Battambang, Cambodia is the perfect place to spend a few days as you journey from the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, to Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor Wat. Centrally located, about a 4 hours drive from Phnom Penh and a 3 hours drive from Siem Reap, this smaller town offers bunches of things to do and see. Some highlights include watching a woman create pottery while walking around in perfect circles as you visit a nearby pottery village, and experiencing the ride of your life on the Bamboo Train.
The history of Battambang includes a French colonization in the early 20th century that created an urban layout of the town utilizing French Colonial style architecture. Mostly two story buildings, the second floor, which seems to be where people live, contains decorated balconies, colorful shutters, and intricate details. The first floor of each building is currently a business.
As many of you may already know, I love to take pictures of windows and doors. My recent trip to Cambodia was no different. It was the balconies and shutters of this French Colonial architecture of Battambang that caught my eye, and I spent time walking up and down several streets just taking pictures of these balconies. One street in particular, that paralleled the Sangkae River, was a nice place to stroll, not only for taking my pictures, but for also seeing the river, and seeing people out and about, leisurely spending time with friends and family, perhaps even walking and jogging for exercise.
As many of you may also already know, I recently published a book about my photography of windows and doors, To Open and Unlock, A Collection of Photographs of Windows and Doors from Ten Countries. Spanning 10 years and 5 continents, with 249 pictures in 99 pages, you can click on the interactive widget to your upper right to take a look at a sampling of my book. (Oh, and feel free to purchase a copy or two as well.)
But I digress. Battambang also offers this list of bunches of things to do and see in and around Battambang. At the village of Wat Kor, a couple of kilometers away, one has an opportunity of visiting the inside of hundred year-old Khmer heritage houses made out of now-rare hardwoods. One can climb the 358 steps that lead to the 11th century temple of Wat Phnom Banan. The gold-gilded temple complex of Phnom Sampeau is a must-visit, as well as another 11th century temple, Wat Ek Phnom. The town of Battambang itself offers an outdoor market, a couple of night markets, shops, the Battambang Museum, and lots of restaurants, cafés, and places to sleep. Not to mention, a nearby winery where one can sample some local drinks, a nearby fish paste market, and a village where the women make rice paper for spring rolls by hand. (All these bunches of things to do and see are definitely potential future blogs.)
The balconies of Battambang are not a part of my book since I took these pictures after I published the book. But with many more photos taken than what I have included in this blog, the balconies of Battambang are definitely a chapter in my potential volume two of To Open and Unlock.
Sweet Travels!