{"id":1230,"date":"2014-05-11T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2014-05-11T01:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/blog\/?p=1230"},"modified":"2021-10-18T04:07:46","modified_gmt":"2021-10-17T21:07:46","slug":"five-reasons-to-visit-battambang-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/five-reasons-to-visit-battambang-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Five reasons to visit Battambang now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanks to Allison Jane Smith for permission to reproduce this blog, please see http:\/\/www.movetocambodia.com\/battambang\/five-reasons-to-visit-battambang-now\/ <\/a>for the original post<\/p>\n

Five hours from Phnom Penh, Battambang<\/strong> often loses to Kep and Kampot for those who want a relaxed getaway, and to Siem Reap and Sihanoukville for those who want a more exciting vacation. While it\u2019s true that Battambang doesn\u2019t have the buzz of Siem Reap\u2019s nightlife or the beauty of Kep\u2019s ocean views, Cambodia\u2019s second-largest city<\/strong> is still worth a visit, sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

Here are five reasons to visit Battambang:<\/h1>\n

1. There are many random things to do<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with the obvious. These are the things that make it into the guidebooks \u2013 and rightfully so, because they are worth doing.<\/p>\n

Every evening as the sun goes down at Phnom Sampeu<\/strong>, about 11 km outside the city, thousands of bats take flight, leaving their cave to hunt for the night. It\u2019s a very impressive, David Attenborough-type thing to see.<\/p>\n

\"bambootrain-001\"<\/a>
\nYep, after years of closure threats, Battambang\u2019s bamboo train is still running and still worth checking out.<\/p>\n

The bamboo train<\/strong> takes you through the countryside on tracks originally built by French colonial settlers, although fair warning that \u201ctrain\u201d may be a bit of an overstatement for the slight steel frame that is propelled along by the engine of a motorbike or tractor.<\/p>\n

The bamboo train isn\u2019t the only way to see the countryside; bike tour companies such as Soksabike<\/strong> offer half- and full-day tours, and Green Orange Kayak<\/strong> rents kayaks to take everything in from the river.<\/p>\n

No list of Battambang sights is complete without the circus. The Phare Ponleu Selpak<\/strong> circus troupe is good enough to tour internationally, and is a delight to watch in Battambang.
\n\"pharecircus\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Phare, the Cambodian circus is based in Battambang.<\/p>\n

2. There\u2019s a growing art scene<\/h2>\n

Battambang has a long artistic tradition. Historically, many of Cambodia\u2019s best artists and performers come from the region.<\/p>\n

Today, the arts are thriving in Battambang, with many enthusiastic local artists taking the initiative to put Battambang in the forefront of Cambodia\u2019s arts scene.<\/p>\n

And good news for those tired of Angkor Wat tableaus \u2013 there\u2019s nary a temple in sight as the young artists in Battambang explore both personal and political themes in their work.<\/p>\n

Poke around Sammaki, Make Maek<\/strong>, and Studio 1.5<\/strong> to see the best of Cambodian art.
\n\"chocolartbattambang\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Save room for dessert at Choco l\u2019Art Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

3. There is food and drink<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re hungry or thirsty, Battambang offers opportunities to indulge.<\/p>\n

At Kinyei<\/strong>, try the country\u2019s best coffee, served by 2013 Cambodian barista champion Sakana Long. Ask for her signature drink, the Cambodian cappuccino, or have the street latte, which was Untac Nem\u2019s signature drink when he won the competition in 2012.<\/p>\n

Go to Choco l\u2019Art Caf\u00e9<\/strong> for dessert. Soline\u2019s delicious chocolate mousse and chocolate hazelnut cake is always available, with a rotating menu of other desserts, none of which ever disappoint.<\/p>\n

For drinks, head to Jaan Bai Restaurant<\/strong>, where the cocktail menu includes favourites like an espresso martini, an Earl Grey tea martini served with flair, and Jaan Bai\u2019s own creation, \u201cthe crocodile tail.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. There is something that makes you want to stick around<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a Khmer saying about Battambang being a sticky place, sticky because many people visit for what they think will be a short time, but end up staying a lot longer than originally planned. Others leave only to find their path leads them back again.<\/p>\n

So be warned when you visit: you may find it hard to leave.<\/p>\n

\"Battambang\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Wat Banan, outside of Battambang.<\/p>\n

5. All these things may change soon<\/h2>\n

While it\u2019s the city\u2019s slow pace and quiet charm that appeal to many that visit, Battambang may not be slow and quiet for long.<\/p>\n

More tourists are passing through, and the local government is moving forward on plans to make Battambang more attractive as a nightlife destination. This will include the establishment of a \u201cPub Street\u201d a la Siem Reap, so it\u2019s likely the city will change quite a bit in the next five years. Visit now to experience Battambang\u2019s sleepy charms, while they still exist.<\/p>\n

Soksabike
\nStreet 1.5, Battambang
\nT: 012 542 019
\nsoksabike.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Green Orange Kayak
\nKsach Poy (8 km south of Battambang)
\nT: 017 736 166
\nwww.fedacambodia.org\/GreenOrangeKayak<\/a> (PDF)<\/p>\n

Phare Ponleu Selpak Circus
\nStreet 542, Battambang
\nT: 077 554 413
\nphareps.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Sammaki
\n87, Street 2.5, Battambang
\nfacebook.com\/sammakibtb<\/a><\/p>\n

Make Maek
\n66, Street 2.5, Battambang
\nT: 017 946 108
\nmakemaek.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Studio Art Battambang
\nStreet 1.5, Battambang
\nT: 010 743 074<\/p>\n

Kinyei
\nStreet 1.5, Battambang
\nT: 017 860 003
\nkinyei.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Choco l\u2019Art Caf\u00e9
\nStreet 117, Battambang
\nT: 010 661 617<\/p>\n

Jaan Bai
\nStreet 2, Battambang
\nT: 086 505 954
\ncambodianchildrenstrust.org\/jaan-bai<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thanks to Allison Jane Smith for permission to reproduce this blog, please see http:\/\/www.movetocambodia.com\/battambang\/five-reasons-to-visit-battambang-now\/ for the original post Five hours from Phnom Penh, Battambang often loses to Kep and Kampot for those who want a relaxed getaway, and to Siem Reap and Sihanoukville for those who want a more exciting vacation. While it\u2019s true that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3316,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pharecircus.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}