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