Around Battanban :What to See

The following is just a partial list of things to see. Ray Zepp's Around Battambang is required reading for anybody who wants to explore the Battambang area. This 100 page book is an invaluable guide to Battambang's pagodas, sights and tales, containing practical, descriptive and historical information presented in Mr. Zepp's inimitable 'just there yesterday' style. The book is available for $5 at hotels, restaurants and shops around Battambang. Countryside Tour The rural countryside outside of Battambang is National Geographic picturesque. Within just a few kilometers of town, the countryside turns into small villages filled with stilted houses and rice paddies that stretch to the horizon. You'll see plenty of countryside on the way to any of the local sites. Check out some of the local products in the making - rice paper, noodles and the fish paste market. It's all very traditional if not a bit unhygienic and smelly. The roads are often rough and always exceptionally dusty. Bring a good hat and a krama to cover your nose and mouth. Ek Phnom is an 11th century Angkorian ruin built as a Hindu temple under Suryavarman I. The temple consists of prasats on a plat- form with some carvings in pretty good condition. Wat Ek Phnom, a modern pagoda, sits next to the ruin. The river road drive to Ek Phnom from Battambang passes through some absolutely beautiful countryside. Phnom Banan is a mountaintop, 11th century Angkorian ruin consisting of five prasats. Peaceful location with a nice view of the area. Also L'Ang But Meas cave. Very old (150 years+) active pagoda at the base of the mountain. Pagodas Both Battambang town and the surrounding countryside are replete with pagodas, some of them very old and respected. See Around Battambang for complete information about visiting the local pagodas. Phnom Sampeou Mountain, steeped in legend, and topped by Wat Sampeou and a group of caves used as 'killing caves' by the Khmer Rouge, containing the skeletal remains of their victims. The wat is unexceptional but the view is spectacular. Ask about the legend of Neang Rumsay Sok.

Siem Reap And The Temples Of Angkor