Habitat for Humanity group were staying for the week to build homes. The Carrita’s Eye Hospital also stayed there, with their mobile eye clinic and surgical center. Breakfast conversations were very interesting.

Driving to Monkgol Borey

I gave up and started the ZPack I brought with me this morning. I can’t take it any longer! This is for everyone’s safety.

After a steaming hot bow of soup for breakfast which opened up my sinus’ thru the miracle of Thai peppers, we repacked our suitcases for the journey to The Cambodia Academy at Monkgol Borey and afterward to Cambodia’s second largest city, Battambang. 

We are sharing a taxi with Hank, a photographer who is associated with the school and who is here to take pictures for the website and create a 3 -5-minute video about the school and the children who attend. Hank is from Fort Lauderdale and has spent a lot of time in Asia.

There are 2 buildings on campus and a canteen

Hank has secured Sout, who owns his own car, to drive us. Sout has been driving Hank around for years when he visits Siem Reap. As Hank says, “I tell him to take me places that the tourists don’t go. It’s always wonderful.”  

 Contact Sout here

Hank and Sout sitting outside a classroom at Cambodia Academy

Sout speaks very good English. His hometown is actually Siem Reap. Like any boom town, there are not many natives of the city there. His family have a farm right outside of the gates of Angkor Wat. Hank relayed to us, that one of the pleasures when traveling with Sout, is that he can answer so many questions about the people and the land, etc.

Many of the schools needs are met by Rotary Clubs, around the world

For instance; Sout likes crunchy, fried spiders – like we see Andrew Zimmer or Anthony Bordain tasting on TV. We found out that there are actually spider farms, because it’s much easier to raise them to eat, than hunt for them in the rice fields. The sign with the German Shepard’s stating “Explosive Dog Show” is actually about the training of dogs who search out the IED’s thruout the countryside. (Cambodia still has 1 IED per person in the country, left over from the “American Conflict.”)

Street scene, Battambang

Cold in Cambodia

Flower Market

There has been an aura of unreality to leaving for Asia. Both of us feel it, neither of us understand it.  

                                                       

Is it that we’ve planned too far in advance? Is it because only the first 2 weeks of 5 are planned and the rest of our time is up in the air? Is it the ever-present specter of MamaDrama? Is it because I was too involved with the new business begun and training?

It begun with MamaDrama. West Coast Mama’s caretaker gave us 2 weeks’ notice the day before we left the country. Oy. We will be back in 5 weeks. Plans were made, emails and text’s flying thru the interweb between family members. We felt ok to leave, nonetheless.

Bangkok - the Venice of Asia

We boarded All Nippon Air, flight DF2348 to Narita, Toyko airport at 130pm on Tuesday. I had the sniffles. By the time we had landed in Japan, 11 hours later, the sniffles had turned my nose into a raging river of snot. 7 hours later, finally landing in Bangkok, my head was in a vise squeezing any grey matter out of my head thru my nose or eyes. The pas de resistance was developing concurrent “cough and pee.” Welcome to Thailand.

 www.mariyahotel.com

 

Super Nurse that I am, I had a sheet of pseudoephedrine with me. I went thru that like a junky with an 8 ball. Flying out early the next morning, Weds., to Cambodia, my symptoms became more pronounced. For those who have not traveled to certain parts of the world, travelers are met in immigration with heat sensors. Giant thermometers looking for sickies in the crowd. I have witnessed several people detained for fevers and illness. I think the “Andromeda Strain” has been seen in every language and country. You no welcome here, sick girl.

Another Shrine

The icing on the cake? It is illegal to have pseudoephedrine in Thailand. Great.

Thank goodness, the flight to Cambodia from Bangkok was only an hour. However, during that flight my right eye finally just popped out of my head. Not really, but it felt like it did. I think I scared the Young German man in the seat beside me. Taking my last 2 Pseudoephedrine, I skinnied thru immigration.

Even the beautiful, rose petal strewn room at the Ankor Holiday Hotel, http://www.angkorholidayhotel.com/

could console me or my sinus’. I sent Hershel onward to our dinner date with friends without me, with a mandate to find a pharmacy and get me some drugs. Pronto!

Naga on the Chao Priya RIver

Tomorrow is a 3-hour taxi drive to Battambang, unless things get better, I will end up filling the taxi with tissues, blinding the driver and crashing us all into the Buddha of head colds.