Cambodia's Battambang - legendary!
If the current wisdom is to visit second cities, not capitals, then Battambang fits the bill. It’s just 60 odd kms from Siem Reap, home to awesome Angkor, the UNESCO listed jewel in Cambodia’s crown, so how could it possibly compete? Well, it shouldn’t even try. Judged on its own merits, which are many, it’s well worth a visit.
It was my second time in Cambodia but first in Battambang. Awesome Angkor hadn’t disappointed even on a repeat visit. I’d hoped to volunteer at a school just outside Siem Reap but the summer had turned out to be the worst possible time to go. There were more volunteers than children as most of the kids were helping with the harvest.
There’s actually more to the city’s catchy name than meets the eye. It means ‘loss of stick’ and refers to the tale of the Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung (Kranhoung Stick King). He was a farmer, who found a magic stick. Legend has it that he became king because, as long as he had the stick, he was invincible. The first clue to Battambang’s intriguing legend is the black statue at the roundabout. Imposing and surprising. I asked the taxi driver to explain and he filled me in.
Traditionally, Battambang has been the source of Cambodia’s artists – circus performers and singers in particular. The painting on the walls of a café where I stopped for coffee paid tribute to a well-known Cambodian singer, Ros Serey Sothea, dubbed 'Queen with the golden voice', who disappeared during the Khmer Rouge regime in the early 1970s. Her fate is still unknown.
Its peaceful, riverside location and beautiful, well-preserved French colonial architecture belie the dark past of the killing fields and the Khmer Rouge with its genocidal regime. The Killing Caves of Phnom Sampeau just outside Battambang are a chilling memorial to the victims and provide a timely reminder of what Cambodians endured.
The city makes a great base to visit the temples scattered around the town and the charming old French shop houses along the riverbank are a real delight. Don’t miss the chance to have dinner at the beautiful La Villa hotel and buy your souvenirs at the many NGO gift shops in the centre. The purse in my jacket pocket right now was bought at the Lonely Tree NGO shop not far from the Sangker river.
The current population is around 250,000 and although it was once known as the rice bowl of Cambodia, nowadays tourism is increasingly important to Battambang’s economy. Hopefully it won’t have suffered too much from the effects of the pandemic. It won’t be the first time Cambodians have had to bounce back.
It was my second time in Cambodia but first in Battambang. Awesome Angkor hadn’t disappointed even on a repeat visit. I’d hoped to volunteer at a school just outside Siem Reap but the summer had turned out to be the worst possible time to go. There were more volunteers than children as most of the kids were helping with the harvest.
There’s actually more to the city’s catchy name than meets the eye. It means ‘loss of stick’ and refers to the tale of the Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung (Kranhoung Stick King). He was a farmer, who found a magic stick. Legend has it that he became king because, as long as he had the stick, he was invincible. The first clue to Battambang’s intriguing legend is the black statue at the roundabout. Imposing and surprising. I asked the taxi driver to explain and he filled me in.
Traditionally, Battambang has been the source of Cambodia’s artists – circus performers and singers in particular. The painting on the walls of a café where I stopped for coffee paid tribute to a well-known Cambodian singer, Ros Serey Sothea, dubbed 'Queen with the golden voice', who disappeared during the Khmer Rouge regime in the early 1970s. Her fate is still unknown.
Its peaceful, riverside location and beautiful, well-preserved French colonial architecture belie the dark past of the killing fields and the Khmer Rouge with its genocidal regime. The Killing Caves of Phnom Sampeau just outside Battambang are a chilling memorial to the victims and provide a timely reminder of what Cambodians endured.
The city makes a great base to visit the temples scattered around the town and the charming old French shop houses along the riverbank are a real delight. Don’t miss the chance to have dinner at the beautiful La Villa hotel and buy your souvenirs at the many NGO gift shops in the centre. The purse in my jacket pocket right now was bought at the Lonely Tree NGO shop not far from the Sangker river.
The current population is around 250,000 and although it was once known as the rice bowl of Cambodia, nowadays tourism is increasingly important to Battambang’s economy. Hopefully it won’t have suffered too much from the effects of the pandemic. It won’t be the first time Cambodians have had to bounce back.