Our ticket euphemistically said it was a "speed boat" . 

Well it was actually a very old tub of a boat probably meant to take some 8 people, that about 22 of us were crammed into, but it was a great experience.

An excruciatingly early 5.30am pickup took us to the wharf. For 6 hours we chugged slowly through the amazing scenic waterways of Tonle Sap. Village life is evident at every turn with many of the houses actually floating pontoons. Cambodians fishing and getting on with daily life, was the order of the day and lots and lots of shy smiles and vigorous waving. It was a real highlight and left us saying we LOVE Cambodia.

On arrival we found our way to a guesthouse and noted that Battambang is reasonably small and easy to walk around. A good thing too as the only mode of transport seemingly evident is to get on the back of a motorbike. On our second day we did just that and took a 34 km round trip out to the Killing Caves where many innocent people were dumped after being slaughtered in the Pol Pot era. The roads are dusty and potholed so it was a rather scary but exhilarating experience hanging on for dear life on the back of a motorbike.

We found a lovely bar for sunset and met up with others who had come on the boat with us. We made friends with some Norwegians who had taken an assignment in Cambodia to teach the teachers at the teachers college in Siem Reap.

Battambang is a lovely town and the end of a very special river trip to get there.