It’s the countryside around Battambang that makes this region so fascinating. And there’s no better way to see it than by tuk tuk.

There’s so much to see and taste! Rice paper being made for spring rolls as it dries in the sun on racks or see rice noodles being made in a factory. Sticky sweet rice being cooked inside bamboo with coconut and red beans.

You can stop to see the sticky rice being baked over fire and then enjoy pulling the bamboo apart and eating it with your fingers – it’s sticky and messy but that’s half the fun. If sticky rice isn’t your think, why not visit a fresh seafood market. The markets around here redefine the word fresh!

Then there are the temples. From ones high on hilltops inside caves to ruins that pale in comparison to Angkor Wat but the run down nature and isolation makes you feel like you are on an Indian Jones adventure. Or temples like Ek Phnom which fall somewhere in the middle – not too far out of the way but you’ll have them all to yourself to explore!

If you have always lived in suburbia, just the tuk tuk ride through the villages around Battambang are like seeing a whole new world. No garbage collection, electricity or running water. No supermarkets or malls. No backyards with swing sets and trampolines. It certainly does make you think about the excesses and comforts that you are used to.

Countryside tours are easy to arrange. Ask any tuk tuk driver and discuss an itinerary – just be sure to set a price beforehand.