From Siem Reap, we got a boat across the Tonle Sap and along the river to Battambang.The journey was pleasant, passing through lots of floating villages with children shouting hello and people fishing.Although it's the second largest city in Cambodia, Battambang has more of a small town feel about it and features some of the best preserved French colonial buildings in the country.

On our first day there we hired a couple of moto guides and drove out into the countryside, passing farms growing every kind of crop imaginable… chilies, peanuts, sweet potatoes and pineapples (which grow on a very small bush, instead of a tree like we had thought!).Our first stop was at Phnom Sampeau, where our guide walked up the steep hill with us to a small temple that had been used as a prison by the Khmer Rouge.From there we followed the path along to a near-by cave.Prisoners had been marched along here and then bludgeoned to death at the cave mouth, their bodies then shoved down a 15m deep opening.Our guide told us some horrific accounts of the treatment of the victims and the way in which they were killed, which left us speechless.Inside the cave a small memorial shrine had been constructed around a glass case, which contained some of the skulls and bones found at the site.

We also visited another hill-top temple, after a climb up 372 steps in the midday sun!The temples were similar in style to Angkor Wat, but not nearly as impressive.The views over the surrounding countryside made the climb worthwhile though.To get back into town we caught a ride on the Bamboo Train… a home-made bamboo platform resting on wheels, powered by a small engine which runs at about 30 km/h along an abandoned railway track!It was really good fu.

For our last nights stay in Battambang we treated ourselves to a night in La Villa, a French colonial mansion that has been renovated by a French couple and turned into a guesthouse. Our room was absolutely massive, more like an apartment, with a view over the river and our own balcony.It was so peaceful and just what we needed to build up the energy for the rest of our trip.

- S