Cambodia - Around Kampong Thrach
January of 2001
George Moore
http://www.geocities.com/rectravel
The friendly people around Kampong Thrach got a bad rap in October of 1994, when three foreigners were taken off a Sihanoukville bound train during an ambush by the area's last Khmer Rouge soldiers. Nuon Paet and Chouk Rin, two of the commanders, have long since been arrested and sentenced, but the sad story and it's association with Kampong Thrach remains, to the detriment of tourism in the area.
Surprisingly, a January of 2001 visit to the town and the surrounding countryside revealed the presence of no armed soldiers or police whatsoever. On the contrary, the area today is completely sedate and eager to welcome tourists. A key development will be the formalization of the border crossing between Cambodia and Vietnam just outside Ha Tien, the seaside town on Vietnam's coastline.
A December of 2000 visit to the Vietnamese side of the Ha Tien crossing revealed that it is still not possible to cross at Ha Tien in the Vietnam to Cambodia direction, even with a valid Cambodian visa in the passport. On the other hand, the friendly officials at the Vietnamese Consulate in Sihanoukville (Kampong Som) insist that it is now possible to cross at Ha Tien in the Cambodia to Vietnam direction. The visa for Vietnam must be issued only by the Vietnamese Consulate in Sihanoukville. They insert a "special stamp" with the words "Xa Xia" (the local name for the crossing) into the visa, which permits the crossing. Apparently, no other Vietnamese Consulate or Embassy has this "special stamp".
It is an easy three-hour ride in a shared taxi or on a moto from Sihanoukville to Kampot, the first stop on the way to Kampong Thrach. Sihanoukville's white sand beaches are most attractive, but around Kampot, the most interesting attraction is the old French colonial architecture in the center of town, and the old French hill station on top of Bokor Mountain. Coming directly from Phnom Penh, Kampot is an easy three-hour ride in a shared taxi along Hwy 3.
Kampong Thrach is west of Kampot along Nat'l Route 33, on the way to Cambodia's seaside town at Kep. Along the way is the interesting hilltop site at Wat Sosea. At the traffic circle about 15km west of Kampot, turn to the right to visit Kep, but stay to the left to go directly to Kampong Thrach. The road is reasonable for about 15km beyond this traffic circle, but then deteriorates dramatically outside "Chamcar 3", a new village. Beyond this point is one of the area's attractions at Wat Solee, on a hilltop about 5km outside Kampong Thrach. The four resident monks are friendly and happy to point out the karst formations to the north and the views onto the islands near Kep to the south.
Kampong Thrach is a one street town, so it is easy to find the White Mountain Hotel, just near Wat Otum and the market. Huge double rooms go for only 15,000 riels (under 4 dollars). Plan to eat dinner early however, because the town's "late night" restaurant closes at about 8pm. Across the street from the hotel is the road to newly restored Wat Kirisan. The friendly monks will gladly show visitors around in exchange for impromptu English language conversation. Wat Kirisan is the gateway for exploration of the many karst formations in the area north of Kampong Thrach.
In the opposite direction, just a bit beyond the White Mountain Hotel, is the deeply potholed road which leads to the border crossing outside Ha Tien. All of the moto taxi drivers in front of Wat Otum in the center of town are willing to deliver a foreigner to or from the border crossing. Plan on at least an hour and a half in either direction. The road passes through a small village called "Lok", about five kilometers from the border. When passing through town, stay to the left when on the way to Ha Tien, or to the right when coming from Ha Tien.
Also in the area is another hilltop complex called Wat Kom Bow. Though it takes extra time and a knowledgeable moto driver to find the place, a visit is well worth the effort. The hilltop offers full views onto the surrounding countryside and border area. The estuary and radio towers in Ha Tien town itself can be seen from the top of Wat Kom Bow. There is a small path just below the hill, but it is quite obviously not possible to simply walk across the border at this point.
To the west of Kampong Thrach is another border crossing with Vietnam, called Don Ton, which is open to local traffic but not to foreigners. About ten kilometers outside Kampong Thrach, on the way to Don Ton, is the road to Tuk Meas, to the north. This road generally follows the rail line and offers highly picturesque views of the karst formations to the west.
Because it is off the beaten path, Tuk Meas does not see many visitors. Possible this explains why the local people are so friendly and pleased to see foreigners. There is one guesthouse in town, a villa abandoned by a Korean phosphate company in 1997. All the local townspeople will point to it if asked. There is no sign. Tuk Meas is another Cambodia town which closes down very early, so be sure to eat dinner before 6pm.
Tuk Meas is also a crossroad town, with an old French colonial bridge still standing. A rail bridge is in the distance. To the northeast is the road to Kirivong and Hwy 2, between Takeo and the border crossing with Vietnam at Tinh Binh (Chau Doc). This road via Kirivong is not recommended due to its extremely poor condition. The best idea is to continue to the northwest, on the road, which parallels the rail line.
The next stop to the northwest is Tani, another railway town. The small station is about 4 kilometers to the north of the city center. In the center of town is Wat Prabat, interesting because of its dilapidated condition. It must be one of the few wats in Cambodia which is not presently under re-construction. Just in front is an old prasat, similar to those seen at Tonle Bati, just to the south of Phnom Penh.
From Tani, the road continues north to meet Hwy 3 south of Ang Tasaom, but a much more interesting way to go is on one of the "lorries". These are small flatcars constructed by local craftsmen to haul freight and local people up and down the rail line when the train is not operating, which is most of the time. A ride, motorcycles included, can be had for a small sum. The ride terminates at the junction road between Takeo and Ang Tasaom.
From this point, it is possible to continue by road north via Ang Tasaom and Hwy 3 to Phnom Penh, but there is nothing in particular to see along this route. A better idea, once off the "lorry", is to go east to Takeo, where there are many guest houses, and then north to Phnom Penh on Hwy 2. This route offers a number of well known attractions, including Phnom Chisor, the zoo at Phnom Tamao and the ruins at Tonle Bati. Enjoy your trip!
-------------------------------------- From: tester (tester@aol.com)
Subject: Re: Bangkok to Angkor (Cambodia)
Newsgroups: rec.travel.asia
View complete thread
Date: 2001-02-11 21:16:04 PST
Below is a trip report on my visit to Siem Reap last year. I'd very much
advise going by plane, if your time is limited. However, if it is essential
that you go by land, you can take an air-conditioned public bus for about $6
to the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border. Takes 4 hours. Travel within Cambodia
will depend a lot on the weather. A 1 1/2 hour trip from Poipet to
Sisophone can double if it is raining hard. And the price may double also.
From Sisophone, it's another 7 hours. You can buy a seat in a taxi
(pick-up truck) or hire the whole thing by yourself. You don't want to be
on the roads after late afternoon. So, you're pretty much stuck in
Sisophone overnight and then catch your ride to Siem Reap from there.
Overall could take you 2 days to reach Siem Reap by land; 1 hour by plane.
Up to you. IMO, Angkor Wat is to Asia what the pyramids are to Egypt; Mayan and Incan
ruins to Mexico and South America. Definitely worth seeing. Hope the info
in my trip report will help. Subject: Side-Trip to Angkor Wat From BKK
From: "tester" <tester@aol.com>
Date: 2000/02/08
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
After years of waiting and travelling 8000 miles, tester was finally about
to enter Cambodia--destination Siem Reap (more specifically, Angkor Wat). ARRIVING IN CAMBODIA
The cabin crew aboard the Bangkok Airways 70-passenger plane was collecting
the remnants of snacks served on the 1-hour flight from BKK to Siem Reap,
Cambodia. Although there were 58 passengers, there wasn't much to collect,
as the snack wasn't much. But it was more than enough for tester. Tester
had taken extra servings from the Nana Hotel breakfast buffet that morning,
in anticipation that it might be several days before he had another "full
course" meal. As the plane descended through the cloud-cover, tester could see endless
patches of land below, awaiting rain that would allow farmers to grow their
crops. Finally, nearly 30 minutes late, the plane touched down on Siem Reap
Airport's single runway and taxied toward the terminal. (TIP NUMBER ONE:
BKK Airways boards from the rear of the plane. It's a double benefit to sit
at the rear--say rows 17, 18, or 19. First, if the plane crashes, you have
a better chance of survival in the rear section of any aircraft. Secondly,
you are the first to get off the plane and the first to go through
immigration, avoiding standing at the back of a line. With his single carry-on bag, tester climed down the steps of the aircraft
and walked the 100 yards or so into the arrival area of the terminal to be
processed by immigration authorities. Immigration officers seem to all
have that same look--no matter what country. A combination of annoyance and
suspicion, and bordering on "I've-got-you-by-the-gonads-so-be-nice".
Tester entered the arrival area, where a long counter behind which 4
immigration officers sat. This wasn't a choose-an-officer situation. It
was an "assembly line". The first immigration officer, who was standing,
took tester's passport and "visa-on-arrival" paperwork". He looked sternly
at tester. "No photo?," he asked. "No photo", tester said somewhat
sheepishly. The officer did not look happy. He said, "go over there",
pointing to a wall a few feet way. Tester wasn't sure what was next. He
remembered something he'd read on "the net" about two passport-sized photos.
Maybe they were going to take a couple of "Polaroids" to satisfy the
requirement. On the otherhand, "up against the wall" in Cambodia, somehow
didn't sound particularly inviting. Was he going to be shot? Tester
examined the floor at his feet and glanced again at the wall behind him. No
blood. Comforting. Tester watched other passengers tender their passports
and paperwork with nice passport-sized photos. "Kiss-asses" he thought.
Still, he couldn't help but think that he might've screwed-up.
He watched carefully as passports were passed down the line of officers.
Finally, he was given his passport and allowed to proceed with his visa
supplied upon payment of the standard $20 fee. Next stop, Customs. A
cursory exam of his bag produced no AK-47's, so he was free to make his way
into the city. (TIP NUMBER TWO: Visa-on-arrival costs $20; you can
probably get by without photos.) FINDING A PLACE TO STAY
Tester had no room reserved; he had no idea where to stay. He'd seen a few
places advertised on the "net"--mostly for more than he wanted to pay. At
the taxi desk inside of the terminal, he hired a taxi for the trip into Siem
Reap for $5. (For $1, you can get a ride on the back of a motorcycle.) It
takes 10 to 15 minutes to get from the airport to "downtown" Siem Reap. Few
autos, a few pickup trucks, a few medium-seized trucks, and LOTS of
bicycles, scooters, and motorcycles. You travel at about 25-30 kph, even
though the traffic isn't bad at all. As per the promise of the taxi
"dispatcher", the driver took tester to several hotels and guest houses on
the list of the taxi company and on tester's list. The 40 minutes used to
inspect possible lodging accommodations allowed tester to get a feel for the
city. It was apparent that central Siem Reap was not very big--maybe the
equivalent of 10 city blocks by 10 city blocks. You could walk almost
anywhere in the central part of the city in 30 minutes--or take a motorcycle
ride for 500 riel (about 3 baht). After surveying the "lay of the land", tester decided to avoid the
$300/night digs of a refurbished luxury hotel of French colonial days. He
decided that the Bakong Guest House would suit him fine. According to the
receptionist, the Bakong Guest House is two years old and has 18 rooms. It
is really a small hotel. For $15/night, it featured a large bed, mini-bar,
color TV, air conditioning, and private bath. And it was spotlessly clean.
Additionally, it was well situated. A block to the river, a block to the old
market, many restaurants catering to western taste within two blocks, and
across the street from one of Siem Reap's four "nightclubs" which may
interest some. (TIP NUMBER THREE: Consider the Bakong Guest House; tel:
063-380-126; bakong@rep.forum.org.kh ) A WALK AROUND SIEM REAP
Subseqent to checking into the guest house, tester took off on foot to do a
little afternoon exploring. The January weather was very cooperative: not
hot, not humid, and not raining. As soon as tester left the guest house
premises, three little urchins set upon him with out-stretched hands,
looking for a handout. Tester thought it best to only offer a smile. It was difficult not to compare Siem Reap with Thai cities with which tester
was familiar. Citizens of Siem Reap seem decidedly more poor than
city-dwellers in the Land of Smiles--and the faces reflected some of that.
Even poor people in Thailand seem to be able to smile and have fun. With
rare exception, the faces tester saw in Cambodia were almost void of
expression--even at the sight of a large farang. Their stares were almost
vacant, reflecting, perhaps, indifference. Certainly, they were not faces
that reflected their owners were being intimidated by such a large being.
They were people who had known real intimidation for most of their lives.
(TIP NUMBER FOUR: Don't be offended by what might appear to be apathy
regarding your presence.) A small canal or river runs through the central part of Siem Reap. Somewhat
like that which goes through Chiang Mai. With large, mature trees lining
both sides of the canal, it is really quite pretty. Both sides of the river
are paralleled by well-paved roads and lines of guest houses, small
businesses, and private lodgings. The "old market" is really similar to what you will find in many Thai and
Cambodian city centers. It is basically an outdoor covered supermarket.
Tester observed something a little bit different here though--the
obviously-poor and the "obviously-wealthy" buying from the same stalls and
from the same spaces on the ground. No Villa Supermarkets in Siem Reap.
Fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry--it was all there. Whatever the average
"dollar-a-day" wage could afford. Nearby are numerous cafes and restaurants and low-keyed, pub-style drinking
establishments. Tester allowed himself an afternoon treat at one of the
French-styled sidewalk cafes: an ice cream sunday--at almost Paris prices
8-) The roads and streets, with the exception of those to and from the airport
and Angkor Wat were decidedly inferior to those in most Thai cities tester
has visited. Those which have any surface at all are only paved in the
middle-third of the road. The remainder of the streets are only dirt and
rock. At night, the streets become very quiet--and very dark. With
nightfall, shops close (by 6 or 7 p.m.) with only restaurants, cafes and a
few bars remaining open. They give off barely-sufficient light to see where
you are going. Street lights are very far and few between--definitely a
secondary means of illuminating the city-scape. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS
All sensible folks, it seems, stay inside at night in Phnom Penh--unless you
are a hero in a Christopher Moore novel. I hadn't read any advisories about
Siem Reap, but I allowed that common sense would limit my excurions around
the city to within a few blocks of my guest house and via well-travelled
streets. Actually, there may be more motorcycles running around the city at
night than pedestrians.) A 10-minute walk and across a bridge to Martini's,
was as far as tester thought prudent. Martini's is one of four
nightclubs/discos in Siem Reap. But, like most discos, at 8:30 p.m., not
much was happening: LOUD recorded "music", a full staff of employees, in a
room of a few flashing lights that fell short of illuminating the far
corners of the room. And a strong, pungent, sweet smell of some local
crop--the type that would get a place closed down in 60 seconds in my home
town. On the way back toward his hotel, tester politely fended-off a
half-dozen motorcyle riders offering a "ride", "vietnam lady", and "smoke".
Tester was beginning to get the idea that those three things drove the local
economy--at least the "backpack" variety. How the locals mistaked tester for
a backpacker is beyond his comprehension 8-) Tester spent the next 3 hours
sitting OUTSIDE the disco directly across the street from his guest house.
From there, he could read his book, watch the comings and goings of the
disco patrons, and converse with the friendly waiter who spoke excellent
English. Occasionally, a girl would approach tester and offer a
"massage"--an offer he had no trouble refusing. He was having no trouble
being entertained while sipping his Angkor beer (really not bad) and
watching every patron be patted down for weapons before entering the disco
(another reason tester felt better staying outside). TO ANGKOR WAT
It's a fifteen-minute ride from "downtown" Siem Reap to the "south gate" of
the Angkor Wat complex (which includes Angkor Thom). The road is narrow,
but well-paved. Still, slow-moving bicycles and motorbikes (the primary
modes of transportation) made it difficult for tester's driver to exceed 30
kph. Along the way, tester saw men in long-sleeved shirts laboring to dig a
trench at a construction site using picks, shovels and buckets. They were
probably spending a few days doing what a backhoe could do in a couple of
hours. (In the U.S., the use of a prison gang to accomplish the same task
would bring an uproar from prisoner rights groups and the ACLU; "cruel and
unusual punishment", you must understand.) It looked like the future site of
a modern-style gas station/mini-mart: 19th century means to create a 21st
century facility. After paying a $20 entrance fee (per person) and a $1 parking fee for the
car, tester was at the "south gate" of Angkor Wat. Marked by a bridge over
a fairly deep river/moat, the entrance is a small 10th-century version of
the Arch de Triumph. Tester was amazed at the vastness of the Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat sites.
And, while Mayan edifices, he recalled, seemed larger in size, the 1100
year-old Khymer site seemed to him to be larger in terms of its overall
size--and more intricate and precise in the designs. Of course, he reasoned,
only in the sites' respective prime years could accurate assessments have
been made by a layman. After displaying his admission ticket to an attendent at the Angkor Thom
site, tester proceeded to explore on is own, ignoring a smooth-talking guide
seeking unsolicited employment. It was apparent that many of the reliefs
and smaller artifacts which had adorned the principal edifice were missing,
but much remained. Huge replicas of the face of a former Khmer ruler
(perhaps 8 feet tall) were of particular interest to all who were
visiting--French, German, Japanese, Brits, Singaporeans, etc., etc.,
etc.--with people politely taking turns having their photos taken with these
marvelous remnants of an ancient civilization. Tester, the size of a 320
lb. gorilla, but lacking the agility, found navigating parts of the main
Angkor Thom temple quite challenging: steps 6 inches deep and pitched at
about 45 degrees. But the weather proved to be no obstacle to tester's
stamina and thirst for more exploring of Bayon and, later, Angkor Wat. After 3 hours of walking, climbing, and taking pictures, tester found
comfort in the shade of some trees, under which a row of stalls displayed
the usual line-up of "tourist-trap" souveniers: T-shirts, scarves, dresses,
and various handicrafts. While tester and his driver sat at a table sipping
their soft drinks, a parade of merchants jockeyed for tester's attention.
All finally gave up except one young girl who seemed to be more interested
in speaking English than selling anything. (She looked 14, but said she was
17.) And she spoke English remarkably well. Just before finishing his
drink, another young girl, perhaps 8 years old, cautiously and shyly
approached tester and demonstrated a bamboo flute that came with a reed
case. "Two for one dollar", she explained. "What the heck would I do with
those", was tester's immediate thought. But he also remembered that
"dollar-a-day" average wage. He bought 2 flutes for which he had no idea
with what to do. Similarly, he bought 30 postcards for $3 from the patient
young lady with whom he and his driver had been talking for the last 20
minutes. Tester laughed at the thought of having purchased a total of 50
postcards in the last 4 hours. Heck, he didn't even know 50 people that gave
a crap if he visited Angkor Wat. (TIP NUMBER FIVE: Take LOTS of $1 dollar
bills and some 5's. Preferred currency seems to be U.S. dollars, Thai baht,
and Cambodian riel, in that order). Tester spent the afternoon exploring Angkor Wat. To tester, the most
astonishing thing about Angkor Wat was its size. It would be easy to spend
two days just at this location alone. Significant restoration is in
continuing progress at Angkor Wat (as at other locations). Like Angkor
Thom, the site had been robbed of most of its most-precious artifacts by
poachers and the Khymer Rouges (to help finance their failed experiment in
Communisim). Still, there is much to bee seen and photographed that is
original. A young boy who tended a souvenier table and spoke very good
English explained that there had previously been many elephants at Angkor
Wat, but that they had "run way". "Where did they go", tester asked.
"Thailand", the boy replied with a smile, as if making a joke. Of course,
he was referring to Thailand being a country through which Khmer artifacts
transit on their way to private collectors around the world. (TIP NUMBER
SIX: You may want to see the ruins of Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat on your
own. You can take it in at your own pace. Most tours visit Angkor Thom in
the morning; return to Siem Reap hotels for lunch; and go back to Angkor Wat
in the afternoon. By reversing your itinerary, you can avoid crowds that
might otherwise complicate your picture-taking. Aside from Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat, there are other sites more distant
which tester has yet to visit. As it was, tester spent barely 48 hours in
Cambodia--just enough to get a picture of what life there is like. Like a
lot of places, he suspected--a bunch of people busting their butts to make
ends meet. He got the impression that is about all that this generation of
Cambodians can expect. After a short ride from his guest house back to the airport, tester had
an hour before his flight back to Bangkok. After checking in at the Bangkok
Airways counter (kiosk?), tester's bag was given a cursory examination by
security personnel and he parked himself at the rear of a large departure
"lounge" that has a single gate. Only a handfull of passengers waited for
the plane. Tester lit up his pipe (smoking allowed) and was soon approached
by a Cambodian Immigration officer who took a seat in front of his. The
Cambodian officer wanted to know the English word for that thing tester was
smoking. On the third try, the officer was able to perfectly say "pipe".
He smiled proudly when tester registered his approval of the officer's
pronunciation. Soon, the officer was full of questions. And soon, three
more officers had gathered around us. Clearly, the first officer to
approach tester had the best command of English (although not as good as the
kids working the souvenier gig at the ruins). The officer wanted to know
what type of work I did. Tester told him that he had finished work; that
he had been a policeman also; and produced his retired photo ID. All of the
officers immediately relaxed and wanted to examine tester's old ID. Soon,
the stoney-faced "no photo?" officer arrived to see what all the fuss was
about. One of the officers showed him tester's old ID. No more stoney
face--all smiles. One question would be asked of tester that had been asked
by the disco waiter and tester's driver. "What will you tell your friends
about Cambodia when you go home?" By now, tester knew that they wanted to
hear. That there is no problem in going to Cambodia now--it's safe to visit
Angkor Wat Once aboard the plane to Bangkok, tester counted heads. There had been 58
passengers when he came. Only 12 were returning. Hmmmmmm.......8-) ---------------------------------------- Subject: Cambodia - Phnom Kulen & Kbal Spean
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 21:37:17 -0000
From: "Andy Brouwer" <Andy.Brouwer@btinternet.com> I spent 3 weeks in Cambodia in December 2000 and have finally gotten around
to putting pen to paper and loading a few of my stories from the trip. You
can find half a dozen more here:-
http://www.btinternet.com/~andy.brouwer/overview00.htm
but I thought you might be interested in the report below, of my visit to
the remote ancient temples on Phnom Kulen and the underwater cavings on Kbal
Spean. Phnom Kulen and Kbal Spean unmasked The lure of remote ancient temples seen by just a few serious Angkor
enthusiasts and the remarkable carvings at Kbal Spean are worth a day of
anyone's time in my opinion. I had visited the reclining Buddha, waterfalls
and riverbed carvings on Phnom Kulen a year earlier but the isolated 9th
century brick temples, built by Jayavarman II, on a separate part of the
Kulen mountain range and the 'River of a Thousand Lingas', proved to be a
double adventure worthy of the time and discomfort I had to endure. It was 5am and pitch-black outside when Phalla and two motodubs, Sothea and
Hing, arrived at my hotel to begin a day which would see us spend nearly
fourteen hours on motos over some of the roughest terrain in the region. We
drove through the Angkor Park, stopping at a food stall in Pradak village,
just past Srah Srang lake, for some breakfast of soup, coffee and sticky
cakes. Our route took us past a military camp at the foot of Phnom Bok and
villagers along the rough track waved and shouted 'hello!' as we passed by.
Twice we took wrong turns before reaching the wide, red-dirt logging road
that surrounds the mountain range and finally the admission hut. It had
taken us four hours just to get to this point. The guards were already
deeply engrossed in a card game, paying us scant attention but still alert
enough to pocket my $20 entry fee with a wide grin. The thirty minute trip
to the top was a bumpy ride and notable for the proliferation of black
butterflies fluttering in and out of the shafts of sunlight that broke
through the forest canopy. The food stalls at the bottom of the path leading to the reclining Buddha of
Preah Ang Thom was our first port of call, where Phalla explained that we
needed to change our motos and use two drivers from a group of men sat under
an awning playing cards. The temples we were seeking were up to twenty
kilometres across the plateau and through difficult terrain, so employing
the services of locals, who later turned out to be former Khmer Rouge
soldiers, was absolutely necessary. A brief discussion ensued as Phalla
negotiated a price and one of the men disappeared inside a hut, re-appearing
after a couple of minutes, wearing a green police uniform with his automatic
gun slung over his shoulder. His name was Noun Moy and Phalla climbed aboard
his moto, alongwith Sothea, who as well as being a moto-driver in Siem Reap,
is also a guide, speaks good English and this was his first visit to the
temples on Kulen. My driver was Chea Savun, who proved to be an expert
driver in very arduous conditions. Hing, our other driver from Siem Reap,
remained with the motos and joined the others playing cards. The gruelling trek began immediately we left the clearing, as a combination
of rocks and tree roots made the track a bone-jarring experience from the
outset. Often, it was flooded, necessitating a walk through water or the
trail was too sandy to be able to drive on. At other times, our path was
barely penetrable, with thorny bushes whipping against my legs and arms and
twice we got lost and had to retrace our steps. After an hour and a stop to
complete running repairs on one of the bikes, we reached the first of the
temples, some 18 kms from our starting point, according to Moy. On a small
rise, surrounded by forest and scrub and barely noticeable until we were up
close, stood Prasat O'Thma Dap, a sturdy brick-built temple with white
stucco still covering much of the structure, including its carvings.
Battling my way through the waist-high undergrowth, I circled the temple and
saw that three stucco-covered lintels were still in place above the doorways
and another lay on the floor nearby. Savun and Sothea were in deep
discussion and told me that it was the most decorated temple on Kulen and
they believed it was erected in the latter part of the ninth century. Back
on the motos and fifteen minutes later, we reached Prasat Chrei, where we
paused before exploring the temple, so we could eat our lunch of chicken and
rice, with fresh bread. This temple, another substantial brick structure
with traces of stucco, was even more difficult to get close to. The
vegetation was particularly thick, the red ants pretty vicious and a
landslide made the approach a little more than tricky. Lacking the
decoration of Thma Dap, Prasat Chrei is dated a little earlier and is more
of a ruin, with the temple split in half. In the doorways, I noticed
unusually rounded brick pillars and nearby, half-buried in the soil, was a
solitary lintel and carved pilaster. Moy and Savun knew this part of the mountain particularly well and they
needed to as the trail was barely discernible from the thick brush and
bushes. Another hour of jolts, bumps and shocks reverberating through my
bottom and spine, brought us to a wooded area which Moy told us was called
Sam Phou Thlei. On closer inspection, the floor was literally carpeted with
broken brown clay pots and carved lids, allegedly booty from a shipwrecked
Chinese junk according to Savun, who recalled a centuries old legend.
Nearby, they pointed to footprints in a rocky outcrop that the same legend
asserts belonged to the same Chinese sailors, while a little further on,
carvings of Vishnu in a rockface were covered in moss and difficult to make
out clearly. Contact with the local inhabitants was rare on this part of the
trip although we did pass through one hamlet of a few houses before we
arrived at Prasat Neak Ta. The sky had clouded over and a few drops of rain
were falling as we inspected the brick temple, which had lost its roof and
was devoid of carvings, but had retained its four walls and was still quite
an imposing structure. Prasat O'Pong, located closeby, was our next stop and
as we walked to the temple we heard voices in the distance. As the tall
brick structure came into view through the trees, so did another visitor and
his two drivers and guide. It turned out to be no ordinary tourist as Jon
Ortner introduced himself and it was pretty clear from his camera equipment
that he was no amateur snapper like myself. In fact he was taking
photographs for his book 'Angkor - Kingdom of the Khmer', which is due out
in Spring 2002. After a chat about the Kulen temples and other sites, I
scrambled across the undergrowth for a closer look at the impressive Prasat
O'Pong before we parted company and back onto the trail for more punishment. We were now well on our way back to our starting point but it was still
forty minutes before we reached the last stopping-off point of our trip.
Krus Preah Aram Rong Chen was our destination and it was an unusual spot,
allegedly the site of the first pyramid temple and sacred Shiva linga,
constructed by Jayavarman II in the ninth century, that signalled the
beginning of the great Angkor period. A short walk up a hill, took us to the
site and it looked anything but the location of a large pyramid temple.
Instead, there was a series of small caves where Vishnuite figures were
carved into the rockface and two broken sandstone pedestals were in the
center of what appeared to be a natural cave-temple. The site is revered by
the Khmer people and a permanent military guard is posted nearby to prevent
any wrong-doing. We eventually returned to the stalls at Preah Ang Thom just
before 2pm, thanked our Kulen moto-drivers who'd looked after us expertly
and left the mountain, seeing lots more butterflies on our descent, this
time they were yellow in colour. Back on the logging road, we sped off
towards Kbal Spean and reached the parking lot at the site in just under an
hour, but by now liberally covered in red dust. Accompanied by a guide from the Apsara Authority who came along with Phalla,
Sothea and myself to 'make us safe', a forty minute ascent along a hot and
humid forest trail brought us to the fast-running 'River of a Thousand
Lingas'. The natural sandstone bridge, from where Kbal Spean gets its name,
spans the river at a point where remarkable riverbed rock carvings from the
11th century display a gallery of gods and celestial beings including Vishnu
reclining on the serpent Anata, Lakshmi, Rama and Hanuman. Some of the
carvings are submerged by the course of the river, others are open to the
elements and a few have been chipped away by unscrupulous thieves. The
riverbed and surrounding rocks are covered in these engravings and a few
metres downstream, there are thousands of sculpted lingas or phallic images,
including a large underwater representation of a yoni (womb). A group of
workmen were cutting down a tree as we made our way further downstream to a
slippery path which took us to the bottom of a 15-metre waterfall and a pool
of crystal-clear water. This water, which has been blessed with fertility as
it passes over the sacred lingas, then flows down the mountain to fertilize
the fields of Angkor. Well, that's the theory. The whole area was serene and
undisturbed, apart from the woodcutter's saw and more by luck than
judgement, late afternoon seems a good time to visit this ancient site to
avoid other daytrippers. Our return to Siem Reap took us past the entrance to Banteay Srei as the sun
began to set, reflecting off the red sandstone walls of the temple. The road
from Banteay Srei to the village of Pradak, where we'd stopped for breakfast
at the beginning of the day, was under major repair and proved to be as much
of a challenge for Sothea and Hing as any of our earlier adventures. Whilst
dodging from one side of the road to the other to find the least
uncomfortable driving-line, as well as avoiding other traffic including
4WD's returning their well-heeled visitors to town after a visit to Banteay
Srei, Sothea suffered a puncture. We called in at a nearby house where the
disabled husband and his wife include moto repairs amongst their village
responsibilities. Word of our arrival soon spread and in no time, a crowd of
about thirty neighbours of all ages had appeared and I took photos, played
shuttlecock and handed out sweets to keep them amused. It seemed to work. It
was just before 7pm when we arrived back in town at the end of a long and
thoroughly enjoyable but strenuous day. After a much-needed shower, I joined
some friends at the techno Liquid bar near the river for a relaxing dinner
before rounding off the day at the Angkor What? pub. ........end. I hope you enjoyed the tale and go to my website to read many more from my
visits to this wonderful country.
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