Wats, or temples are a feature of Cambodia. As a Buddhist country a large slice of life involves the local Wat. Males from a young age can become a monk - for any period of time. There are nuns as well but far fewer. Monks are everywhere in their iconic yellow robes. We see them everyday in the mobile phone shop, wandering the streets or early in the morning with urns to collect alms (food or money) from the community.
Many Wats are ancient temples dating back to the Ankgor period and before. We have visited one - Wat Ek in a beautiful village near here. We got to roam where we wanted all day for $2.
The Khmer Rouge obliterated many of the temples - ancient and modern. Battambang was lucky as the local General disobeyed orders and so there are many Wats in the town. They are mainly intricate with gold paint and lots of colours as well as aniaml or people sculptures for decoration. Some verge on gaudy!
