(no subject)
Our trip to Prasat Preah Vihear, another Cambodian temple.
This one stands out because of its location, built on top of a mountain right on the North Cambodia/Thailand border. It's not a part of the Ankor heritage, it's too far out. From Siem Reap (near Ankor) we had to take a local bus out to Anlong Veng, a little village beneath the Thai border. There we checked in in the first guesthouse we saw, which actually turned out to be a horehouse. But after coming back to my room after dinner and finding my bed filled up with spiders bigger than my hand, I went to find a bed across the street. (Cause I'm not that hardcore ;)
In the only 'restaurant' in Anlong Veng, we became friends with the owner pretty quickly, and he arranged a friend who could drive us to the temple next day for little money. We were pretty lucky for that, because there's no other way we could get to the temple. No public transportation going out there at all.. so the next morning we started the two hour drive through nothingland and jungle on the terrible dirt roads, and we arrived at the bottom of the mountain around noon.
Our driver told us he couldn't get us up the mountain, because the path is too steep. We each had to take an altered moto (kind of scooter), one that could climb the extreme paths. (a 2-hr walk up the mountain at midday wasn't a bright idea)
The ride was just brilliant, scary, but brilliant. Although going down that steep path is even better!
Anyway, arriving on top and walking up the temple, you see the Thailand side of the mountain, and the weirdest view: the brandnew asphalt highway leading straight to the mountain! That was pretty funny at the time :)
Anyway, if you've actually read all this crap, here's finally a couple photos of the trip:
some Thai monks checking the place out
view over Thailand
stalls with much needed cold drinks and souvenirs, accepting Thai money, because almost no one enters from Cambodia..
three younger monks enjoying the view
little boy lost his mamma..
The end.
(of the Cambodia part)