Officially Cambodia’s second city, Battambang is 40 kilometres west of Tonle Sap Lake. It sits at the centre of a fertile plain retaining the character of a market town, and beside a few white goods stores in the town centre, shows little desire to enter the 20th century, let alone the 21st.

The town itself is situated on the Sangker River and still plays host to many charming colonial buildings. It is one of the most interesting and laid-back towns in Cambodia, and nearby attractions include the hilltop Angkorian temple of Wat Banan, the sacred mountain and killing caves of Phnom Sampeau and the riverside temple of Wat Ek Phnom.