Battambang & Phnom Penh

Up and coming

Instead of heading straight for Phnom Penh from Siem Reap, we decide to make a stopover in Battambang, Cambodia’s second largest city. With its 150.000 inhabitants it can hardly be called a big city, and it does boast a kind of small town vibe. With a river flowing through the centre of Battambang and a treasure chest of cultural heritage, it’s a very nice place for an afternoon stroll.

In Battambang we get a first impression of the result of the Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot. During an pleasant city walk – our goal being to discover the architectural gems the French built here during their rule in Cambodia – we notice how much culture has been lost during the rule of the Khmer Rouge in the seventies. Especially cinemas, banks and schools were no longer wanted in the perfect agrarian society that Pol Pot intended to construct. Everything intellectual, Western, modern or foreign was no longer wanted and effectively destroyed. But not just buildings were demolished, people also perished. People who had been able to study, spoke a foreign language or just wore glasses were considered intellectuals and were often persecuted and killed. Battambang, being a city, was a modern and non-agrarian place, so it had to be destroyed, it’s people had to move to the countryside. Many did not survive the regime. A little drive outside the city there is a Killing Field memorial (similar but smaller to the one in Phnom Penh) to commemorate these victims.

While staying in Battambang we get the impression that they would like to lure more visitors to the city. The city counsel is trying hard to protect more of its architecture and they are even making an effort to get a UNESCO-heritage badge for the entire centre. At the same time they try to keep the city clean (they’re not completely there, but A for effort) and construct enjoyable parks to hang around in.

To be honest, Battambang is not a wow-destination. You can skip the most well-known tourist attractions (the Killing Caves, the Bat Cave and the bamboo train) without feeing like you’ve missed something. It’s a nice stopover but not more than that. But it might get better if they keep up the good work!

The silver linings city

Cambodia’s capital. Phnom Penh. Maybe the best way to describe the city is to compare it to an old woman that used to be very pretty. If you look at her, you only see her missing teeth, her many wrinkles and her crooked back at first. There are layers of dirt under her nails and she has plenty of age spots. But when you look at her long enough, you can see the beauty hidden underneath, the beauty that used to be there years ago.

Years ago. Which means not today. When walking through Phnom Penh today, you see the dirt in the streets and the neglected old buildings. Cross a bridge and you immediately smell the foul stench of the open sewer running underneath your feet. All around you, you see barbed wire, buildings with enormous fencing in front of them and balconies sporting sharp spikes to protect from intruders. The burglary rates are sky-high in Phnom Penh and everyone is learning how to cope with this reality in his or her own way. It’s not pleasant, not at all, but after a couple of days we get used to it and we can barely see it anymore.

So after those couple of days and a few long city walks, we learn to look past the ugly façade of today and start seeing the glory of yesteryear. There are clear signs of it and once you start seeing them, you know that this city used to be grand. It’s not without cause it was once nicknamed the Paris of the East. Just like in Battambang it’s only a case of knowing where to look.

For the history enthusiasts among you (and seriously, for everyone really), Phnom Penh has a lot more in store. The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is a very good place to learn more about the rule of terror under the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979. Every afternoon, a survivor of the infamous prison S21 (there are only seven!) retells his story. Needless to say this is a very touching moment for both parties. Additionally you can visit the Killing Fields (one of those spots you just can’t give a miss). Almost all prisoners of the aforementioned prison were killed and buried in this spot. To be honest, besides the memorial, there is not that much to see at the Killing Fields, but a peaceful park has been laid out, which makes it a perfect spot to contemplate the millions of victims that have died under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Recommendations

Battambang

• Follow a cooking course. You will most probably learn how to prepare fish amok and beef loklak, two typical Cambodian dishes that are both very tasty. The courses here a lot cheaper than in Phnom Penh.

• Download the “architecture tour” made by Khmer Architecture and follow the route to learn more about the cultural heritage that is to be found or that has disappeared.

Phnom Penh

• Tuol Sleng (S21) genocide museum

• Same as for Battambang: the “architecture tour” made by Khmer Architecture makes for a nice walk through the city.

• Visit the Central Market; it’s a beautiful building! You pass it by on the city walk mentioned in the previous recommendation.

Striking

Battambang

• People put their hand out of their car window in addition to using the indicators (or to replace them completely).

• The use of USD is less widespread compared to in Siem Reap.

• The almighty tuk-tuk is also very powerful here. If you don’t plan ahead and have a good gps, you will have to take a tuk-tuk to get where you’re going as there are no signs or indications to be found anywhere to find the tourist spots.

• Memorials commemorating the victims of the regime of Pol Pot are often built by foreign countries (Canada, United States, New Zealand, France, etc.) instead of Cambodia. What makes it worse it that they are now in a completely neglected state, basically crumbling to pieces.

• Lots of beautiful temples in the area!

Phnom Penh

• Buildings are often painted in a pastel yellow hue.

• Many people (mostly women) wear “clothes” that can only be described as long-sleeved pyjamas, the most popular design are flowers.