438 replies to this topic

[dixon cox]

We stopped at the other end for about 30 minutes and had some cold drinks, a few snacks and I had a few snouts. There wasn't really anything there but the journey wasn't about the destination, it was about enjoying the ride.

We sat at a small snack shop and she chatted to the lady who ran it as we watched the kids playing. But a few of the kids had no clothes on so I mentioned it and within a minute everyone's little bits and pieces were covered up. There's something uncomfortable about being around other people's children in the nudie.

The little kids seemed fascinated by the sight of a ladyboy, they probably don't see many down these parts but she is very friendly to everybody so perhaps they didn't even realise.

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[dixon cox]

There were a few other barang we saw who also came to enjoy the ride but it wasn't busy, we just passed them as we either left or arrived. But after a very pleasant day which was enjoyed by both of us it was time to head on home.

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[dixon cox]

Back at the guesthouse we sat on the porch and planned what we would do tomorrow and decided there were still some places that we (I) wanted to see before we left Battambang for Siem Reap. If we stuck to our plans we only had two days left.

I took a short walk before returning to the porch where they'd cooked homemade potato soup and I had a few cans of Anchor beer as I watched the local life nearby. In the evening a small group of us went over to the new shopping mall to test out some of the video games, there was barely a soul to be seen apart from in the arcade area on the top floor, which was packed.

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[dixon cox]

An early rise again today but no walking this time as our plan was to ride out to Ek Phnom, a temple located about 12km outside Battambang. I'd also heard about a disused Pepsi factory we might find along the way which I'd hoped to see.

Just on the outskirts of town we did indeed find the abandoned Pepsi factory so we pulled over to take a look. There were no people around but the gates were slightly open so we went inside. There was a solitary groundsman who she chatted to and he said it was ok to go in for a look, but not to be too long. I went in alone as she thought it was ghostly, I never saw one but there were signs of life inside, but there were no people.

The story goes that Coca-Cola had exclusive rights for a bottling factory in Thailand, so Pepsi built this factory in Cambodia not too far from the Thai border at Poipet. In 1975 during Pol Pot's reign the Khmer Rouge destroyed the place as part of their efforts to rid the country of anything modern.

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[dixon cox]

After the Pepsi factory we proceeded in a northerly direction following the Sangker River towards Ek Phnom.

A fascinating journey and well worth the trip for the ride and scenery alone, passing through small villages made for a lovely ride watching local communities going about their daily business.

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[dixon cox]

Ek Phnom precedes Angkor Wat, hence it's condition. But much of the reason Ek Phnom is in such a state of dispair is due to the looting of artifacts where people have moved or damaged sections in order to retrieve pieces causing it's collapse in parts.

There was almost nobody there at Ek Phnom besides us, apart from a couple of kids and some family members running a drinks and snacks stall where we stopped and rested with a beverage before setting off back.

It cost us nothing to enter Ek Phnom although we'd heard a ticket man does the rounds occasionally, but we never saw him.

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[dixon cox]

Shame the skies were a bit over-cast today as we had more plans after riding out to Ek Phnom. Back in town we enjoyed a late morning breakfast at the Angkhor Thom Restaurant (near to the Smoking Pot) and then back to the guesthouse via a bakery on Road 3 for coffee, baguettes and a sweet snack.

Showered and rested in the room a while and around 15:30 a group of 6 of us set off on 3 bikes to visit Phnom Sampeau - The Killing Caves. The 6-man crew consisted of two hetero girls, two lesbians, one ladyboy and me.

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[dixon cox]

Phnom Sampeau has a $2 entrance fee for foreigners, the 5 Khmers got in for free. We rode the bikes up the winding slopes to the top and walked around the wat and various inner temples and several caves with a girl guide.

Refreshments for all with some dishes of cooked food at a little food stall near the top. A couple of local monkeys attempted a raid but the guide summoned the temple dog and it successfully chased them off and seemed to enjoy it too.

As is commonly the case in Cambodia many areas were under construction, much of which was due to their destruction by the Khmer Rouge. Nobody else was about except us and a few Khmers that worked there.

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[dixon cox]

Some of the caves at Phnom Sampeau were used during Khmer Rouge killing period. Men, women and children were divided up, killed and then pushed down seperate cave openings where most of them remain to this day. A number of skulls are on display (similar to S21 in PP) in a cage.

We spent maybe 2 hours at Phnom Sampeau before arriving back at the Guesthouse around 6pm, a nice afternoon outing.

After rested in the room for an hour we go out with the two lesbians to the Korean Steam Boart [sic] BBQ over the river. Noodles, extremely lean beef pieces, boiled eggs (in a delicious soup) and vegetables. The total cost was $16 and I wanted to pay with a $50 bill but they didn't have change, despite the place being extremely busy. The food was absolutely delicious and my little ladyboy served and took excellent care of me.

Back at the guesthouse we retired to the room and showered. With all that fresh air topped off with an excellent feed at the Korean Steam Boart today we slept like proverbial logs.

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[stonefre]

Enjoying the photos DC. That deserted Pepsi plant made me think of the old Pepsi "Come Alive" commercial.

[Socrates999]

I am certainly enjoying this report DC, cheers Amigo
Tel

You're a good lad Tel, thanks mate

Get yourself to Cambodia when I'm back there and I'd be happy to show you around some of the hotspots

When are you back? I'm there in about 2 weeks.

[dixon cox]

When are you back? I'm there in about 2 weeks.

Hi Socrates, good to hear from you again, it's been a while

As it happens I booked my one-way flight ticket last night to give myself a target date to aim for in terms of finalising everything here in the UK for an extended stay away in SE Asia.

I will arrive in Bangkok at the very end of June then head to Pattaya for a week or so first before heading over to Phnom Penh. I suspect that's too late and I shall miss you as it would be approaching mid-July by the time I got there.