A brief stop for the "real" Cambodia

We booked a bus ticket to Battambang for a big air-con bus. What we got was a taste of the real Cambodia - a rickety old dirty bus full of locals and we were the only Westerners on there. Looking at the other buses, we looked at each other and thought Oh dear, we have been ripped off! We certainly paid more than the locals and we got a lot of stares, it was like being back in China! There were families of 4 crammed into 2-seaters but on the plus side we got our own seats and there wasn't any livestock or anything on board so can't really complain...We also got a taste of the local comedy shows and karaoke as the bus blasted this through at full volume through the sound system directly above Nick's head for the entire 6 hour journey - not even ear plugs would block the screeching out! We did say we wanted to sample the "real" Cambodia, we definitely got that!

Snake made of weapons

Cool guns

Battambang is a small town that can be explored on foot within an hour or so and so a nice contrast to the capital of Phnom Penh. It was so quiet and the streets had hardly any motorbikes or cars on them plus our hotel was very nice. We sat for a little while on arrival in the rooftop restaurant of our hotel and enjoyed the sunshine and the view. It was nice not to hear the constant beeping of motorbike horns or the gabble of tuk-tuk drivers.

Around the town we found that most restaurants were little stalls perched at the side of the dusty roads and that petrol stations were no more than a stand with diesel filled plastic Pepsi bottles! We stopped at the sights including a statue of a Buddha and the same 3 headed snake type statue as Phnom Penh, but this time it was made out of recycled guns to symbolise peace. Very clever.

Petrol station

While in Battambang, Nick arranged to meet up with a friend of a friend, Steve. Steve lives in Siem Reap and has done for 3 years so he was kind enough to give us some tips and show us around the area. First we had a blind massage. We had read to be careful of massage places because some of them can mean something else...wink wink! This was the first massage we had had since being away but we weren't too sure what a blind massage was. A blind massage is by blind people (makes sense!) and they are able to feel the muscles and the body better in order to give you the best massage. Paying for these massages helps support the blind and disabled and so you are helping a good cause and relieving stress! We changed into robes which can only be described as doctor's uniforms (it would have made a good picture) and spent an hour being pummelled from head to toe. Some parts were a little bit hard especially when they climbed on top of you and used their weight through their elbows on your back but it was very nice and afterwards I felt very relaxed. Nick was a tad dubious about having his arse massaged by a dude but I think he enjoyed it too. We then went out for local food which was very nice although we did spy the largest cockroach I think I have ever seen fall onto Steve's foot before scuttling away - not the nicest thing to see before you tuck into a meal but what you going to do?!? We ended the evening with beer by the riverside at a makeshift stall. Steve knew some of the locals and we ended up having beers with random locals telling stories about Dengue fever and how they belong to a circus - it was an interesting night! Steve seems like a nice enough bloke and he has invited us to stay with him for as long as we need in Siem Reap so we think we may take him up on that offer.