Pursat
Poŭthĭsăt (Pousat) is a Provinces of Cambodia. Poŭthĭsăt (Pousat) area is 12692.
Introduction
The pleasant country town of Kampong Thom has plenty of activities to keep a visitor busy and is easily accessible from Phnom Penh (just under 2 H hours or 162 km from the Japanese Bridge) via a good stretch of National Highway 6. The town has a nice layout and is situated on the banks of the Sen River, which is a long, winding body of water that originates in the Dangkrek Mountains of Preah Vihear Province (near the Thai border) and finally empties into the Great Lake, Tonle Sap.
The town is well situated as a crossroad to the important sights of Angkor (Siem Reap), Preah Vihear Temple (abutting Thailand). And the ancient capital of Sambor Prei Kok, only 29 km northeast of Kampong Thom town.
An unsecured area of Cambodia in the not-so-distant past, the town has become fairly lively with residents of Phnom Penh driving up to see the area’s sights and have a weekend getaway, which testifies to the fact that security is no longer a problem. There are even a few sights to see along the way from Phnom Penh, making the short journey an interesting one.River Scene The river road north of the market turns into a boulevard where locals hang out and picnic in the early evenings. There is a park with gazebos and a small bridge going out to an island park area nearby. Continuing north, just beyond another bridge you come to a small dam/ spillway where locals swim, fish and hang out. On the east side of the river, about 100 meters north of the dam is a sandy beach area. The river originates in the mountains and is fairly clean. The area is beautiful and there is a restaurant just north of the dam (see restaurant section) that’s right on the river- a perfect spot to sip a beer and watch the show.
People
An estimated 85-90 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Ethnically the population consists of about 90 percent Khmer, 5 percent each of Chinese and Vietnamese and small numbers of hill tribes (Chams and Burmese). Khmer is the country's official language. It is spoken by more than 95 percent of the population. French, as a second Ian a is also spoken, mostly by older people. English is more commonly spoken by the younger generation. There are 214,651 male and 228,342 female with total 442,973
Get in
If you happen to be passing through from Battambang on your way to Phnom Penh and you’re not to Pursat by around 5:30 pm, you should seriously consider spending the night here. The military checkpoints spring up after dark and are not always user friendly.
By share Taxi
Pursat to Battambang 100 baht / 10,000 riel
Pursat to Kampong chhnang 100 baht / 10,000 riel
Pursat to Phnom Penh 200 baht / 20,000 riel
The rates are for an inside seat and are the same going either direction, from the destinations mentioned. The share taxi stand is just east of the River Bridge on National Hwy 5, on the south side of the road.
By Train
Pursat is on the Phnom Penh to Battambang route and the train makes a stop here, along with about 550 (or so it seems) other small towns on the trip. It’s a very slow trip, but you certainly get a chance to see the countryside up close and personal.
Phnom Penh to Pursat (and Battambang- departs 6:20-7:00 am, arrives in Pursat 1:30-3:00 pm.
Pursat to Phnom Penh –departs 12:00-2:30 pm. That’s about the best that can be given for a schedule.
Get around
Motorcycle Touring Info
As mentioned earlier and in previous sections, the road conditions on National Hwy 5 are slowly improving north and south of Pursat, with the Pursat to Kampong Chhnang section a bit better than the Pursat to Battambang section. It’s all doable, but definitely easier during the dry season. Security is not a problem.
Phnom Penh to Pursat
The ride to Pursat from Phnom Penh is easy and then hard. Phnom Penh to Kampong Chhnang is an easy stretch of old but paved road, and the rest of the way into Pursat varies from a bit of pavement to long sections of bumpy and jarring dirt and gravel road. That stretch takes about 2-½ hours.
Pursat to Battambang
The ride between Pursat and Battambang is not as bad as it used to be, but that is not saying much. For the most part, it’s a bumpy and jarring 2-½ -to 3- hour ride. While the road is anything but good, both stretches can be done in the rainy season.