Do: Bamboo Train in Battambang

I love Battambang.  It's pretty; it's peaceful.  Life just seems to move at a slower pace there.  It's a nice change from Phnom Penh.

And my favourite thing to do in Battambang is the Bamboo Train, or Norry, as it's referred to locally.  If you haven't experienced the Bamboo Train, it's kind of like a antiquated roller-coaster, without any dips.

You'll find it about 5km from the centre of Battambang, at a disused railway station.

The tourist police will be waiting to charge you an exorbitant (by Cambodian prices) amount to take a ride (last time we went we were asked for $5 per head). You can try bargaining, if you like. If you succeed, give yourself a pat on the back, because they're usually pretty adamant about the price.

They'll then call your driver, who will set up your norry (i.e., bamboo platform on wheels) and away you go.

The train heads in pretty much a straight line.  Most of the way, the tracks are lined with bushes, where cows graze, seemingly unperturbed by the clattering trains. Every so often you'll get a glimpse of the surrounding rice paddies, which are quite picturesque. I'm not sure how fast the train actually goes, but as it clatters along, it feels pretty fast.  A word from the wise, if you decide to take off your shoes, keep tight hold of them.  I lost one, which was very kindly retrieved by the next carriage.  

But the real experience happens when you meet a carriage coming the opposite way.  As there is only one track, someone must dismantle their norry to allow the other to pass.  Generally the side with the least norries/passengers is the side that must dismantle, with some help from the other drivers.

Eventually the train stops at a small village that has a brick factory, that I haven't yet explored.  A number of small stalls are set up selling drinks and snacks.  You're free to roam for as long as you like as your driver waits for you. Although the drivers will often call their passengers at the same time in an attempt to travel in a convoy and thus avoiding having to dismantle their norries.

On the way back, you may find yourself with extra company as some locals hitch a ride back.

At the end of the day, the train is a bit of tourist trap, and it's also overpriced.  But it's also, in my opinion, a lot of fun. And should be experienced once, if not more often.

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Go: National Library of Cambodia

Force ties for a time. Ideas bind forever

As a die-hard lover of books and libraries, I've been wanting to visit the National Library of Cambodia for quite some time.  It's also been on my to do list as one of the Jewels of Phnom Penh (I am trying to get to all of them - very, very slowly). Unfortunately, for me, visiting the National Library is easier said than done - it's open Monday to Friday, from 8am-11am, and 2pm-5pm - not particularly convenient for those of us with jobs.


But the other day, I finally did it.  The Library is housed in a lovely, well-maintained colonial building.  Right next door to the equally beautiful Hotel Le Royal.

The outside has been carefully restored (by students of the School of Fine Arts, I believe).  And includes intricate decorations and friezes.

There's the French quote above, and it's Cambodian equivalent.​​​​​​  The Cambodian version sits above the door to the souvenir shop, which I doubt ever opens.

Another Cambodian piece, on the other side of the building, holds a much simpler message: look; learn.

Inside, the building is still grand, but somewhat less ornate.  Although there are some more friezes, and some lovely wooden furniture.

A few students from the University across the road sit at long tables and endure reprimanding stares from the staff if they get too loud.  I enjoyed flicking through some of the books in the reference library, checking out where the book had come from. Some were stamped as donations from the National Libraries of other countries or from Embassies, a couple had the mark "US Army Salvage" stamped heavily inside.  A few new volumes hid among an array of outdated encyclopaedias.

There is a small lending library, which a foreigner can join for $10 per year (if I remember right) and Cambodians can join for a much more modest sum.  The collection includes books in Khmer, English and French, and to be honest, the book-lover in me was tempted, but the problem is the Library is just too out of the way for me and the opening times too inconvenient.  But I enjoyed perusing the dusty shelves with a mix of books and disused typewriters and office furniture.

I think my favourite thing in the whole room was these beautiful old catalogue boxes (do they have a proper name?).  Oh, what I wouldn't give to take one of these babies home.

I asked whether they were still used (given the state of the rest of the library, I honestly wasn't sure).  But, no, they've been replaced by a catalogue, which is also online.  Everything in the catalogue is in the library, I'm told. When I request a couple of books, the librarian says she'll bring them if she sees them.  I'm not very hopeful, but 10 minutes later she appears with one of the two requests.

I chatted to her for a while about the woes of the library.  I'm told that the contents of a large box on counter marked "Donations" are used to fix the photocopier and the like.  "Not for books?", I ask.  No, the only books are donations, she tells me sadly, it's not like libraries in your country.  No, indeed, it's not.

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Do: Cinema Paradiso at Hotel Le Royal

A while back I told you all how much I love outdoor cinemas.  Yep, I love outdoor cinemas more than kittens.  I also mentioned in that post all the problems about watching movies outdoors - its uncomfortable and hard to see and hear.  Well, I thought that was true... until now.  The clever people at Le Royal have come up with what is, in my humble opinion, the ultimate outdoor cinema.  Best of all it's super comfortable and no-one obstructs your view.

Welcome to Cinema Paradiso...

Yep, a cinema full of sun-lounges.  Why didn't anyone think of this earlier?

Being Raffles, the service is fabulous.  We were welcomed with Martinis, which always make me feel so sophisticated.

Of course, you can't watch a movie without snacks.  At Raffles your munchies take the form of a bottle of wine and luscious canapes (naturally, dah-ling).

With snacks and drinks sorted, the only thing left to do is sit back and enjoy the movie.  Cinema Paradiso only shows classic movies.  We were entertained with Dirty Dancing.

As you can see, even though we were in the last row we had a perfectly clear view of the screen.

All in all, a great evening.  If you want to check it out, the last screening for this season is the last Thursday in March and I recommend booking ahead.  The price is $20 per person including drinks and canapes.

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Lunchtime Vacation

All this writing about holidays on my blog has made me feel in desperate need of a vacation. So I came up with the perfect solution, I took a lunchtime vacation.  And it was the Best Lunchtime Ever.

The Boy and I decided to take advantage of my lovely long lunch break and headed to Villa Langka for an hour's holiday.  A sneaky swim and drinks by the pool anyone?

Aren't these the coolest outdoor cushions you've seen.  Made out of recycled plastic bags they're good for the
environment too!

Non-guests are only allowed to use the pool at Villa Langka during the week and you must spend $5 on food, which is not difficult.  We grabbed some fresh spring rolls and a club sandwich.

These avocado and prawn fresh spring rolls were as fresh and delicious as they look.

We also grabbed a passionfruit pannacotta for dessert.  After all, we were on a vacation (of sorts)!
It was good, but not quite as good as the one at Aria D'Italia.

After our swim and lunch, I flaked out on the sun bed for a while.

It was glorious.  The only problem was at 1.30, when I had to head back to the real world and felt insanely jealous of all the other people who really were on holiday and could relax on those sunloungers for the rest of the afternoon.  Oh, and the fact that there was nowhere for me to wash my hair, so I had to head back to the office smelling of chlorine.


Anyway, I still think it's just about the best thing you can do with a lunch break. I just might have to take little lunchtime vacations on  a regular basis.

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