Beautiful Battambang
Lovely little Battambang is a wonderful spot and is a great place to recover from temple-hopping at Ankgor Wat. The town is okay, but it is the rides through the countryside that we really loved. Hire a tuk-tuk for the day and your driver will know where to take you. We especially liked our driver, Bun (email : Bun.2002@hotmail.com or mobile: 078646162). He is trustworthy, a good English speaker, and found lots of terrific sites and activities for us. He even got us and invitation to a Cambodian wedding!Don't miss the bamboo train, the evening bat exodus near the killing cave (sounds horrid, but is really quite fascinating), and visits to home industries - rice paper, bamboo sticky rice, rice wine, and fish paste. Also, check out the circus - it is similar to Cirque de Soleil.
La Villa is a nice place to relax for dinner, though the atmosphere is better than the food. King Fy Hotel is definitely recommended - free laundry, bikes, breakfast and great service.
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Cambodia's only winery is in that area, the wine is not the best but if you are interested its deffinately worth a look.I feel the bamboo train is more rustic if you go near Pursat, also a bit cheaper as they don't get the tourists.
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ahprrp - thanks for the recommendation of Bun. We contacted him and had him as our guide for a day in Battambang in January. He was excellent. As already mentioned, he's a good English speaker. In addition, he's kind, knowledgeable and fun! He took us to the "important spots" as well as the lesser important spots - such as stopping to show us and explain about a woman barbecuing rats at the side of the road and selling them. He shared information about daily life including many of his own personal experiences which we found very interesting. We had a very full and great day with him and recommend him highly. He can be contacted by e-mail or mobile phone - both are listed in the original post above.6
I also used Bun during my entire stay in Battambang. Not only did he take us to the main attractions of Battambang (i.e. Phnom Sampeu, Wat Banan, evening flight of the bats, bamboo train, etc.), but he also stopped to show and explain to us other nuances of the town, culture, food, and people (i.e. he stopped to explain to us ceremonies that were taking place along the way, showed us places that sold dog meat, and showed us where to buy sweet sticky coconut rice roasted in bamboo sticks to name a few). Bun is a very honest, sincere, and careful driver and he gave us honest, affordable prices. He is very reliable and was always on time at the agreed upon location. He's also quite charismatic and kept us entertained with brain teaser riddles during the trip. He's very knowledgeable about the places in Battambang and history of Cambodia. He also shared personal stories that were very interesting. Plus, his English is excellent. He can be contacted by phone at +85578-64-61-62 or 078-64-61-62 or by email at Bun.2002@hotmail.com . We would recommend him to everyone who comes to visit Battambang! He definitely made our stay here more pleasant and very memorable!
