Battembang, Cambodia

Originally I had no intention of visiting Battembang. In fact, I had never heard of it, Cambodia's second largest city, until somebody told me about it. The town is decent, nothing special, but the countryside is one of two reasons people visit. The other, and the chief reason I was there, was to take what is supposedly Cambodia's most beautiful stretch of water from Battembang to Siem Reap.

The first day I was in Battembang I was walking through the local market for a small bite when somebody asked me what I was looking for. I told him. He said I could get that dish "over there" but that it was not too good (a statement like this is highly unusual as just about everybody knows just about everybody and gets a commission from everybody for everything). I said "OK, thanks, good to know." He invited me to sit down with him and talk and for some reason I accepted. This guy, Yali, works in the market during the nights and is a security guard (which probably means he just sleeps somewhere in the market). He said he often talks to foreigners such as myself and sometimes has some over to his home for dinner. I said this was nice of him. He invited me and, against my better judgement but in line with my instincts, I accepted. We would meet later that evening and he would take me on his motorbike to his home, we would eat, and he would bring me back. I was still a little hesitant so I made sure to leave my passport and all but US$10 in my room so that if something happened I would not be out much. Fortunately my anxiety was unjustified and his intentions were pure. Once at his home, Yali even showed my pictures of the other foreigners that had eaten there. One guy, he said, stayed in Battembang for a month and virtually all of that time with Yali.

After dinner he returned me to the market area (right near my guesthouse) and we agreed to meet at 11AM the following day. At that time, he would take me to him home again for lunch and would show my around the countryside. I took the same precautions
as I did the previous day, except this time I took about US$20 in case I needed to pay entrance into something.

The countryside fulfills its reputation. There are a handful of temples that are OK but the real thing to do is just stop and talk to random locals. And, with the help of Yali, this was no problem. It was a cool day and a break from interacting with other tourists. We also took a ride on the "famous" bamboo train in Battembang. It was a trip; going what felt pretty fast down a train track that has never been maintained on a platform made of bamboo with an engine. That is all. After an afternoon of exploring we returned once again to his home for dinner and then he dropped me off once again near the market. I would be leaving the following day so we parted ways. I gave him some cash for his efforts, which we had never formally discussed, but I felt that I should give him something for his time and the food.

While Yali presented no problems for me, he is not without issues. If my count is correct, he refered to three different wives and several different current girlfriends. All of that might be lies but it was still uncomfortable and weird to listen to, especially when discussed in front of his pregnant wife that does not understand English.

In the guesthouse that I was staying I met a Dutch guy, Rick, who was making the same boat trip as me and we decided to travel together. The boat trip was pretty awesome. It is dry season right now so the river is low so the ride takes considerably longer. There were several times when we got stuck in the mud. The first 1.5-2 hours were not enjoyable for me but after that it was good all around with great views and brief, but real looks into the lives of the people living along the river. Certainly glad I did it.