Having disoveed that the only direct bus service from Sihanoukville to Battambang (our stop before Siem Reap) is no more we were forced to head back to Pnomh Penh for onward travel. Deciding to split the journey we stayed overnight in Pnomh Penh, enjoying the riverside aerobics whilst we dined! Not the best photo but this was rigourous stuff and boy can the locals shake their stuff.
The journey onwards should have been about five hours (pinch of salt needed) but the bus driver stopped to pick up and drop off so many passengers that we wondered if we'd arrive by night fall. Matt was up with the lark the next day (possibly even before the lark and definitely before this old bird was chirping!) and took these lovely photos of the sunrise.
The name Battambang means "loss of stick" referring to a legend of Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung. Legend has it that a forest tree feller wanted to cook rice but had no spoon so he used a Rokar branch which in turn made the rice black. As he was hungry he ignored the colour and ate the rice which gave him great power, now able to break a branch of Cheutal and cut the trunk of a kranhoung (a tree whose wood is deemed as hard as iron). Out of the trunk he carved a weapon which won him the nickname of Dambang Kranhoung (Kranhoung stick) and then entered various battles for the throne finally over throwing the king. Seven years later he was challenged by a prince, the son of the former king. Dambang Kranhoung threw his stick at the prince to kill him but missed and his stick landed in a vast secluded forest called Bat dambang, 'Battambang' the forest of the "lost stick". Here is Dambang Kranhoung forming the centrepiece of a busy roundabout in the town.
Local legends done and now to the real highlight...the Bamboo train. These are bamboo platforms run on detachable axels with wheels, pullys and powered by various engines scavenged from all sorts of vehicles. Reaching up to 30 mph as you sit cross legged on the platforms would definitely not pass any risk assessment in the European world but oh what a joy and hilarious too. The rail is a standard track but with the extra benefit of gaps, bent rails and lots of uneven terrain so you swerve and judder as the driver hurtles up the track. This is a single track so you come back the same way and oncoming traffic is prioritised by load. The more you have on board means the less likely you are to have to stop, lift the contraption off the tracks and wait for someone to pass before continuing on your way. Why can't things in the UK be so simple...
I'd heard from a couple of sources that the Bamboo train would soon be stopped, a great shame if it is true. A walk into town was all we were good for after this experience, so we wandered the never ending streets, market stalls and bars until we felt the sun protection waning and the call of a Khmer lemonade (just loads of lime, crushed ice and the forever present palm sugar). Thought I'd leave you with the delightful view of me stuffing my face at dinner (look at that cheek storage!), watching the world go by on a busy street corner.
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