Things To Do in Battambang

A wander among Battambang's classic crumbly colonials, all of which are colored a deep yellowish tan that lights up in the morning and evening light, makes for nice city walking. There are a few Buddhist temples scattered around town, and south of the city is the large statue of a kneeling Ta Dambong, the legendary founder of peace and stability in the region, holding the "Disappearing Stick" for which Battambang gets its name.

The real sights in this area are the rural temples and beautiful countryside. A 1-day trip can get you to all of them, and as much fun are the rural stops in between, a visit to a farmer's field perhaps or to roadside juice stands; you will see real rural Cambodia in all its richness and variety. There are rice paddies in shades of deep green, flocks of kids cycling home from school, old folk pottering about their business, their heads swathed in kramas, their baggy black pants billowing around their legs. A trip to Wat Phnom Sampeou and Wat Banang is a good circuit, beginning at Rte. 10 on the west end of town and then returning along the river. For $5, most motorbike drivers will try to talk you into a trip back on a small metal-and-bamboo, motor-driven platform that sits on top of the train tracks, a common form of transport considering that the train only passes once each day. A visit to Wat Phnom Ek is an additional trip in the other direction.

Psar Nath in the center of town is the main market and is geared toward locals. You can find all kinds of practical goods and foodstuffs -- fruit, vegetables, meat, clothing, kramas, shoes, hats, food stalls, and so on. Gem dealers, photo shops, and money-changers line the streets that surround the market. Psar Leu, just south of town, is the place to buy produce such as oranges and pomelos. The oranges are said to be the best in Cambodia. The Smiling Sky Bookshop (St. 2; tel. 012/298-005) sells secondhand English-language books including Cambodia-related titles, novels, and popular literature. They also trade books. Pulp (btw. St. 2 and St. 3; tel. 012/178-3584) is a new secondhand bookshop. They also sell snacks and coffee. There are a few souvenir shops on streets 1 and 2 selling local goods such as woodcarvings and some cotton and silk accessories. Compared to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, though, the options are limited. The main commodity on sale in the center of town seems to be cellphones -- Battambang must have more cellphone shops per capita then anywhere else on the planet.

Battambang is very quiet after 9pm. There are karaoke joints, restaurants, and a few bars but they hardly make a dent in the town's general sleepiness. The Bus Stop stays open until midnight if there are customers and it can get quite busy. The Riverside Balcony Bar also caters to a crowd if one is around. Until 2001, there were a number of fantastic discos on Street 3 where a live band would get the crowd going with a mix of traditional Khmer ballads and '70s soul. Whole families would come down on a Sunday evening and boogie together. Sadly these are now gone and the main nightspot dancing venue is the Sky Disco (tel. 012/862-777; open daily 8pm-1am) near the Khemara Hotel and Cold Night restaurant on Old NH#5. This is much more of a modern Thai-influenced affair with some pretty strange playlists. It can get busy on weekends and is a good place (well, the only place) to expend energy and work up a dance-induced sweat.