We left Phnom Penh to go to Battambang Province. We ended up driving 5 and a half hours up to Battambang, but made a few stops along the way. On our way out of Phnom Penh we hit morning rush hour traffic! We got good glimpses of life driving around on Scooters. Right before getting out of the city we were stuck in a single line behind a truck and the lane next to us was being re-paved. The workers were spraying down a layer before putting more tar down. This scooter driver to our left thought it would be a good idea to get around the traffic by driving over the road that was being worked on. He sped over it and turned, but because the ground was wet he had no traction and slid and fell. He ended up having black tar and paint all down his right shirt and pant leg, but got right back on the scooter and drove off like nothing happened. I guess this is just life in Cambodia, huh!?
They call the wires "Spiderwebs"
Our first stop was to a village where they are well known for making jewelry and pots out of silver. We got to meet a family as they were working on a couple pieces.
The next stop we went to was Oudong Mountain. It seemed like the type of place that during the popular times of the year would be very busy. Luckily we were there early and kind of in an off-season. We climbed up the first set of steps and to the right was a path leading to the first pagoda. As we kept walking passing more pagodas we were eventually greeted by a small group of monkeys running around and playing! It seemed that they were guarding the last pagoda. We were surprised when we looked up and saw this huge White structure that looked so beautifully preserved. It was shooting up into the sky, so stunning! There was so much detail and we couldn't believe how crisp it looked! This was the last Pagoda on the mountain we visited. Inside it houses 5,000 Buddhas!
After we took the stairs down from the mountain we saw a series of street vendors selling food and souvenirs! There were these women making a fried dough treat. It was so delicious! Was a little similar to funnel cake but not as fluffy, more crispy. The perfect treat to eat after walking up and down stairs!
Along the drive, we ended up stopping at a road-side restaurant that was half-outside with a covering. Their specialty was Snakehead Fish soup, they are close to a river (which would be our next stop) so they get the fish fresh. We ended up trying the fish soup and a stir-fry beef dish. The soup was good, it had a nice clear broth and veggies in it as well.
Our last stop for the day was a river with a Vietnamese Floating Village on top. We took a boat out to see the houses. It was really interesting to see that the houses are made with bamboo floats and rubber underneath them, so they are literally right on top of the water. Each row of houses are tied to each other and tethered to the shore so they don't float away. The people mainly live off of the water and fish for their food. This neighborhood is only for Vietnamese people who came over to live in this particular part of Cambodia.
After the Village we ended up in Battambang and were getting excited for our next days Adventure!