I decided to take the boat to Battambang, since I have spent a lot of time on buses and the river is high enough to make it in about 7 hours. It left from a floating village outside of Siem Reap called Chong Kneas. It was really a fun trip, even though I was exhausted. Went through lots of floating villages. Mainly tourists on the boat, but we occasionally stop in a little village to pick up or drop villagers off, with padded seats for about 20 people (plus, we are also allowed to sit on the boat roof). Lots of colors and children all stop to wave hello as the once a day boat passes by. They have everything you would expect in a village: Temple, gas station, mechanic, corner store... except it is all floating on water. Want to visit the neighbor? Row on over! Even saw pets (cats, a monkey chained to a tree, and a guard dog paddling around chasing another dog). There are little waterways cut through thick brush. The boat operators quickly roll down canvas over the boat to keep the branches from thwacking us too hard, and it is kind of like a thumping massage. Some guy thought I was Cambodian and took pictures of me, but all in all, an enjoyable ride.
Once we hit Battambang, I found a hotel in the city center, right across from the local market where I could get my $1.25 noodle soup for breakfast. They claimed to have wi-fi, but it was slow an unreliable. So the next morning, a moto driver said he would take me to look for a better place. I told him what I wanted, and he took me to a perfect spot right across the river. Quieter, much cleaner, newer and nicer rooms, a quick walk over the bridge, and they matched the price of my old hotel (since it is low season and they have lots of empty rooms). Made plans for the moto driver to take me outside the town center the next morning and dropped off my stuff. Looked like it was going to rain so spent the day goofing off around town. Walked up and down the river and through all the streets. Went to a museum with old artifacts (big contrast to the high security of the Smithsonian, as these artifacts are guarded with the same glass and lock that they use to store their potato chips and snacks at the local bars). Visited a few temples and chatted with folks. One had a tiny, little kitten that curled up in my hand an seemed content to stay there, so just walked around the monastery with him for a while, much to the monks amusement. Saw a funeral down a side street (funerals can last several days, depending on how far the relatives have to travel).
The next day, my moto driver came to pick me up at 9am and we headed for the bamboo train. It is really just for tourists now, but it was actually a lot of fun (and will be gone in a few years when they build a real train from Phnom Penh). It only one set of tracks (which are run down and not very straight) and you have to get off when a train comes in the other direction so they dismantle the train and take it off the tracks so the other train can pass and then reassemble it. But it goes through beautiful, lush, green rice fields and the driver let me drive the train for a little while (much to the other passengers dismay).
After the train ride, we went to visit a narrow, rickety village suspension bridge that looked out over the river. It bounced as motorbikes passed and I squished up against the sides to let them pass (until a moto carrying a bunch of cargo came and I ran to the other side, as it was clear we both would not fit and I didn't want to create a traffic jam) My driver laughed an called it the Batttambang Golden Gate Bridge. Then we headed to a temple with 354 steps up to the top. There were five crumbling temples built before Angor Wat. I liked the feel of the unrestored temples, but didn't explore too much, as my driver warned me that the area around it may still have landmines. Then a basic roadside lunch of tomatoes, chicken, and rice and a coconut water to quench my thirst after all those stairs.
As we through little villages towards another temple that I had to climb up a small mountain to get to, my driver stopped to get me a freshly picked dragonfruit from a roadside fruit stand run by a lovely, old Khmer woman. She and my driver said somme words and he laughed. he explained to me that she said I talked like a foreigner but was dark like a Cambodian. She let me try all the delicious fruit and we went on our way. Made it down the muddy pot-hole filled dirt road to the next temple and started the climb. Halfway up was another temple over run by monkeys. Stopped and had a coke (which I inadvertently shared with a monkey who decided it was his turn and took it right out of my hand). So continued up to the top. Beautiful view off the area and a monk invited me to sit down. We had a nice long talk and it was very peaceful. He told me of being orphaned and becoming a monk. He now runs a school for village children and orphans because "it makes his heart feel good and when you die you can't take things with you, but the good and the bad you have done can live on."
My driver took me to meet his family. He has a wonderful year and a half year old boy that he found sick and abandoned by the side of the road. He took him to the hospital and stayed with him for 18 days. When they were going to send him to an orphanage, he took him in instead. He and his wife married six months later. He and his whole family are full of kindness and love and I feel really lucky that out of the hordes of tuktuk and moto drivers here, I found him. He also took me to the bus terminal to get me a ticket for my continuing journey to Pursat (my hotel said it would be $10, the same to Phnom Penh, which I knew was not true as it is only a third of the way... when I protested, they said "well no one has ever asked to go there!"). He got me on a local bus for $3.75.
This morning, I woke up to chanting monks, grabbed breakfast at a place (have to just point at something someone else is having that looks good, since there is no English menu and only locals that don't speak English), and watched the fishermen along the river wall. Now, packing the backpack and off to the bus station.
Love,
Betsy
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