The Best of Cambodia & Laos

134 The city runs along both banks of the Sangker River north to south. The city center
and pretty much everything you need is on the west bank. The only three numbered
streets in the city run parallel to the river. These are the blindingly complicated Street 1
(by the river), Street 2 (the first parallel), and Street 3 (the second parallel). All run from
the two-lane crossroad near the post office and the Teo hotel to Phsar Nath (the “Meeting
Market”). Street 3 is the town’s main street with shops (an incredibly high proportion of
which are devoted to mobile phones), hotels, and restaurants. Phsar Nath is very much
the town hub. Banks and travel agents are all situated around here. There is a cluster of
hotels around this area and an increasing number of tourist-focused eateries.
To the south of the central district and largely hugging the river are a number of administrative
and municipal offices and some glorious colonial-era villas on leafy grounds.
On the east bank of the river there a number of hotels and restaurants on the old route
NH#5, heading toward the main road that takes you to Phnom Penh.
Crossing the river south to north are the “New Iron Bridge” and the “Old Stone
Bridge” (which is actually concrete and restricted to motorcycles and pedestrians), both
linking up with Old NH#5 taking you to the main Phnom Penh Road. There’s also the
“Old Iron Bridge” linking the east bank directly to the center of town and the “New
Stone Bridge” linking the north end of town to the main road to Phnom Penh via the
new NH#5. In reality, it doesn’t matter too much where you cross, since most roads on the
east side will take you to the Dambong Roundabout and all other roads radiate out from
there, and on the west side the grid system is simple to navigate both north and south.
BATTAMBANG & NORTHERN CAMBODIA
7
BATTAMBANG
Getting There
BY PLANE There are no flights to Battambang at present, although the airport is still
there and this may change. Until relatively recently there were flights to and from Phnom
Penh on decaying prop planes run by a number of fairly dubious outfits. Those companies
are no more and it does not seem to be in any airline’s financial interest to run the
route at present.
BY BOAT Daily ferries leave in each direction to and from Siem Reap at 7am. This is
becoming a major tourist draw in Cambodia. The fare is $19 to $25 per person. It’s a
beautiful, 7- to 9-hour journey across the Tonle Sap and along the Sangker River in the
wet season, but can take a lot longer in the dry season due to low water levels—rarely
under 8 hours at any time of year. Passengers also get dropped off along the way and the
stops can slow up the trip. Ask about current conditions. The boats are not incredibly
safe but it’s not far to swim to the bank in a worst-case scenario, and the water is mostly
quite shallow. It can become very uncomfortable on the wooden seats after many hours,
so bring a cushion. There is no direct boat to Battambang from Phnom Penh.
BY BUS The road from Battambang to
Siem Reap around the west side of the lake
is now finally in excellent condition the
entire way. It takes about 4 to 5 hours. Bus
companies running the route are Neak
Krorhorm, Mekong Express, and Rith
Mony. There are frequent air-conditioned
buses daily. Tickets can be bought from the
company offices for $4 or $5, just north of
Psar Nath on Rte. 5.
Making Your Shared Taxi
Bearable
For more comfort, pay double and
keep the whole front seat to yourself.
You won’t regret it.