Battambang

From Siem Reap, we took the bus to Battambang.

Actually, Battambang is the second largest city in Cambodia, but to be honest, it's not very pretty.

When I arrived, I met an Austrian guy named Klaus and we decided to visit the major attractions around Battambang together.

The Bamboo Train...

As the name suggests, the Bamboo Train is a small structure made up of two axles and a bamboo seat. "Structure" is a good term for it, because when you see it, you don't think that you'll be riding at speeds of up to 40 km/h on the tracks.

Originally, the Bamboo Train was called Bamboo Train because it was pushed by hand using bamboo rods instead of a motor. Back then, it was mainly used to transport goods from A to B. Today, the train only operates on a small stretch of track, which takes about 25 minutes. However, every day there's a chance that the Bamboo Train may no longer exist, as the train network in Cambodia is supposed to be expanded. At the moment, there's only one train from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh, but that is expected to change soon.

I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about this experience. Neither the "train," nor the axles, nor the motor, nor the tracks, nor our driver looked very trustworthy. But anyway, we got on the bamboo platform and off we went. One thing is for sure, you have to hold on tight. The tracks go up and down randomly, and we were amazed that we didn't derail.

By the way, when there's oncoming traffic, the whole Bamboo Train has to be dismantled so the other one can pass through.

It was a super fun experience, and as long as the Bamboo Train is still operating, you should definitely not miss it.

The bats of Battambang...

A little outside the city, there's a huge cave from which millions of bats fly out in formation every evening to go hunting.

So we went up the hill first, which is right next to the cave. On the hill, there's a Killing Cave to see and you have a very nice view.

Then we went back down to the cave to observe the bat spectacle. It's unbelievable how many bats come out of this cave and in what precise formations they go hunting! The army of bats seemed endless for 45 minutes. They hunt all night and apparently return to the cave around 5:00/5:30 in the morning.

One thing is for sure, I wouldn't willingly set foot in that cave!!!

Unfortunately, I don't have many good pictures of the bats, only videos - and as usual, I can't upload them.

That's it for the attractions in Battambang, and I was ready to continue my journey to the south, to Kampot.