Battambang
Battambang is Cambodia's second largest city, but it isn't on the main tourist trail, and I have to say, not without good reason. Battambang is certainly a nice enough place. I would even say that the people in and around town are some of the nicest you'll find in Cambodia, if not Southeast Asia. The center of town still has some rather pretty old colonial buildings, and there are also some Angkor era ruins in the countryside around town.
The thing is, the ancient ruins aren't much compared to Angkor, Kampot has, in my opinion, a better array of colonial architecture on offer, not to mention the ocean nearby, and Battambang is rather hard to get to. There are no flights, so the only realistic option is road travel, which takes four hours from Phnom Penh or three hours from Siem Reap.
It's not that I don't like Battambang. I loved it, in fact. But, it's a place that is only going to appeal to certain people, mostly those that have "been there, done that" and want to get off the beaten path. Battambang is a place for people who have learned to slow down and enjoy the smaller things that a provincial town like this has to offer.
Most of the sights, such as they are, are in the countryside around town. There are impressive ruins - though nothing like Angkor - at Ek Phnom and Prasat Banan. The area around Battambang was one of the last strongholds of the Khmer Rouge, and chilling memorials to the terror they wrought can be found at Phnom Sampeau and Wat Somrong Knong.
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Accessibility is probably one of the main reasons that Battambang doesn't get more visitors. Although the city does have an airport, there are no regular flights. There is a train line between Phnom Penh and Battambang, but service was discontinued in 2009. The entire rail network is currently being renovated, with work expected to be completed by 2013.
Boats are an option from Siem Reap. The trip can be particularly scenic, but the boats themselves are often of questionable safety.
There are more than a dozen hotels around Battambang town. The best of the lot is probably La Villa, although it's not currently listed by any of the discount booking sites. 'Best' doesn't necessarily mean expensive, with rooms at the La Villa going for around US$60 per night. I've selected a few of other options worth considering below.
Au Caberet Vert Hotel Simple resort-style property not far from the town center.
Chicken salad on rosemary Parmesan bread ad Cafe Eden Battambang seems to have a good selection of restaurants that cater to foreign visitors. You can easily stroll around the core of the old town area and find any number of places, serving a mix of Khmer, Asian and European cuisines. Most of the restaurants have full bars, but there don't appear to be too many pubs.
Tasting the wine and brandy outside Battambang The countryside around Battambang is home to one of Cambodia's only wineries.
Cambodia's year is generally divided into three seasons: the "cool season," "hot season" and "rainy season." But for travellers from Europe and North American these might more appropriately be labelled hot, really hot and really hot and wet.
Historical Weather Patterns for Battambang The cool season runs from November to February, and of course this is the best time to visit. High temperatures during this time are usually around 30°C (85°F) with night-time lows sometimes dipping below 20°C.
Offices of the National Bank of Cambodia in Battambang Banks and ATMs There are several banks with automatic teller machines (ATMs) around Battambang. The handiest and most reliable is probably the ANZ Bank next to the Psar Nat market. Remember that foreign ATM cards are charged an extra US$4 to use Cambodian ATMs. All banks also have exchanges, which are open during normal business hours.
Internet Internet access around Battambang seems to be fairly fast and reliable.
Battambang City Map While it may be Cambodia's second largest city, Battambang still feels like a small town. Most of the interesting sights of the city are within a block or two of the river, and between the old provincial governor's mansion to the south and Psar Nat to the north.
Battambang Provincial Museum The provincial museum in Battambang is a dusty old fashioned kind of place. It does have several fine sculptured architectural details from the Angkor era temples in the area, but they're displayed in a rather haphazard fashion with no information that might illuminate their meaning. Still, the pieces are excellent and the museum does give you a chance to see them up close.
Admission to the museum is US$1.
The old chapel of Wat Somrong Knong with the new one in the background The temple of Somrong Knong is just six kilometers north of Battambang. The temple was seized by the Khmer Rouge in 1976 and turned into a prison. At least 10,000 people were put to death in all manner of grisly fashion here, and it's reported that the warden even introduced cannibalism, putting prisoners to death and then eating parts of their body.
The central sanctuary of Ek Phnom Wat Ek Phnom is an eleventh century Hindu temple about 14 kilometers north of Battambang. It now sits within a modern Buddhist temple that features a beautiful elaborate prayer hall, and a large concrete seated Buddha image, still under construction in the middle of a lotus pond.
The temple is in a badly deteriorated state. A linear central sanctuary stands on the ruins of two terraces, all of which is surrounded bye a covered gallery, most of which is now collapsed.
The killing cave on top of Phnom Sampeau Phnom Sampeau would be an interesting place even if it weren't for the rather grisly recent history. The hill rises sharply from the flat surrounding countryside about 14 kilometers south of Battambang, affording a great view of Battambang and the rest of the countryside.
The saddle-backed hill has temple complexes on both of its peaks. The temple on the slightly lower peak is built over a complex of caves, which are the focus of the grisly recent history.
The central tower with a shade over the modern altar Banan Hill, or Phnom Banan, is a small hill about 400 meters high around 21 kilometers south of Battambang. Atop the hill is the province's best preserved Angkor era temple, Prasat Banan. A grand stone staircase leads up the side of the hill to the temple. There are 358 steps, so be prepared to sweat.
The temple complex consists of five towers arranged in a cruciform pattern.
Battambang has a rich supply of colonial era architecture. As in Kampot, there are a lot of buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, in various states of decal or restoration. Some of the best examples are facing the river, between the old governor's mansion and the Art Deco Psar Nat market. Few of the buildings have been completely restored, but most are not beyond repair.
The old Provincial Governor's residence in Battambang Psar Nat, the main market of Battambang Old buildings facing the river A stroll around town will take you a couple of hours, at most.
May 2011
My top-floor room at La Villa Battambang La Villa is very likely the best hotel available in Battambang at the moment. Housed in a converted 1930s villa, it's certainly the most charming. The hotel faces the river opposite to the main city, so that in the mornings you have a great view of the old buildings lining the river, if you have one of the four rooms that face the river.
The temple of Wat Peapahd is just north of the main market of Psar Nat. The temple and school has a rather nice main chapel, along with another large hall that has some rather nice Khmer details along with European lines. There are also several funerary reliquaries around the edges of the temple grounds, some of which are quite large and elaborate. The temple is good for a stroll if you're also wandering around the market, but it's probably not worth a special trip.
One of the funerary reliquaries surrounding the main chapel Wat Tahm Rai Saw, or the "White Elephant Pagoda", is a modern Buddhist temple near the provincial museum in Battambang. The temple was built in the mid-nineteenth century and renovated many times, but now the magnificent wain prayer hall is in a pretty bad state of repair and was closed when I visited in May of 2011.
The main eastern gate flanked by near-life sized sculptures of white elephants.
