I stayed for a week during my second visit to Cambodia. This time around I visited Battambang and Phnom Penh. I was unable to visit these two places during my first trip to Cambodia.

Battambang was not spared from the onslaught of the Khmer Rouge during Polpot's reign. There are pockets of execution grounds located in the outskirts of the town. Our driver suggested we visit the sites during our stay in Battambang. Just hearing about the sites was a sobering experience, which prepared me for the Killing Fields and S21 in Phnom Penh.

I knew little of Battambang when I rode the bus from Poipet to this unassuming town. When I first arrived at the town center, I knew that it was a laid back town that I would love to stay in.

Most people head to Siem Reap to visit the Angkor ruins, but there are plenty of smaller yet significant ruins scattered all over Cambodia. Battambang has its own vestige of the country's storied past.

I was torn between heading to Siem Reap again or to Phnom Penh while I was in the bus station in Poipet, Cambodia. Plenty of things were running through my head as I was contemplating my next destination during my more than two months across Southeast Asia. After staying for a month in Thailand, I was looking for something else to do aside from go to the beach or the mountains. Then I overheard other travelers talking about Battambang, then right then and there I decided to go as well.