Circus, art, and heat in Battambang

We had a great first day in Battambang! After the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh yesterday, Battambang feels a lot calmer and much less crowded. Sure, there are tuk tuks and street vendors here too, but there are also lots of Pagodas and a relatively clean river in which the locals bathe.

After breakfast in our hotel (think Bamboo-house with a natural pool :-)) we went to explore the city as well as its coffee places ;-) We started to read up a bit more about Cambodia’s past and how it got to where it is today (did you know that Cambodia was the first and only country that was once placed under direct UN control?).

In the evening, we went to the Phare Ponleu Selpak school for arts, dance, music and performance. The students study there for three months per year for three years to graduate in their course. The students for music and performance put on a well-known circus show. Anna read about it in the “REPORTAGEN” magazine back in Germany and so we were curious to see it for ourselves. The school is a very good opportunity for local kids to learn skills (such as video game animation or graphic design) that helps them build a career and escape poverty. Many of the students go on to work in Phnom Penh.

We then had dinner in a great restaurant offering Khmer cuisine with locally sourced ingredients and a variety of vegan options - including dessert :-)
On our way back, our tuk tuk driver took us past one of the Pagodas where we were able to see some of the Magha Puja celebrations. All the pagodas are lined with candles, creating a wonderful atmosphere in the temples :-)Read more