Battambang

My friend Victor's ancestral home (or one of them anyway) is Cambodia. I felt that since I was visiting his ethnic homeland, I should check out the town from which his family originates, Battambang. It is the second biggest city in the country, though that doesn't make it big. I didn't really know what to see there, but Michelle and I stopped by anyway for a look.

As usual, when our bus arrived, we were chased by a mob of tuk-tuk drivers who saw white faces in the window. One energetic lad spotted us and was able to keep up by running until the bus stopped. I shut the curtain.

In the end, we hired him to take us to a guesthouse. He offered us a cheap tour of the area, including a few temples and waterfalls, which we turned down: we'd already seen enough of both. The man was quite astute; he read us quickly and changed his plan. He then suggested taking us through the countryside, around the villages, the bamboo train, a local winery, and finally stopping for a tour of his humble rice farm home. How could we say no?

Everytime I've booked a tour, I vow to never do it again. Dollar (what a name!) changed our views on tours. It was fantastic. He was funny, personable, and most importantly, passionate about Battambang. So many drivers have no interest in the place, it makes their tours quite dull.

Our first stop was the bamboo train. Simply, it is a makeshift bamboo platform on wheels. Originally, it was moved by punting, but now they are equipped with a small diesel engine. Zipping down the rickety tracks, through the rice fields, sitting on an open platform was simply amazing. When another train meets in the track, one is quickly disassembled to let people by. In the very near future (this has been in the near future for years now), the train will be discontinued to make room for an express Bangkok to Phenom Phen train line. This will cripple that livelihood of these simple farmers. The train not only provides a bit of supplemental income (the daily profits are rotated), but also transportation between the farms. Progress is going to kill some of these tiny villages.

We then ventured into the country for a tour of some local farms and communities along a lovely river. We stopped for nearly an hour to enjoy the view, playing with the local children, wresting and rock throwing contests included. It was great!

Our final stop due to time was the local winery, first in Cambodia. The wine was nothing special, but the grape juice, ginger juice, and brandy were all quite good. Dollar told us his story of how he used to admire an English learning book at a shop, stopping everyday to read it, since he could not afford to buy it on his meager rice wages. After years of this, the owner gave him the book as a gift. He then studied everyday by the river, stopping tourists to practice when he wasn't farming. Eventually, he saved enough money and learned enough English to rent a tuk-tuk for a day and gave a tour. He's been successful since. He also told us about the current politics and his own family's experience during the Khmer Rouge. It was enlightening. It was simply the best tour I've ever had. We both tipped him generously.

Our one day in Battambang ended with a riverside dinner at the night markets. I finally sampled the Cambodia specialty, Balut, a pregnant egg. It is a bird fetus, still in the shell. It was not too bad, tasting like a mixture between eggs and chicken, as one might expect. Another weird food item checked off the list.