From Siem Reap I took a boat ride (6 hours) to Battambang. The LP guidebook describes it as having "colonial charm". And while there were charming colonial details to be found, I found the city to be more "uninspired modern" than "colonial charm".
It did hold a great deal of charm, however, in how decidedly non-touristy it is, a nice change from the charming but heavily touristy areas I have been in in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It was possible to walk down the street without having a thousand people try to sell you scarves/postcards/guidebooks/etc, eat in a restaurant filled with Cambodians, and see more local flavor.
I spent a day exploring the countryside by motorbike with a few tourist stops along the way- to the "killing caves", site of more Khmer Rouge genocide, and the Bamboo Train. Since the railways in Cambodia are in such bad shape, railroad use is rare and takes 3X longer than transportation by road. Cambodians in the countryside use the railroad tracks for their own train system, the bamboo train, to transport goods and people between towns. When I was there the only riders were tourists, but I completely enjoyed the kitsch for the short ride since soon the bamboo train will be no more, the government is going to rebuild the tracks to get the train system improved and up and running again, so the bamboo train won't be able to keep running when real trains are speeding along the tracks.
I also took a cooking class to learn some Khmer recipes. It started with a tour and shopping trip through the market and then went back to the restaurant to learn the techniques for classic local dishes of fish amok and chicken lok lak- it's fairly similar to Thai cooking but with a few extra spices- ginger, garlic, tumeric- added to the Thai basil, lemongrass and chili flavors.
My trip to Battambang was a really great change of pace after so many days of temples and ruins (and busses of tourists) at Angkor.
So, you're going to cook for us when you get home?
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