Battambang

We are in the city/province of Battambang, Cambodia and have stared to feel like locals around here. We have become quite aware of a daily event and can predict within minutes when it will occur. The sky will darken, the wind will pick up, and the air will smell moist. A rainstorm is coming. They happen every  day and we have become quite accustomed to the magnitude of these daily deluges. In fact, we have come to enjoy them.  Within minutes  of these  warning  signs the  rain will begin to fall.  It is our delight to be caught somewhere we haven't been before so we can take cover someplace we may not have otherwise stopped. We meet interesting people, often times in their home/shops and will share a bowl of soup or drink with them.

We are having  a wonderful time here. While it is considered a large city by Cambodian standards it has the feel of real life Cambodia. There are only a handful of 'tourist' attractions and even then the locals have to tell you about them and where they are. We wanted to ride the Bamboo or Norrie trains which had been built in the 1960's when the area was trying to reestablish itself after the  rule of the Khmer Rouge. These train tracks run through the heartland of this area and was the method used by the rice farmers to transport their rice through the countryside. The 'train' itself is actually a bamboo platform that sits on two metal rods with metal wheels. It is powered by something that looks like a lawn mower engine and while not always the smoothest ride, certainly one of the most exciting. We loved the part when you meet someone coming from the opposite  direction. Both parties stop and the incoming car gets of the track so  the outgoing car can pass.

 We took this train deep into the countryside one day and  went to a rice factory. Here we watched as they to took the dry rice and hulled and refined it and then packaged it in 50 pound bags. The entire process was incredibly fascinating. It is a time of religious  holiday for the school aged children and they are present in these factories and often times working along side their families. They knew a lot about the rice process and we found them delightful as they explained it to us.

We went to a winery one day and sampled the local wine and rice brandy. Not quite the same as ours but an enjoyable experience none the less. The winery is very small and you can walk it in it's entirety in fifteen minutes. It began producing marketable grapes a few years ago and they are just beginning to produce a yearly batch of wine.

We stopped along a village one day to watch a family make the rice paper wrap used in spring rolls. They still use the traditional method and everyone in the family participates. Rice is very slowly boiled over a low flame in huge pots. The rice softens and the water thickens and then the liquid is spread over a cloth that snuggly sits over another boiling pot of water. The rice mixture is spread very thin and covered with a lid to steam. Within seconds it is ready to be removed, carefully, and placed on a bamboo rack for drying. When the rack is full, it sits outside to dry before they are packaged and sold at the markets in town. Tedious work that the entire family partakes in.

Often times we ride our bikes or walk through town or the countryside. We enjoy the adventures of shopping for everyday items. I needed a piece of velcro the other day and we went from market to market until we found a tailor who knew what we were trying to ask for. It was fun trying to explain what velcro was.

At the end of the day we return to our Sanctuary where we are always greeted with a cool washcloth and a glass of tea. Our host asks us about our day and if there is anything else we need. We take a dip in the pool to cool and refresh ourselves. Sometimes we eat dinner in and sometimes our driver takes us into town and we eat at the outside market where the locals are eating. We wil miss this place and the familiarity we have grown accustom to.

We have our visa for Viet Nam and will head in that direction soon. We will take the bus to Phnom Penh and then head over to Ho Chi Minh City. We will spend sometime in the Mekong Delta area and then meander for a while before heading to Laos. We plan on spending Tom's birthday in Kuala Lumpur,  Maylasia and then head back to Singapore. We will let you know...