Pursat in the late 90s was a pleasant and forgettable provincial capital. The nearby Cardamon Mountains were just a bit difficult to get to, although I think that is no longer the case. The market and the river and an old wooden footbridge was the just about sum total of the town.
Better roads and access, more publicity about the area, more money for infrastructure has no doubt brought change, for the good hopefully.
I did like the town: small, friendly, welcoming. Just don’t expect to party like a rock star.
Population 60,000, Pursat sits south of the Tonle Sap, about half way between Battambang and Phnom Penh.
I remember it as a very pleasant provincial town.....
...where nothing much happens.
Even tourismcambodia.com says "for people just driving by, the impression of a boring ordinary town remains."
The central market was a relative hive of activity.
Locally grown tobacco was big business here.
For the more healthy visitor, plenty of fresh greens.
And fish.
This riverside restaurant served up food to match the views.
The Pursat River is a source of both food and pleasure (oh, and water).
In the dry season, the water retreats, leaving beaches for games and picnics.
And watching kids jumping off a cart was about as hectic as Pursat got.
This lovely wooden bridge to a Buddhist wat completes the picture of a town that time forgot.
The nearby Cardamon Mountains can now be visited fairly easily, I believe.
I have read about forest retreats and wildlife watching in the parks nearby, but in the 90s, that was a long way off.
Returning to Phnom Penh, I joined the locals on the cheap seats of the train.
Enjoying a refreshing breeze as we tooted through the Cambodian countryside seemed better than a crowded taxi.
Loading timber at several unmarked stops added to the time, and the blazing tropical sun was a lot to bear.
While the trip was exhausting, but memorable, it lasted much longer than the novelty did. When I come back to Pursat to visit the mountains, I will take a taxi.