Battambang the Rice Bowl of Cambodia and Home to 1 Million Bats

After a long van ride (8 hours with coffee breaks and lunch stop) we made it to the second biggest city in Cambodia–population 500,000. The two-lane road was paved and I can’t figure out why it was so bumpy. I couldn’t look out the front window because every time I did I was convinced we were going to have a head on wreak. Along the entire road were rice fields and store shacks/stalls–all selling the exact same things. The rice paddies were dry because planting begins in July for harvesting October to December. Rice is Cambodia’s only export.

A really crazy thing is that the vendors sell gas for motorcycles in recycled Pepsi, water and liquor bottles. Most of them live behind or above there shops.

They haven’t discovered how to consolidate electric wires in Bangkok. This is the telephone/electric poles look like along the roads.

This is me with my group at a roadside stop.

The symbol of Battambang and Applemoon wooden furniture at the government house.

We took a Tuk Tuk tour of the city with a stop at a noodle making family business and a ride on the “bamboo express”.

Some facts on Cambodia:

About 85% of people are Buddhist who don’t think there is a god/gods but do strongly believe in spirits. A large number of stores/shacks and houses have colorful pagoda style shrines in the front yards as insurance for a good life:.

Average income is very low. Factory workers who work from 7am to 5 pm make 10 dollars/day. Very few students go to college which cost $700/year. Primary and secondary schools are expensive and are not mandatory. Teachers are paid very low salaries so they are open to bribes for grades and good attendance records.

Wednesday morning we had a choice to ride a bike on the roads with motorcycles and cars for 20 kilometers in 94 degrees or take a Tuk Tuk to visit local businesses. It was a “no-brainer” for me. We visited a rice paper shop. These are used to make spring rolls. This family makes about 1500/day. A pack of 100 sells for $1.50. The family nets about $7 a day: Our second stop was a banana chip shop:

Our last visit was to a rice wine family still:

After another Tuk Tuk ride, we witnessed the daily ritual of 1 million Bats leaving their cliff side cave for dinner. The exodus was very orderly and took about 35 minutes.

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