Phnom Samphou and the Bat Cave

11 kms outside of Battambang there is a mountain which is home to the Killing Caves which houses some of the remains of people killed during the Khmer Rouge genocide.  There is a pagoda there and it gives an odd mix of senses between the tranquility of the monks and the reminders of the dreadful happenings here only 40 years ago.

I took this moto to the top of the mountain.  The guide was a delightful young man who spoke good English and was able to explain the sad history of the area

A simple home near the Pagoda

Two coloured bougainvillea 

A monk being instructed.  Many Cambodian boys join the Pagoda for a set period of time from a few months to several years. Here they receive a good general education and many learn English.

I was speaking to a Cambodian girl whose father a man in his 60s has recently chosen to leave his home, wife and older children to go and live in the Pagoda. 

A saffron robe drying 

The killing cave

Every evening around 17.45 at sundown this cave entrance produces an amazing spectacle of nature.

Over one million bats take several minutes to leave their cave.  They pour out in a steady stream.  Our Tuk Tuk took us to a better viewpoint from where we could see the formation as they headed out to feast on insects during the night.          

A giant Buddha's head

The stream of bats

Thirty minutes later the bats could still be seen from another vantage point.