Pursat

Pursat is the capital of western Cambodia's Pursat province. It is indistinguishable from Cambodia's other small provincial capitals. This sleepy town holds marginal interest, though may be used a base for visits to the Tonle Sap Lake or Cardamon Mountains.

Get in

Fully paved National Highway 5 runs northwest from Phnom Penh via Pursat to the county's second largest city, Battambang. All buses between Battambang ($2.50 from Pursat) and Phnom Penh ($5 from Pursat) will stop here. Buses run every half-hour in the morning and early afternoon. Buses take 4 hours to Phnom Penh and 1.5 hours to Battambang. All the major bus companies service Phnom Penh. Sorya and Capitol Tour are the most reliable big names. Capitol Tour runs the lastest afternoon departure from Phnom Penh at 2:00pm, and sometimes 3:00pm.

Get around

Central Pursat is easily covered foot. Motodops hang around the market, bus stations, train station, and sometimes along the highway. A ride anywhere in town should cost around 1,000 riel. A day trip to Kampong Luang or elsewhere can be negotiated for $10 or more. The occasional tuk tuk can also be found. The Phnom Pech Hotel rents small motorbikes by the day and half-day.

See

There is little English spoken in Pursat.

Like all of Cambodia's former railway towns, Pursat hosts a charming French-built railway station that has decayed into a slum, which gives the area an interesting vibe. The railway is currently being restored. Services were scheduled to to resume in 2013, but have not done so yet.

Do

Walking the town will best show you its provincial dusty charms. Children will scream "hello" at any passing tourist. Locals may invite you for some food or karaoke.

• Kampong Luong (Floating village on Tonle Sap Lake), (28 km east of Pursat along Highway 5). 1. Once you're at Kampong Luong, you'll find that the local community has set up a central organisation offering three different boat trips that all last an hour, and have fixed prices starting from $9 for 1-3 people. A return tuk-tuk from Pursat should cost around $20 - the journey from Pursat to Kampong Luong takes around 45 minutes.
• Bamboo train, (Cross the central bridge in town to the east, turn right into Street 146 (after the Total gas station) and follow it until you hit the railway). Motorcycle taxis (known as "motodops") may take you there for 2,000 riel, however it's easy walking distance from Pursat's central bridge. According to local tuk-tuk drivers, there are trains only from about 10am to 2pm. Going from Pursat to the east, the train will be filled with locals and goods. Calculate at least $8 to be brought back to the departure point, or be brave and go on till you meet another one or find somebody who can take you back to Pursat.

Eat

There are quite a few nice places to eat in Pursat but you might struggle a bit if you can't speak the local language.

For those with a sweet tooth, the Heng Chamreun Bakery, situated 500m west from the main bridge, sell very good pastries. About 1000 riel for one piece.

At night, a popular street stall is the street noodle lady, Nisha, in front of the big Tela petrol station (which also hosts a small western grocery store). 3500 Riel for a plate of noodles with a fried egg.

If you are craving western food there is the Pursat Pizza House. They sell burgers and pizzas. A little more expensive than the traditional Khmer food at $4+. Has english menus.

One restaurant that makes for an interesting visit is the White Elephant. It has an extensive English menu which includes many more unusual items like cow penis with ants, along with the typical Khmer fare.

Sleep

The Phnom Pech Hotel

• Phnom Pech Hotel, Road 1, Pursat, Cambodia, ☎ 052951515. This hotel is about 200m North from the main bridge on the westbank of the river. Rooms are usually equipped with Western bathroom, cable TV and fan (6$/per night) or air-con (from 13$/per night). There is an attached restaurant serving decent food.
• Thansour Thmey Hotel & Guesthouse, St 102 at the corner to Highway No 5 (Just around the corner from where most buses would drop passengers. Second street to the west if you cross the central bridge to the west), ☎ 012 962 395, [1]. Thansour Thmey offers basic rooms in the guesthouse ($5-7, fan, western toilets and TV, en-suite bath although sometimes without sink and with huge gaps under the doors which makes the mice happy) and midrange options in the "New Thansour Thmey Hotel" ($8 fan, $13-25 air-con). Has computers with reasonably fast internet access and a separate restaurant with English menu.

Get out

• Pursat offers access to the Cardamom Mountains, giving it potential for eco-tourism.
• Phnomh Penh Sorya and Rith Mony have ticket shops just west of the central bridge, Capitol is only a few more metres farther.

Routes through Pursat

Poipet ← Moung Ruessei ←

NW  SE

→ Phnom Penh

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