Great Dusty Journeys...

You know you’re in a really special place when you find yourself thankful for the novelty of each day. The past 5 days have been full of one-of-a-kind adventures which we will never forget.
It started with a morning bus from Siem Reap to Battambang, Cambodia’s second largest city. Although a bigger city, Battambang has a distinctive small town feeling. We checked into the Royal Hotel one of a few guest houses in town. At a bargain price we were set up with all the comforts including a private balcony, high ceilings, and oversized high-varnish teak furnishings. We spoke to one of the tuk tuk drivers out front and arranged to be picked up in the a.m. We planned to embark on one of the worlds all-time classic rail journeys via the Bamboo Train. We met our driver in the lobby in the morning only to find out that he actually was a moto driver and didn’t have a tuk-tuk. We had been avoiding motos if possible simply because they drive more wildly and for a couple more dollars the two of us can ride comfortably and safely on a tuk-tuk. We were a little put off but he explained how he would drive slowly and that he had many things to show us around the city. Still hesitant, we agreed for him and another driver to take us to some local attractions, ending our day with a trip on the Bamboo Train. Each of us hopped on the back with our newly acquired local guides and bumped along out of town. Our first stop was at a country-side market. Here we acquired some knowledge on local fruit and veg and picked up some bananas and sweet tamarind. Philay stopped at many local farms and villages along the way to show us local growing methods which are often ingeniously simple. Already we were impressed with the care he put into his moto tour. Then we stopped in a small Buddhist village. We were told we could pay one of the local children to guide us to the top of the mountain and through the temple. We agreed it was worth a peak and Duang, became our happily appointed guide. We made our way up the mountain trail passing a monastery and reaching a lovely hilltop pagoda. We then explored down a staircase to find an eerie cave and cage filled with bones. At first you think, this can’t be real but we quickly swallowed the reality of what they call the killing caves of Phnom Sampeau. The Khmer Rouge used these deep caves as mass graves for thousands of victims. Duang even felt comfortable enough to manipulate, even play, with the human bones~maybe partially expecting a reaction on our part. There was a second cave on the grounds which contained a large golden reclining Buddha, another collection of bones, and the site’s official memorial. Outside the cave there was another large Buddha and some great views across the country side. We only encountered 2 other couples visiting the grounds, which kept the mood peaceful and really made the whole afternoon complete. We thanked Duang for our special tour and made her day by giving her a little bonus. We sat in the local restaurant for a bit and Philay shared his personal life history with us. He told us of his many days enslaved by the Khmer Rouge. He explained the conditions the Cambodian people lived in and the political factors which lead to more than 4 million Cambodian deaths. This man had a very hard past as a slave and then for another 10 years in a refugee camp, loosing much family along the way. To hear a personal recount of these trying times made for a first hand story we will always take with us. Our next stop was at a pre-Angkorian temple ruins located at the top of, what must have been, 500 stairs. Once at the top you were surrounded by great views and the sweet smell of Frangipani trees. We descended, were treated to a few Cambodian jokes and a great lunch. Then we partook in the Cambodian National Sport of hammock-snoozing…
One more stop before our train ride, Philay brought us to a temple where the trees were filled with over-sized fruit bats-quite the sight as the bats span a good 2 feet, worthy of a couple shots. We arrived at the "train station" to find our expectations to be way off. The extent of amenities here were 2 bamboo shacks offering bottled drinks. We were surprised when we saw that we were going to have a private train where our 2 motos and drivers would be in the back and we would sit cross legged in front. The "train car" was pretty well just a bamboo mat on wheels…There is only one set of tracks so if you encounter an oncoming "soaring mat" or even a real train, the mat/train with the fewest number of passengers must unload, disassemble the train, and allow the other to pass before rebuilding and reloading. Although the track was misaligned and very rough in sections, the bamboo cart seemed to be a flying carpet as we barreled along. It was a clicking and clacking, short trip offering great sights of the countryside and some refreshing breeze along the way. After a long and VERY rewarding day, we headed back to the Royal Hotel. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we agreed to stay another night and take what Philay and Rich called the "lazy tour", the following morning. After a whole day on the back of a bike out on those dusty roads, we found ourselves painted terracotta from head to toe, termed as "Fresh Cambodian Snow". We were pooped, hungry, and in desperate need of a shower. We hit the market before dinner to pick up some fruits and veggies. Then we watched the sunset from our mellow roof-top resto for dinner.
Day two with Philay started with a trip to a Bamboo-Sticky-Rice village where we watched them prepare and sampled some of the delicious treat. We then strolled through a Rice Paper village where each duo of operators produces more than 3000 springroll papers per day. We watched the two women team who left us speechless with there machine-like speed and accuracy. Although the methods ancient, the production line skills of the workers were amazing. On to more local knowledge…A stinky lesson in famous fish-paste production. The processing at this riverside village was not for the weak stomached, that’s fore sure. We both gasped for breath as we walked through. Surrounded by drying, curing, fermenting fish we viewed women squatting at their stations pounding and processing fish-paste. The smell, as well as the unhygienic facility was enough to turn your stomach, educational nonetheless. After an insightful morning we headed about 50km from town. We witnessed so many beautiful sights along the journey among rice fields, country side, and villages. We arrived at the Kamping Poy just before lunch. The name means killing dam and it is an 8km long dam which was hand dug during the Khmer Rouge era. It is estimated that 10 000 Cambodian lives were lost during the dam’s construction. Today the area serves as a popular lakeside weekend spot among locals. Seeing that it was a Tuesday, only one small home/restaurant was set up for business and the two of us with our drivers were the only people taking-in the blissful views. We planted ourselves in a traditional bamboo, stilt house shelter with hammocks for all. Rich (our second driver) ordered some traditional lakeside eats. We enjoy fried fish, roasted chicken, morning glory with intestine, lemon grass and fish soup, and of course steamed rice. What we couldn’t finish was happily accepted and gobbled up by some local kids and after lunch the 4 of us caught some R&R lounging in our breezy hammocks. After a lazy afternoon we headed back into the city with one final stop where we experience rice wine production. We were thankful for having lucked out with Philay as our guide. He and Rich were personally responsible for giving us two of the best days spent in Cambodia. Philay really understands what many visitors are looking for and he cares that we take something out of it. So for anyone reading this blog who may be inspired to visit Cambodia, we recommend that you go to Battambang, stay at the Royal Hotel, and ask the guys out front for Philay-you won’t regret it.