This trip, from Mar 6 – 11 2023 would cover some remote and still-standing sites in Preah Vihear that we haven’t visited to date. It was also a special moment for us, by the end, ticking off our goal to visit every standing temple (at least those with more than 50% of their structure still standing), and, for both of our Hondas which would tick over the 20,000 km mark all chalked up in the last twelve months. It would be our last multi-day trip for this season with the really hot weather approaching, and then Khmer New Year.
I’d meet up with Chanthim in Kampong Thom and get on our way once more.
Day 1 & 2
Kampong Thom to Choam Khsant stopping by Wat Or Russey Veng and revisiting Krapom Chhouk Temple also stopping for a coffee. Reaching Choam Khsant we’d stay at Lean Seav Guesthouse again and the next morning get up early to catch the sunrise over the Dangrek. I wasn’t too sure if this would be a thing or not, but, yeah, it’s a thing :). Even though it was a little cloudy, it was still a fairly magical moment.
Then we’d head over and revisit Prasat Neak Buos for some nice early morning photos. It’s a fourth visit here and it never grows old on me, it’s a special place.
After that, having visited the sites of the area on previous visits, we’d head south then back on the sealed road and east to OuChunh village and take a new dirt road south, stopping by Wat OuChunh which has an olden wooden vihara and a new prayer/sermon hall.
After that head east to Chheu Teal Phliet Temple. On our last visit here we couldn’t find anyone who knew of the site and knowing that it’s an area with mines, we skipped it and kept on going. This time I had some better info and knew the right trail to reach the site at least, but luck would be with us as we’d meet the caretaker of the site en route! The kind chap guided us to the site and we’re glad he did because he said there are people working in the surrounds every day demining the area whilst the temple site itself is quite OK. The site is a single-standing tower featuring some beautiful art but quite decayed. The site is popular with locals and a large rest shelter has been built there and some seats by the nearby basin for people to relax. It’s quite nice.
The area out here is developing fast, really fast. It has a nice new dirt road connecting it all the way to the Mekong and to Choam Khsant in the other direction plus new roads are being forged through the once forested areas I guess once the mine clearance work has been completed the area will become plots of land for sale.
From here we’d back to Choam Khsant and then south, hoping to get onto the ancient road and follow it west/south-west but did not see any reasonable trails heading in. There was one trail coming off of road 62 but it’d take a Kubota tractor (Khyang) to pass it. Instead, we’d head to Kulean.
From Kulean we’d go north to Pyuor Chruk Village stopping by the pagoda there then northwest until we found a trail heading north which led to the ancient road or at least a temple that was a feature along it, Prasat Mak Ma.
Prasat Mak Ma, located on the ancient road that led from Angkor to Beng Mealea, past Koh Ker, and northeast to Wat Phu. It is a very interesting site, a hybrid temple that’s part brick and part sandstone and never completed which may be an interesting point in terms of the successive development of the ancient road over eras, or in fact where there wasn’t continuation.
From Mak Ma we head to Purrieng Village, noting the roads, they are ad-hoc trails, mostly slow going with the occasional good section. We’d ask some locals the way to Prasat Prateal Haeng, one of the goals for this trip, and they pointed us onto the trail noting it’s rough and slow going. They were right.
Turns out it was an old US Aid trail. It’s seen better days and we were still a long way from Prateal Haeng as dusk started to set in. No choice but to set up camp, there are few people out this way and no phone coverage either so it’s better to always be safe. We set up our hammocks in the trees and settled in for the night. It was peaceful and with a nice moon to boot. The pond we camped by had a lot of laterite surrounding it, natural or human involvement? If the latter it must be quite ancient as the laterite has decayed substantially.
Day 3
The next morning we’d pack up and get back on the trail. We’d pass by something curious, a rectangular area with an earthen levee, and something at its eastern end I felt but we couldn’t explore as the whole area was on fire being burnoff season in Preah Vihear.
We’d eventually make it to a small village near Prateal Haeng, where, as luck would have it, the caretaker of the temple is sitting there with a group of people just as we pulled in. This relatively new settlement developing here is located about 1km or so to the northwest of the temple, consisting of several wooden huts with a single stall selling drinks and gas. The friendly chap led us to the temple and showed us around and we greatly thank him for his time. As for the temple, it’s something quite special, one for its inscriptions, which link it with Preah Enkosei Temple in Siem Reap, but also for its grand plan. It’s quite overgrown but it has an aura of once being a very significant domain.
From there we’d say thanks many times to our local friend and head south to Prey Veng village past Prasat Choan Sram. This route is OK, not great but the best option for visiting this site directly. The road between Prey Veng and Koh Ker has recently been upgraded since our last visit not long ago so who knows, maybe this road will be too. We’d stop for a look at the baray of Chin Srom and notice that it was actually laterite lined, and least on this east side. In Prey Veng village, we’d stop by the old pagoda and notice there’s an unusual Buddhist boundary marker stored there.
Heading south we’d stop by Wat Sambor (Srayang) where the achar pointed us to the northwest and an ancient site where only the basin and some molded laterite can be seen, above ground at least, and nearby a large mound, perhaps surrounded by a moat, with more laterite seen.
From there, and continuing south we’d cross the ancient road again and go to explore another of the old roads temples, Prasat Ta Maen. It features a terrace or supplementary structure on its north-western side, made of laterite, whilst the temple is constructed of brick and sandstone quite similar to Prasat Mak Ma, the site we’d visited the day before that sits on the same ancient road about 14kms to the northeast.
From there we’d head to Srayong and to the guesthouse.
Day 4
The next day we’d explore Koh Ker once again bumping into the German team inspecting temples and several tourists, some on bikes, and some who’d come from Siem Reap by car. Overall though it was quiet. We’d visit some of the sites outside the main loop of the Koh Ker Archeological site including Boeng Veng, Prei Prasat, Prasat Dan, Rolom Temple, Prasat Dang Tong, Dang Tung South, Prasat Bei, Trapeang Svay Temple, Sampear Temple and Kok Krong Temple plus get some new photos around the main group.
Day 5
After that, we’d head to Preah Vihear, and stay at Ly Hout Guesthouse once again. The next day we’d head south back to Kampong Thom, visit a couple of pagodas and stop at Ban Houn Guesthouse for the night. The next day it was back to Kampong Thma for Chanthim and I’d head back to Siem Reap stopping by a couple of pagodas along the way.
Trip Map
Related
- Preah Vihear Pt I
- Preah Vihear Pt II
- Preah Vihear Pt III
- Preah Vihear Pt IV
- Preah Vihear Pt V
- All the sites visited in Preah Vihear