Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The shophouses
The streets immediately south of the Psar Nat market are where you'll find most of
Battambang's old shophouses - perhaps the finest pocket of colonial-era architecture in
the country, despite the damage wreaked by modern additions, rebuildings and
renovations. Most buildings follow the traditional Asian shophouse plan, with an
open-fronted shop downstairs and living quarters above - the ground-floor shop is
typically set back under a wide colonnaded walkway created by the overhanging upper
storey, typically embellished with elaborate wrought-iron balconies. The best preserved
shophouses are along the photogenic and increasingly gentrified Street 2.5 , many of
whose old buildings have now been restored and converted into touristy bars,
restaurants, shops and so on. Those along Street 1.5 are looking rather run down, while
many of the facades along streets 1, 2 and 3 have been buried beneath big plastic signs
and other gimcrack modern additions.
2
The railway station
A short detour off Street 3 brings you to Battambang's neat little 1920s railway station ,
complete with original ticket counters. The building has been cleaned up and is now in
reasonably good shape - which is more than can be said for the trio of overgrown
platforms and the weed-choked tracks behind.
The riverfront
Battambang's sweeping riverfront with its wide grassy banks and paved walkway is a
great place for a stroll. Originally the Sangker River was just 5m wide here, but when
the Dambang River, south of town, was dammed by sinking a boat filled with earth
across it, the Sangker gradually widened, and is now at least 30m wide (depending on
water levels). In the late afternoon fruit-shake and food stalls set up near the post o ce
while the park across the nearby bridge turns into a vast outdoor gym as the health-
conscious housewives of Battambang come to exercise after work in the shadow of the
eye-catching Wat Sangker , instantly recognizable thanks to its modern Bayon-style
gateway, topped with four enormous faces.
THE BAMBOO RAILWAY
While there are currently no scheduled train services in Cambodia - for the time being at least
(see p.22) - enterprising locals in Battambang have made good the deficiency with the
ingenious bamboo railway ( norry ), running along a stretch of otherwise disused track just
outside town and used to transport people, livestock and goods, as well as increasing numbers
of tourists. The planned resumption of regular train services along the line has thrown the
future of the bamboo railway into doubt, although it continues to flourish in the meantime
- and indeed it's possible that even if regular trains ever resume, bamboo trains will continue
to run during the gaps between scheduled services.
Currently, a dozen or so “trains” run up and down the line, each just a couple of metres long,
consisting of a simple four-wheeled metal undercarriage with a detachable wooden platform
placed on top. Trains were formerly propelled using long poles in the manner of an Oxbridge
punt but are now powered by small motorbike or tractor engines, reaching speeds of around
40km/hr. If two trains meet en route, the one with the fewest passengers cedes right of way
and is dismantled on the spot (the work of just a minute or two) and cleared from the line,
allowing the other to pass.
PRACTICALITIES
The start of the line is about 7km from Battambang ($4 return by moto, $6 by tuk-tuk). The line
itself runs for some 6km, with a fare of $5 per person (or $10-15 to hire an entire “train”). Trips
up and down the line last around 20-30min, with trains departing as soon as su cient
passengers have climbed on board. .
 
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