Battambang town is the heart of Cambodia's 'rice bowl', and even though it is the country second biggest town. Much of artchitecture is French colonial and traditional Cambodian. Few buildings are over three stories, and the main streets are shared by cars and horse carts alike. Unlike more touristed towns, the local ecomony is truly local based-firmly is rice, wood, sapphires and food crops- and is reflected in the character of the town. Similarly, as you leave or go to Battambang by road, the sence quickly becomes one of small villages, rice paddies, and farmland, offering and excellent opportunity for visitor to see a bit of 'unspoiled' rural Cambodia. The nearby countryside also harbors old pagodas, Angkorian era ruins, caves, waterfalls and Khmer Rouge period killing fields.