When one thinks of Cambodia, thought immediately goes to one of the most famous archaeological 
sites in the world, Angkor Wat.
But in this South East Asian country, there is much more to discover, starting, for example, from the city of Phnom Penh. Small in size compared to other Asian cities in comparison can be defined as a town, is an excellent starting point for exploring this country, in fact, poor and rural, from a tragic past like that of neighboring Vietnam. If, in fact, in Vietnam, what moved me the most was the visit to the War Museum of Ho Chi Min, here in neighboring Cambodia you can take a dip in the past, in the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, testimony of the Cambodian genocide and inserted from UNESCO in the List of World Memories.
The visit of this museum a few days from the other museum impressed me so much that in the end, I decided not to visit the famous killing fields because it would have been too much, too much anguish and sadness. But above all fear together with the awareness, that man has not learned anything from history, from his mistakes. Within me, all the time, this question has continued to creep in: How can the human being fall so low and so many times? Although the visit to these museums was difficult, I was happy to have visited them, because they were better than a history course. On the contrary, I find it incredible, that of these episodes, of these important pieces of history we do not know much then. The visit of these types of museums has taught me to appreciate history, a subject that unfortunately I have never liked very much because memorizing dates and events have never been my forte. I find instead that the best way to teach history is to make known the people involved in those events, the testimony in short of those events of that period. But there are several things you can do in this town, like walking on the sea or visit the various royal palaces. In addition, it is not difficult to find restaurants frequented by locals, where you can taste special noodles in the area, have a drink at very low prices or taste exotic fruits, such as the small but tasty takeaway pineapples carved by Cambodian women.
Battambang is a place that is still not very popular, which in fact has not much to offer in its central areas, but instead it is interesting to take a tour in its rural areas, for an authentic experience in contact with the locals and where you can visit some of the most beautiful temples in the country. However, I would advise you to get well informed before leaving the most touristic areas and to venture into rural areas, as there are still many areas with active landmines. Our own guide while we were heading in a certain direction, admitted that it was better not to go further because he did not know if it would be safe. From Battambang, you can reach Siem Riep in different ways, without a doubt the highlight of the whole journey. If you love the slowness and the little tourist experiences like me, you can take a slow boat that will take you placidly to the destination in 5/6 hours.
Siem Riep is a very pretty town, albeit a measure of western tourists, with good street food, where you can make excellent purchases and where there are temples very beautiful. It is ideal if you want to spend quiet and carefree days and it is good to stay there for several days. In the meantime, of course, you will have time to visit Angkor Wat, after all, you are here also and above all for this, no? What about Angkor Wat? Many things have already been said, is one of the most popular places in the world, thankfully much less than others.
This archaeological complex, so ancient, which recalls to distant eras, to adventure films, completely immersed in tropical vegetation, is nothing short of amazing.
Depending on the time you have available, you can buy a ticket for 1, 3 or more days. I absolutely recommend buying the minimum 3-day ticket. Because there are many temples to visit through two types of circuits (small and large) but above all, it is a very large area where you can stop and relax in a unique place in the world.
The best way to visit Angkor Wat is by bike or scooter. We have chosen the bike is and it was perfect despite several people tried to discourage us from the distances and the heat. With the bicycle especially in the large circuit, frequented by a smaller number of people, it will be easy to find yourself alone, in the silence and quiet of the surrounding nature.