Prasat Preah Vihear - Day 2

I had to be up early to get the car to Koh Ker, which meant another 5:30am start. But as the village was already getting up it wasn't a problem. You could hear the cockerels crowing, kids crying, and people moving about through the single sheet of wood that made the walls of my room (think a wood hut surrounded by other wood huts in the middle of know where).

After sloshing cold water on myself from the plastic drums I packed my stuff, and set off up the hill for one last look at the temple, but just missed sunrise by about 10 minutes - although as I'm walking up the stairs the sun is a huge purple disc hanging low in the sky.



As you'd expect for a place that is part of a diplomatic stand off, there's a large military presence here, and when I met up with Sim to get the Moto down the mountain, he was chatting with some of the military guys. I asked if they'd mind if I had a photo taken with them and they said no. So here's me with some of Cambodia's Commando forces:



And then it was the terrifying ride down. Sim drove really fast, and the road is really steep and windy. At one point I thought I was going to slip off the seat and had to ask him to slow down. But thankfully it didn't last too long.

And then it was off in a Toyota Camry for the drive to Koh Ker. I got dropped off in a village called Srayong, but there was no traffic to get to Koh Ker, so I ended up chatting to a lad called Chien, who said he'd take me on his moto, and drive me around the ruins for $10USD.

I'll be honest - I was a bit disappointed by Koh Ker, and the lack of sleep and small bag of dried fruit for breakfast weren't helping.

I'll skip over most of the details - with the exception of a few thing's.

The one thing I'd wanted to see, was the huge pyramid that sits right in the middle of the temple grounds. The kind of thing you'd associate with The Mayans - and this one almost looks and feels out of place. Unfortunately you can't climb it as the moment as the wooden stairs are in a terrible state of repair, and there's no other way up (I did try :-). But it's quite an impressive sight.



The other thing about Koh Ker - and Cambodia in general - is the blight of land mines. As you drive through the country you keep seeing signs marking the land mine fields, and other signs that show where land minds have been cleared. At Preah Vihear, there's a huge uncleared mine field and they tell you to stick to the paths - although the main bit is now clear - thankfully.

Here's one of the many signs at Koh Ker. There's something really disturbing about standing on the edge of a mine field - after all - it just looks like any other piece of ground - except this ones waiting to kill or maim you.

You do think about the horror that waits for a small child who doesn't think to stop, and it brings home what the many amputees you see in Cambodia have suffered. The sign speaks for itself:



Here's one showing that a field has been cleared:



And finally, a random picture of a guy rowing a canoe on the moat at Koh Ker. Despite all the problems of the past in Cambodia - life goes on - people are trying to build a future for themselves.



As we'd driven into Koh Ker, it became obvious that there was no traffic on the road. Chien offered to take me to Beng Mealea (the next temple down the road (and where I was heading)). It was 60km down the road - and another 60km to Siem Reap. The only guest house was near Koh Ker, so it would have meant a 60km round trip, or go straight to Siem Reap in the same amount of time.

Chien said he'd drive me to Siem Reap, and after much bargaining, and a lot of laughing, we settled on 35 dollars. I think I paid over the odds a bit, but there was very little options, and it would mean I could finish the trip and get off to Phnom Phen. And in all fairness, Chien probably needed the extra dollars more than I would miss them.

So we set of for the 1.5 hour trip to Beng Mealea - which I'd have to say was incredible fun. It's as the temple was found - over taken by the jungle, with treas and jumbled rocks everywhere. You can either climb through the ruins, or walk on a boardwalk.

It was like being in Indian Jones...great fun. Here's some pics:







And then it was the butt numbing 1.5 hour trip back to Siem Reap.

Chien and my bag - waiting for me so we can set off:



I really enjoyed this trip. It was so good to get off the tourist trail and see the "real" Cambodia. It was a real experience. The people I met were so friendly and helpful - it's amazing how much people can communicate - even when there's no common language. And without the help of people like Sim and Chien, I'd have been stuck a few times.

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As an update on my trip - it appears that further fighting has broken out at Prasat Preah Vihear (actually the border near by) resulting in a number of deaths. You can read about it here. All I can say is - it was nothing to do with me guv - honest...

While I was there - the military guys I spoke to said that talks were going to take place with a view to resolving the situation - so lets hope that these bring peace to the area - as the temple is a magical place to visit. If you've not been - add it to your list - you won't be disappointed.