A day earlier my cousin and I hired a car with driver from Battambang and travelled via Oddor Mean

Chey and Anlong Veng to Preah Vihear Temple. We left our car at the base of the mountain as the road was too steep for our vehicle, and rode up the mountain as pillion passengers on motorbikes. We arrived at Preah Vihear Temple at 8:50am and spent some time admiring the Temple and its environs.

Preah Vihear Temple About 2 hours later we returned to our car. It was a steep descent from the mountain top, but our motorbike drivers had travelled this road countless times before, so we were in safe hands. On the way down we saw army posts and huts located on the side of the hill. The area over the horizon in the photo below is known as Veal Entree, the site of intense fighting in the recent past.

Huts and army posts Preah Vihear Temple is about 500m above the surrounding plain, but it only took about 5 to 10 minutes to get down to the car park. We paid our fare (15,000 riels or $3.70 for the return trip per motorcycle) then we headed to Tbeng Mean Chey, the capital of Preah Vihear Province, before continuing to Prasat Sambor Prey Kuk in Kompomg Thom Province.

Isolated huts on the road to Tbeng Mean Chey On the road to Tbeng Mean Chey we saw a number of isolated huts on both sides of the road, and our driver suspected they were constructed to populate the area following the clashes with Thailand. We couldnt confirm his suspicion, and it wasnt our mission find out, so we kept pushing on, being content that on a long and isolated stretch of road like this itd be wise not to be too inquisitive.

Sign on the roadside We then came across a sign, similar to several signs we travelled past yesterday. Our curiosity got the better of us, we stopped to read. It was an advisory sign notifying the public of the governments plan to set aside a road reserve with adequate width for future road upgrade. A total reserve width of 50m would be required, and private dwellings are to be constructed outside this reserve. The alphabets ADB on the top right corner of the sign would suggest that the Asian Development Bank would be involved in some way, presumably providing a loan for the project. One of the reasons for this journey was to take a drive down memory lane. To retrace my family trip back in 1979, when we were forced down the cliff of Mount Dangrek by the Thai military and we walked all the way to Kompong Thom, then to Siem Reap, and finally arrived in Sisophon, a total distance of about 500km. It had been my wish to see the scenery along this road again, because back then, despite the hardship and malnutrition, we came across some beautiful landscape which had stayed in our memories ever since.

Trees on the side of the road On this trip in 2011, the familiar trees on both sides of the road remained as they were, they were tall and majestic, but the road was then unsealed as far as I can recall.

We also came upon a tree fallen across the road. During our previous journey much bigger trees were deliberately felled by the retreating Khmer Rouge to slow the progress of the Vietnamese troops.

Open forest in Preah Vihear The open forest, similar to the places where we camped at the end of each days walk, looked so familiar. Surrounded by the trees, each of us would take the load off our shoulder at the end of the day, set up camp, cooked and ate. Seeing those trees was like meeting a long lost friend! I kept an eye out for the rubber plantation where we removed the latex collecting bowls from the rubber trees. We liberated them for use as our dinner plates. I didnt find the plantation though. Just as well, it would have been too tempting to liberate a few more bowls as souvenirs - not an advisable thing to do for a tourist.

Bamboo forest The bamboos in the forest, which grew and produced shoots in abundance and gave us a good supply of food were still there. This was a place where we spent a lot of time foraging for edible plants.

Bridge over Stung Sen River, Preah Vihear About 80 km from Preah Vihear Temple we reached Stung Sen River, and we stopped to survey the bridge. In 1979, there was no bridge over Stung Sen, and the river current was ferocious that we had to wait on the north side for weeks before a boat could be organised to take us across. We took shelter from the sun in the Sarlar beside the bridge. Its a structure with a roof but no walls, generally constructed by local people to provide shelter to weary travellers. There used to be a lot of these Sarlar in the past, when travelling was usually done on foot, oxcart, or by bicycle. These days, with fast cars and motorcycles, there arent many Sarlar to be found as there isnt much need for them. We had a chat with a man there, and learned that he was a labourer whenever he could find work, otherwise he was jobless. Despite our drivers disapproval of our social conduct, we agreed to give

him a lift to Tbeng Mean Chey to visit his relatives and perhaps to find some work. Like many countries in the world, Cambodia is a class society, and its not very common for the people who are well off to give a lift to, and to sit with a poor man in a car. We spoke about his family and his son, and he mentioned that life had been difficult as he was illiterate, and never had any form of education. It is difficult to imagine that his 8 year old sons future will be any brighter, as there is no school in his small village and he doesnt own any land that he can cultivate to produce an income. My cousin mentioned that perhaps his son could gain some education in the villages Buddhist Temple, though we had absolutely no idea if there was a temple nearby. After dropping off our hitchhiker, we headed to the next village, Phnom Dek. We figured that there must be a mountain somewhere for the village to be named a Phnom, but we couldnt see one on the horizon. Phnom Dek is now a fair size settlement, but I do not remember seeing much signs of life during our previous trip. It was quite a surprise to see that so much had changed on this mostly lonely stretch of road.

A local at Phnom Dek An elderly man wearing a krama walked his bicycle past (yes, it was a hot day!), and I couldnt help starting a conversation. He said that he had lived here for well over 60 years, and it was only in the past 20 years or so that there had been a population increase. It would have been nice to spend a bit more time talking with him, to find out more about life in this town but, as usual, time wasnt on our side.

Village at Phnom Dek So after a brief stop at Phnom Dek we took a straight run to Prasat Sambor Prey Kuk. The distance between Phnom Dek and Sambor Prey Kuk is approximately 75km, but it was 4:30pm by the time we arrived.

Tourist Office at Sambor Prey Kuk There are many small temples scattered over a large area at Sambor Prey Kuk. Given that it was getting late in the afternoon and we only had about an hour for our visit, we had difficulty deciding which temples to visit in such a short time. So we enlisted the help of an unofficial guide from the tourist office and we were on our way.

I have seen trees in the Cambodian jungle lots of time, but Im still amazed every time confronted by one such as this.

Lion at Prasat Tao The first Temple we visited was Prasat Tao (Lion Temple). Unlike many other lion statues, the lions at Prasat Tao have mane!

The next Temple, Prasat Yeai Poeun, was a short walk away. We met a young man working for APSARA (French acronym for the Authority for the Protection and Management of the Angkor Region), and we sought out his knowledge of the temples and spent the rest of our time listening to him. His knowledge is impressive, given that he was only provided with a 6 month training.

We left Sambor Prey Kuk at around 5:30pm, but not before the little girl who had been shadowing us convinced me to buy a scarf from her. Our next stop was Kompong Thom City, where we crossed Stung Sen for the second time in the day. We pulled into a hotel parking lot, but to our surprise, we found that it was fully booked. This was unusual for Kompong Thom. We tried several more hotels to no avail.

Bridge over Stung Sen, Kompong Thom Province We later learned that we arrived during high school examinations when teachers in the province were mobilised to supervise the exams in town. That was the reason for the very high occupancy rate for the hotels.

Highway 6, through Kompong Thom City We finally managed to find rooms in a hotel overlooking Stung Sen River, just before it was too dark. During dinner in the lobby, the proprietor said that there used to be a zoo just across the road from the hotel. I remembered vaguely that I visited Kompong Thom zoo once when I was very young, and I saw, crocodiles, deer and some other animals, but I was never sure if the zoo only existed in my imagination or if it was for real. It was by chance that we met the hotel proprietor who not only confirmed the existence of the zoo, but pointed out where it was once located!

The next morning, I walked out onto the balcony of the second floor and took a few photos of daily life in the city.

Would you be brave enough to stand on that trailer?

Commuting to work After breakfast we left Kompong Thom for Siem Reap. We occasionally shared the road with draft animals.

Staple foods like dried fish and smoked fish were on sale on the side of the road in abundance.

Soon after we passed the outskirts of town, we caught up with a boy on a motorbike with one hand holding on to an intravenous drip pole. Then we saw another boy with another drip, and another boy . . . This was in fact quite a common sight. Treatments, including those for dengue fever, are provided free of charge from an NGO operated hospital, and to keep the hospital running cost to a minimum, patients are discharged to recuperate at home.

Patient on a motor bike We soon reached the famed Kompong Kdei Bridge, and it was a thrill to see this Angkorian Bridge again as it was one of the things which caught my attention on our previous journey.

Kompong Kdei Bridge

Close up of a Naga Head

Sign recounting the Bridge history I then crossed the road to the other side where lighting for photography was better, where I came upon several orchids on a tree. They were Rhynchostylus gigantea, one of the most spectacular orchids when in bloom. It was a pity that we were there too early for the bloom, however, it was a beautiful sight to see them grow naturally in a village, and not being poached.

Rhyncostylus gigantea

After admiring the orchids I proceeded down the embankment to see the bridge from the dry river bed.

Kompong Kdei Bridge, from the River Bed From Kompong Kdei, we headed to Beng Mealea, some 60km away. There was a tourist vehicle access fee of 10,000 riels (approximately $2.5) to visit Beng Mealea and Prasat Koh Ker. I am told that Beng Mealea means Lotus Pond, so it is appropriate that the moats flanking the causeway are full of lotus.

Moat on the north side of the Causeway

Causeway leading to the main temple.

The Exterior of the Main Temple When we reached the main temple, we met several groups of Chinese tourists coming from different parts of China. For some reasons, all the tourists we met that day came from China, and one asked how big Phnom Penh was! Could he possibly have thought that it was as big as a Chinese city?

Boardwalk inside the Temple Enclosure As we stepped into the interior of the Temple, we were told by a temple guard that two brothers, a film about two tiger cubs, was filmed there. He pointed out the location where the cubs played their parts in the film. We also noticed that Beng Mealea was one of the temples where extensive boardwalks were constructed to provide safe access for visitors.

Apsaras can be found at Beng Mealea, but they are not in abundance as at Angkor Wat. Some can be seen on the 4 corners of the outer enclosure, but a bit of agility is required to scramble up the piles of fallen stones.

On the perimeter of the temple complex, a CMAC sign (Cambodian Mine Action Centre) reminded us that this area hadnt always been a place where we were free to wander. From Beng Mealea, we proceeded to Koh Ker, some distance away via a dirt road. There are many temples in the Koh Ker complex, but the drawcard must be the pyramid within Prasat Thom Temple. We walked through the central sanctuary enclosed by two moats,

before emerging onto a path leading west towards the Pyramid. It was quite an imposing sight. The steps leading up the pyramid had fallen into disrepair so the climb was prohibited. I could only imagine what the views from the 7th level would be like.

Pyramid at Prasat Thom

Epiphytic orchids at Prasat Thom Other smaller temples in the Koh Ker Complex we visited were Prasat Pram (Five Temples),

One of the five towers at Prasat Pram and Prasat Neang Khmao (Black Temple), on account of the stone colour.

Prasat Neang Khmao Our final destination of the day was Siem Reap City, and we arrived just after dusk. Unlike Kompong Thom there was no shortage of hotel rooms in Siem Reap. Siem Reap is now a big city and keeps growing. I read a number of articles not so long ago about the phenomenal growth rate in Siem Reap, and how this growth could adversely impact on the future of

city and the Angkor Complex. One of the major issues is that water is being pumped from the aquifer underneath the city and the Angkor Region to service the growing city, and the use of aquifer water, if not regulated, could lower the level of water in the aquifer. The concern is that if the water in the aquifer is much reduced, the aquifer could potentially subside, and the consequences of subsidence to the Angkor Complex are obvious . . . Back to our trip. We had travelled in the rain on unsealed sections of road during the past two days, and the car had picked up quite a bit of dirt. Like some neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, social etiquette dictates that we dont drive a dirty car through towns. On top of that we were told that drivers of dirty vehicles could be fined in cities like Phnom Penh and Siem Reap! So we had the car wiped clean during the night, to be ready to go through Siem Reap City the following day. The next morning we went to Angkor Thom to listen to Khmer Traditional Music performed by Landmine Victim Musicians, and we made a donation on behalf of a friend in Australia.

Displays at the Traditional Khmer Music Site

Bas Relief on the Eastern Gate of Angkor Thom We then drove through a gate of the Angkor Thom Complex and took in the view of Prasat Baphoun, where restoration had just been completed - after 16 years of works.

Prasat Baphoun

Southern Gate of Angkor Thom We passed through the Southern Gate, out of the Angkor Thom Complex, and were on our way to Sisophon, then to Battambang. This trip report is not complete without a few photos of Battambang, the town where we started our journey from.

The views of Battambang from the top of a seven storey hotel located east of the Sangker River are impressive. The mountain range in the background, about 15km south of the city, adds a nice touch to the views. I noted that the Iron Bridge, one of the icons of Battambang, was dismantled as it was deemed unsafe for traffic. It is a shame to see the Iron Bridge gone. A concrete bridge (in the above photo) is now standing in its place.

Battambang City and Stung Sangker

Houses on Street Number 1, on the bank of Stung Sangker Having returned to Battambang, our trip to Preah Vihear Temple is complete. My cousin remained in Battambang with his family, and I caught a bus to Phnom Penh the following day as I was due to depart Cambodia in a couple of days. There are several bus services between the Phnom Penh and Battambang, and the fare is approximately $5.

Battambang - Phnom Penh Bus, stopping for lunch I caught the 10am service to Phnom Penh. It was a relaxing 6.5 hour trip, and I enjoyed the sceneries along the road, particularly of the beautiful sugar palm trees in Kompong Chhnang Province. For a lot of Cambodians, sugar palm trees symbolise Cambodia, and a beautiful palm tree dotted landscape is typically Cambodian.

As I entered Phnom Penh, I was greeted by the traffic madness, quite a contrast from the peace and tranquillity in the provinces.

It was 3:30pm by the time the bus pulled into the bus depot. I then booked into a hotel a block away from the Central Market. There was an interesting sign at the hotel lift, and Id like to think that whoever stuck it up there had a good sense of humour rather than did it out of necessity.

The next morning, I made a phone call to an orphanage and arrange to meet the Director in order to collect some education sponsorship forms for another friend in Australia. Then it was a quick dash to the orphanage, although finding Street 371 in Steung Mean Chey was more complicated than I anticipated. Most streets in Phnom Penh have no name, they are identified by a number, but they are not always sequentially numbered. Eventually I got there, but the man I was to meet was on his way somewhere else very early that morning and he simply forgot to tell me during our phone conversation that he wasnt going to be at the Centre at the appointed time. The situation was saved by the kids at the orphanage who knew how to run the place in the Directors absence. My conversation with these kids tells me that their determination to get an education knows no bounds, and Im sure every parent would be proud to have kids like them.

The following day, it was time to leave Cambodia. I made the trip to the airport, went through immigration, proceeded through customs and had my bag X-rayed when I was told that stuff in the bottles (drinking water) couldnt be allowed in. That was odd. Bottled water was never known to be a security risk! You can never be too careful, perhaps? My visit to Cambodia had been eventful and it was unwise to question a customs officer about security issues. So there was no argument from me. About an hour later it was time to say goodbye to Srok Khmer, The Land of The Khmers. But only until my next visit! (As for the hotel, Im glad to report that during my stay, there were no gun shots, no hand grenade explosions, and no drug users.)

Aerial View of Phnom Penh

Farmland near Phnom Penh