Note that ’bang’ is pronounced ‘bong’.

One of the best things about going to Battambang is getting there by boat. The boat leaves Siem Reap, travels briefly along the very dirty Siem Reap river, crosses the northern end of Tonle Sap – the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia, and then ambles along the Sangker River to Battambang.

Gliding through Tonle Sap is a glimpse into another world, where life is lived almost entirely on water. Life on the lake looks pretty good. I could live there in one of those cute floating houses – if I could bring myself to eat fish, or build a floating vegetable garden. JH and I debated floating garden designs as we travelled along.

Floating village

Floating village

Floating shop

Once we exited Tonle Sap and entered the Sangker River, people became poorer. In some places, whole families were living under a piece of…