So….our next Cambodian destination was the country second largest city called Battambang, which we reached via a waterway through the biggest lake in Cambodia, Tonle Sap, and down to a smelly river leading to the city. The skanky boat ride was a blast albeit very long. We cruised in fact for 8 hours along amazing fishing villages and zig zagged around fishing nets thrown by local villagers. Fishing here is a matter of subsistence and hunt for cheap proteins to feed for large families, sometimes the only proteins to mix with rice at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I must admit, the level of poverty we witnessed cruising along those floating villages was not experienced by us before. Sometimes, a local hopped on the boat or approached us to load some goods to be dropped off further down the river, where someone else will magically appear to collect the merchandise. The landscape was brighten up by the constant waving of the children we passed by, to whom we represented the only form of entertainment that day.

After 8 hours of sitting on a hard wooden bench and after the boat run out of diesel, we managed to reach Battambang, where we got assaulted by tens of noisy tuk tuk drivers trying to sell a ride and get a commission from one of the guesthouse in town. The number of tuk tuk drivers seemed disproportional in comparison to the amount of passengers disembarking the boat. But that's the way it is here in Battambang, a place off the beaten tourist track, now gaining more popularity as a strategic stop on the way to or from Siem Reap and Phnom Pehn. At the end of the day, Battambang is a simple provincial city with no much to write home about, besides the bamboo train, which is the only functioning passenger train in Cambodia reaching an astonishing speed of 15 Km an hour, and few Khmer temples a bit older that Anghor Wat. We didn't seem to witness it but we were told that the Battambang province, which borders with Thailand and was until the later nineties a stronghold of the Khmer Rouge receding forces, is the richest province of Cambodia due to the its agricultural prosperity. It seems, in fact, that the local governor invested heavily in crops and farming to be able to achieve 3 rice harvests per year against a country average of 1.

The proof of these agricultural wonders showed itself when we visited the only Cambodian winery which is based here. It was quite surreal to have a tasting session at the tropics based on: one red wine which wasn't bad at all (cabernet sauvignon and shiraz); a brandy which was a killer at 11:00 in the morning; a ginger and honey based liquor. The owner's wife sat at our table to have a chit chat and show off the blings at her fingers as well as her perfectly phoned hair, high heels and fashionable outfit. Not bad business for a boutique winery of 12.000 plants only, that's why when we suggested to start a small lunch place to pair with the tastings the lady didn't seem to be too interested as she was making enough cash already ;)

The cherry on the cake the last day, was our visit to the local circus. Yes, a proper circus a la Cirque du Soleil with artist and no animals, run by a local NGO since 25 years and aimed at training disadvantaged kids to the art of circus. They show was surprisingly great and the level of the performance was pretty high for a non-professional bunch of kids. Check the pics for a taste of it.

Next stop - Phom Pehn. This time by bus and all the way south. We will keep you posted!