Beyond Angkor: Tales from Cambodia’s Forgotten West

Border battles, red ant sauce, and a circus born from survival.

Jul 25, 2025

Hello, fellow adventurers,

I hope this finds you well—and well-fed. I’m still eating my way across Asia, but today, I want to take you west of the temples and crowds of Angkor to a quieter, more sobering place: Battambang.

This riverside town surprised me. I’d expected colonial charm and countryside calm. What I found instead were the echoes of a dark past—and a testament to the strength of those who survived it. This month, I’m sharing stories from Battambang: of shifting borders, deep resilience, and the unexpected power of rats, acrobats, and red ant sauce.

🗺 A City Once Claimed by Siam

Did you know Battambang and Siem Reap weren’t always part of Cambodia? For over a century, they were under Siamese rule—until 1907, when France negotiated their return during its colonial occupation. Borders drawn by colonial pens rarely settle quietly; to this day, parts of Cambodia’s western frontier remain tense.

Just weeks after we visited a disputed Angkorian temple next to the Thai border, news broke of a fatal skirmish between Cambodian and Thai forces near Chong Bok. Despite efforts to de-escalate, both nations have continued to reinforce their military presence, keeping tensions dangerously high along this unresolved frontier.

The walls of the temple bear bullet holes from recent Thai–Cambodian border clashes.

Bunkers built from fallen temple stones blur the line between sacred ground and battleground.

⛰ The Last Stronghold of the Khmer Rouge

Battambang was also one of the final holdouts of the Khmer Rouge. Long after Phnom Penh fell in 1979, remnants of the regime continued to operate from the jungles and rice fields here. It wasn’t until the late 1990s, after the fall of Anlong Veng and Pol Pot’s death, that the last fighters were finally driven into the mountains along the Thai border. The final Khmer Rouge holdouts surrendered in early 1999.

Today, the scars linger—in the countryside, in the stories of survivors, and in places like the Killing Caves.

A 40-metre-high serene Buddha watches over Phnom Sampeau—a silent witness to the horrors once hidden in the Killing Caves within.

🍽 Of Field Rats and Red Ants

History seeps into the cuisine here, too. One afternoon in a Battambang market, I found myself eye to eye with a skewered BBQ field rat—considered a delicacy, especially when caught after the rice harvest. Locals say it tastes like chicken, though I must confess: I was too chicken to find out 😬🐓

Barbecued field rats in Battambang—golden, crisp, and served with exposed brains.

Then came the dipping sauce made from red ants, with a citrusy tang that reminded me of Sichuan pepper. Our tuk-tuk driver, a quiet man with a wry smile, told us this wasn’t just a quirky menu. During the Khmer Rouge era, these were survival staples.

Tree bark. Tarantulas. Ant nests. Anything.

Between 1975 and 1979, the Khmer Rouge regime systematically starved, tortured, and executed approximately 1.5 to 2 million Cambodians—about 25% of the population at the time. Our driver spoke with unnerving calm of lost family—of parents, siblings, cousins who disappeared. We bumped along the dirt roads as he told us his story, and I realized it would stay with me longer than any temple.

🌱 From Ruin to Resilience

But Cambodia is more than its tragedies. In the same region where people once scavenged to survive, others now build for the future.

We visited REACH Siem Reap, a remarkable charity founded by Australian Emily Williamson. What began as a grassroots project has become a lifeline for families—offering education, food, and support to break cycles of poverty. We left humbled and inspired.

Nearby, we met some unlikely heroes: APOPO’s HeroRATs. These African giant pouched rats are trained to sniff out landmines—remnants of Cambodia’s decades-long conflict. With an estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and unexploded ordnance contaminating its countryside, Cambodia remains one of the most landmine-affected countries in the world. The toll has been devastating: over 40,000 amputees and one of the highest per capita rates of mine-related injuries globally.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of organizations like APOPO—and the sharp noses of their remarkable rodents—around 80% of the land initially surveyed has now been cleared. Still, vast areas remain dangerous.

One rat gave me a quick sniff, then scurried off in what I can only interpret as mild disgust. Apparently, I didn’t pass the smell test 😅

🎪 The Acrobat’s Escape

And then, the circus. No painted faces here—just raw talent and real stories.

Phare, the Cambodian Circus, is both a school and a stage, born in Battambang and rooted in survival. Many performers are former street kids or at-risk youth. Through theatre, music, and jaw-dropping acrobatics, they tell their country’s history with grace and grit.

Watching them felt like witnessing something sacred. Art as therapy. Movement as memory.

✍️ What Travel Teaches

If Angkor inspires awe, then Battambang evokes something deeper. Here, amid rice fields and shadowed caves, I found a different Cambodia—one shaped not just by empires and gods, but by ordinary people who refused to break.

These are the stories that move me most. They remind me why I travel, and why I write.

What I’m Watching

If you’ve ever wondered what it means to fight for a nation’s future while walking a tightrope between two superpowers, Invisible Nation offers a riveting—and deeply human—window into that reality.

This powerful documentary follows Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, as she navigates rising tensions with China and redefines what sovereignty and democracy mean on the world stage. Director Vanessa Hope captures not only high-level geopolitics but also the quiet resolve of a people long denied recognition.

It’s a gripping portrait of modern resistance—without uniforms, without weapons, just relentless diplomacy, cultural pride, and a refusal to disappear.

If you’re drawn to underdog stories, overlooked histories, or the complex tangle of identity and power, this one belongs on your watchlist.

📺 For those of you in Australia, it's available on SBS On Demand for another 2 months—don’t miss it.

Until next time,