Battambang

Our first full day in Battambang we hired a tuk tuk for the day and went out to check out the sites around the city. Our first stop was to catch the bamboo train which was basically planks of bamboo tied together which sat ontop of two bars with wheels and a motor. It was quite an experience and the bumpiness gave our arses still sore from two days of epic biking quite a workout. At times you could see when the tracks didn't quite meet up which meant preparing yourself for a bump.

We then headed for Phnom Banan, a Wat situated up a massive hill. I realised just how unfit I was when I found myself struggling only a third of the way up 358 stone steps. Although it was a mission to get there, the views were amazing.

Our last stop Phnom Sampeau was up another big hill. We all struggled this time as the day turned out to be an absolute scorcher. About halfway up we stopped to check out the Killing Caves which was a cave with a big hole at the top where the Khmer Rouge bludgeoned people and threw them into the cave. Didn’t think it was appropriate to take pictures because people were praying at the bottom.

That night there was a local circus with children performing which we decided to attend.


Day 2, Battambang
We decided to relax and take it a bit easier on our second day by taking a cooking class in the morning. The cooking instructor took us to the local market where we picked up some fresh ingredients to make our fish amok, beef stirfry and chicken & lime soup. All three dishes turned out delicious and we were even given a cook book so th at we could replicate these dishes back home. At one point we were offered some nice chillis to try which turned out to be a bad idea as we should've learned by now that our tolerance for extreme spice was pitiful. We all struggled for a few minutes afterwards, quote Jamie Stuart "guys I can't see a thing" as his eyes teared up. We took it pretty easy the rest of the day.