I decided to get to Siem Reap via a riverboat on the Tonle Sap. The trip takes about 7 hours from Battambang - and is a fantastic journey, a birds-eye view of real life on the river. This isn't something for the tourists - you see the real Cambodia here drifting past floating villages and wildly waving kids saying "hello! hello!" - I guess it's something to see a bunch of strange looking people sitting on top of a riverboat. I would definitely recommend sitting ON TOP of the boat as you feel more immersed in the experience - 360 degrees and all you see is the river and people camping on the river - no roads or buildings or towns anywhere in sight.
