Not much to say about Battambang, except that the toilet in our room absolutely reeked and brought back horrible images of India. So, because of this I thought we could have a general waffle postcard about nothing much in particular. Having seen all the temples we wanted to and exhausted nearly all the bars in Siem Reap, we decided to head on out to Battambang on the 0600 boat. This being the case, the previous night was probably not the best time to stay out playing cards and drinking Taylors Touch shooters and beer until 0330, but hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time. However at 0530, having had 2 hours sleep and feeling slightly the worse for wear we went down to reception to be collected by the 'bus' to the boat. I use the term bus loosely, as it was a small flat back truck already full to bursting with like minded travellers. Alan was squeezed into the front with 6 other people and Maria and I were balanced precariously on the back with barely a buttocks inch on the seat. Having endured this for half an hour and holding on for dear life, we disembarked to board the boat for the 5 hours to Battambang. This proved to be an adventure in itself, as we shared our vessel with a monkey, a suicidal dog, a shipment of prawns, a huge TV aerial and a haphazard collection of locals. The dog chewed through his rope and leapt from the boat at one point, creating havoc and I think the poor thing only wanted to get off to do a poo! This route took us across the Tonle Sap and up one of it's tributaries to the town itself and cost a mere 16000 riel (7000 to the pound). The lake is not at all as they are back home and resembles a flooded plain with trees, lotus plants and villages on it. These villages comprise clusters of huts on stilts with boats as transport and the occassional temple (also on stilts). Any locals wishing to board the boat are brought out on a little boat and board mid-lake. The French controlled Cambodia as a protectorate from 1864 until independence in 1953 and as a result there are many reminders of their enduring influence, such as street names, architecture and the wonderful fresh baguettes we were able to purchase from boat vendors on the trip - oh, and laughing cow cheese of course! Not much else to say about Battambang really except we had a very nice Khmer meal at The Smokin' Pot restaurant and slept off the remains of our hangovers. S xx