OnTheRoad

Battambang, apparently Cambodia's second biggest city. Doesn't feel that big though, and certainly less of a tourist destination than Siem Reap.

One big plus of being off the main tourist trek (the road between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is now very good, so most go around the other side of the lake) is that the number of touts, agressive moto and tuk tuk drivers, beggars and small children selling shit has dropped to almost nill. Still more than Thailand or Laos in the case of beggars, but mainly ok.

Much of the architecture is from the French colonial period, if you're into that sort of thing. Gotta say, I'm not, but if that's your buzz, this is your spot.

Places to stay: Chyara hotel, although I probably spelt that wrong. Just south west of the market, if you stand on the SW corner looking south you should see the sign. $US5 gets you a room with fan, bathroom and TV, a far better deal than those available in Siem Reap. There are a few places around offering similar deals, if you look around you should be able to get aircon in there for $US8, an incredibly good rate even compared to Laos or Thailand.

Things to do: Rent a moto, go look at nearby temples. I paid $US8 for the day, if you're feeling stingy you could bargain them down I guess, but being on good terms with the person you're spending the day with is probably worth paying a little extra for! With petrol prices what they are these days, the guy's probably only getting $5 or $6 from the day, a small enough wage. Anyway, there are killing fields and temples within striking distance, consult your guidebook for details. Wat something Sampeau is cool, good view around the area with a couple of caves where the Khmer Rouge killed off a pile of people - my guide told me around 10,000 were killed there although the Khmer Rouge had many of the bodies removed. Collections of human skulls and bones piled up in cages, which was something new to me.

Cambodia's only cooking course is available here as well, at the Smokin' Pot. Suggestive name, that one... Anyway, Vannak, the proprietor, will take you through the whole process, from visiting the market in the morning to preparation to eating. If you do this, don't eat breakfast first, as you cook up three meals and eat them too. If you've got friends in town, maybe you can get them along to help you eat! At the time of writing, the cost for the course, taking 3 1/2 hours, also including a recipe book to take with you, is $US8, not a bad deal.