Cambodia: Saturday, March 13, 2004

PETROL STATION

PETROL STATION
As I was taking the previous photo these fellas thought it was funny and had a laugh. So I grabbed a photo of them and had a laugh too.

BILL BOARD

BILL BOARD
All around Cambodia are these great bill boards to help get certain messages across to the mostly illiterate population. This one is from World Vision and focus' on halting the spread of AIDS.

ALL ABOARD

LOADING THE TRAIN

TRAIN'S HERE

TRAIN'S HERE
Quickly assembled, a bamboo raft on two axles and a motor to run it.

PLATFORM

COCK FIGHT

COCK FIGHT
We just happened upon this as we were driving through a village.

WAT EK PHNOM

Wat Ek Phnom is a dilapidated 11^th century temple dating from reign of Suryavarman 1. Of course its on a hill, there was a girl on the top with two big eskies, full of soft drinks, that she carries up every morning and back down again every evening. She couldn’t have been more than 11 years old.

ANOTHER TEMPLE, ANOTHER CLIMB

OFF TO MARKET

5 BHRAMAS

BUDDHA

CIVIL WAR MOMENTO

KIDS PHNOM SAMPEAU

DEATH

DEATH
The remains of some of those flung to their death.

SLAUGHTER HOUSE

SLAUGHTER HOUSE
Prisoners were confined to this building with barely room to move as the killing of intellectuals began.

GOLDEN ROOF

STATUE

PHNOM SAMPEAU

SCAFFOLDING FOR NEW BUDDHA

GATE TO PHNOM SAMPEAU

Phnom Sampeau in the distance

18km southwest of Battambang is a striking limestone hill and it is here that we found Phnom Sampeau temple. Yet more steps to the top on which are situated a wat and a stupa. Nearby are a couple of large field guns, a hangover of Cambodia’s civil war. A school closeby was used as a prison during Pol Pots tyrannical reign. Nearby Caves contain skulls of the many murdered here. A hole high above in the roof of the cave is where victims were thrown to their deaths.

VILLAGE MARKET

VILLAGE MARKET
Some fantastic things for sale in this little village market. Apart from tasty fried spider you could get rat, cooked or raw.

BRICK MANUFACTURER

BRICK MANUFACTURER
First stop on our bike tour was a stop off at the local brick factory to see how they make them.

COLONIAL BUILDING

COLONIAL BUILDING
French colonial style can be seen all round Battambang

BATTAMBANG

The province was once the richest. Many times in it’s history it has traded hands with Thailand. Cambodia's second largest city, it’s really an elegant riverside town with the best preserved examples of French colonial architecture in the country.

DAY 8

Saturday morning we took a tour on the back of motorbikes around the countryside of Battambang.

Amongst the things that we took in were the Brick Factory, Phnom Sampeau,Wat Ek Phnom,Cock fight

Bamboo Train ride

Drinks at Riverside Balcony Bar

Dinner at White Rose

Drinks at Paradise.

Saturday, March 13, 2004