Riding around the “country side” of Battambang was exactly what I needed to fall more in love with this place. It’s absolutely beautiful, and the echoes of “hellos” from all the carefree children, you couldn’t help but grin, the two Cambodia boys were 24 and 26 and kept telling me that everyone was yelling out how beautiful I was and then saying they were so lucky to be spending the morning with me. So up went my self esteem, haha. But in all seriousness, they were very genuine boys, who were more than happy to drive me 3kms out of the city to find a beautiful pool to laze by and swim in and asked for nothing but to write a review on their company on trip advisor, both studying in Battambang and trying to make some money and help their country out at the same time. The fact that all I had to pay for was some fruit went down very well in my books and though I now sport the worst worst shorts tan, the 40km ride was 100% worth it. I’m going to sleep well tonight!

Khemer Rouge memorial, filled with the skulls and bones of the some 10.008 bodies at we’re killed on the instructions to go to the rice fields to harvest (in which all the educated people were killed!)

For those who don’t know what bamboo sticky rice is, I didn’t know either until today. Essentially it’s rice (Battambang is a famous province for well harvested rice), coconut milk, sugar and soy beans, cooked inside a bamboo piece, and sealed with a papaya. To eat you not so simply crack the bamboo and peel the sides down and chomp away. I was thankful I had the guys to do this cause I’d have no hope on my own. Delicious!

Because the guys I was with were students, we got free coconuts, and the price of this fruit was all i had to pay today ($2 for everyone). Drinking coconuts whilst one of the guys played guitar as we cooled down to make the journey home.

A similar formula to rice paper, just a slightly different process, and requiring a team effort. Once the paste is ground and made, it’s pushed through the small holes into the boiling water, quickly after mum scoops them out with s basket and places the batch in cold water, still cooking slightly and then pours them into her sorting bucket, whilst her children prepare some vegetables (apparently?) to combine with the bubbling away soup.

Next stop on the ride, and a common thing but only within this small part of town, with house after house making literally thousands of sheets of rice paper. All laying out the front of their house (or on their roof?) in the sun out to dry. Again laying of slats of bamboo (giving rice paper the cross pattern on it. The lady demonstrated with ease, of course how she makes rice paper day in, day out. Then it was my turn and I failed miserably. It was so hot just making one, I don’t know how she does 2,000 per day!

Yep, so I did the unthinkable… I lugged my iPad through the outskirts of Battambang, through all the villages, whipping it out to snap up photos. I felt out of place doing it, but I was the only one on my tour this morning (besides my two guides) so I couldn’t care less and I’m glad I got to share what I got to see. Today I had my first motor bike ride, though I’d swore I wouldn’t hope on one whilst here… I had absolutely no choice when I was picked up at 7:30 this morning with this my only option. Reluctantly and terrified I mounted the bike. I had planned to do a bike tour whilst here, mainly because they sounded amazing but also due to the shear amount of rice we’re served up daily by Mrs. Leng. The hostel owners told me a new group were conducting the same style tours but much more cheaply, run by local university students. Turns out, on weekends their tours are in fact free. FREE is a backpackers favourite word. I though why not, I was actually helping out locals this way. It actually was a fantastic move on my behalf, not only was it personalised, but they had a lot more knowledge and contacts of the locals. We rode for about an hour getting outside the hustle and bustle of the city (though less hustley than Siem Reap or Phenom Penh) and this was our first stop. Many if the previous houses in this area had a similar set up out the front of their house and with the abundance of banana trees I can see why. The lady thinly slices 6 bananas laying them into the bamboo slate. Usually they leave them in the sun for about 5 hours to dry them out, but the best way, I am told, is to eat them when they have been cooked over the fire for a minute or so. Whilst we waited we sampled the bananas. They are more like lady finger bananas, much smaller but their size definitely does not compensate their taste. These were the sweetest and best bananas I’ve ever eaten, grown from the back of this ladies house. The bottom picture is what we were brought over, and the three of us took turns breaking pieces off. I was shocked that the only ingredient was banana because the sugars had almost caramelised whilst drying it out. They lady makes the equivalent of $2.50 a day selling sheets of these for 10 for $1. I purchased $1 worth cause they were too good not to take some back to Pursat and share with Emma, and to say thank you for the lady for letting us into her home.

I arrived in Battambang much more easily this time and just in time to wander the streets before sunset. I scouted out a place that (hopefully) does cooking classes on Sunday morning, if there are enough people and have signed up for a bike ride which turns out is free on weekends. So that’s awesome! And as hoped there are numerous hotel pools to mooch off. The only down side of this weekend away is my camera died this afternoon, so either I’m going to have to be a disgusting tourist and take iPad photos, or ill just leave you with this photo of my hostel which was $2 a night and are having a Cambodia concert/ BBQ/ party tonight, with hammocks and bamboo chairs galore. I’m in heaven,

We have chickens surrounding our house, in fact there are chickens everywhere. They start their call at 4am, which usually doesn’t sink into my sleep pattern till 6am when I’m starting to wake up. Every morning I’m up before 7, which I don’t mind because it much cooler then. This morning I was up before 6, not feeling too cash hot in the stomach (nor are many others-that damn curry we were served for lunch and dinner!) I went to sit outside and read with the sun rising behind me, and walked out to see my host mum doing Zumba to crazy Cambodian music. It was a sight and a half, and as per usual I was shooed away and told “inside”. Cambodia’s days start at 5am and finish before 8am purely cause of the heat. I decided that I’d go for a walk around the neighbourhood and I’ve begun to appreciate why they’re up so early. It’s peaceful and the perfect temperature. The sun hasn’t got any strength to it, as of yet and the roads are quiet and filled with few bikes riding to and from the markets. Being I’m bed before 9 most nights here surprisingly has its perks!