This trip was another quite random journey, tacked onto the end of a trip to Tnoat Chum for family reasons. Chanthim and I would go on a short trip, exploring for four days from December 15 to 19 2022, doing a loop from Kampong Thom to Preah Khan of Kampong Svay, to Khvav, Kampong Kdei and back to Kampong Thom.
We’d start off by visiting Phnom Sruoch which is a fascinating site located atop a small mountain featuring several remnants of an ancient temple including plinths, a pedestal, and a moonstone (doorstep) along with stone carved sema and Buddhist developments that may be attributable to the same period as that of the nearby Phnom Santuk, around the 15th century onwards in an era commonly referred to as the post-Angkor era.
After that, stopping by the wonderful Kampong Thom Museum again and afterwards, stop in at Wat Pou Meanchey to check out some quite unique murals that are being added to the exterior of the pagoda, which is probably complete by now. Heading towards Sambour Prei Kuk, we’d been to Wat Mohar previously and this time stopped by Wat Cheay Sampov which features stone-carved sema and a sandstone pedestal from an ancient temple embedded at the front of the altar.
After that, then it was time for a look around Sambor Prei Kuk once again. Actually, It’s only the second time I have been here, and I really should spend some more time here as the temples are indeed quite special as you surely know. In the near future, I’ll post some updated photos and more info on the many sites here.
Wandering around Sambour Prei Kuk we bumped into the friendly Sok Oeung who coordinates official local guides and can help with local homestay/guesthouse options in the nearby township of Sambour, you can contact her on Facebook if you have any questions about visiting the area.
The next day, departing from Stoung, we headed off north towards Preah Khan of Kampong Svay. Along the way, we noticed a large basin and went to investigate, following a trail that led to a clump of trees on its southwestern end and sure enough, there are ancient remains. I have not been able to match this site to anything listed in public records, and unfortunately didn’t catch any locals nearby who knew its name although someone there surely would. For now, I’ll just label it by the village name and call it Baveng Temple.
After that, we’d stop by Wat Krabaw and pass by Balang Temple which will appear on a later tour through the same area (I’m about three trips behind in writing posts!). The rural landscape of the area is a little special, and the roads are all great. A little further along is Wat Samrong featuring a unique contemporary interpretation of Buddha on Naga, and a characterful older vihara with a new one in progress.
About 8km before the border of Preah Vihear, there’s a vihara, acting as local prayer hall I guess, with a nearby shelter containing relics, again, I cannot match them to any public records and the nearest known temples are some distance away. I’ll just label the site Neak Ta for now on the off chance it may be useful to someone researching that area. It’s at about this point that the road goes from sealed to dirt and at the time of writing, it’s rough going with potholes until you cross the Preah Vihear border after which it smooths out a little having recently been graded.
Reaching Preah Khan of Kampong Svay (I’ll use PKKS to save time), we’d catch up with the police officers there, who are always super helpful, before getting some sleep and going back the next day to check out Mebon Temple (Preah Thkol) which is a highlight of the area and perhaps one of the greats of the Khmer Empire.
Continuing south from Prah Thkol, you can’t miss Preah Chatomukh, and we’d take a look around Preah Stoeng and its beautiful terrace. We’d skip the main temple today and head off around the southern side of PKKS then up to the western gopura. It’s kinda interesting as it appears to have had alterations in the post-Angkor era featuring laterite blocks blocking off windows along with ink inscriptions that I’d have no idea whether they are also from that time or more recent. Like the other four gopuras, it too features a stunning causeway lined with garuda.
From the west gate, we’d go looking for several other temples that lie on the western side of the main temple but inside the outer fourth enclosure (earthen). Those would include, Cham Temple, an unnamed Prasat, Spean O Chheu Teal, O Chheu Teal Toch Temple, O Chheu Teal E Tbong Temple, Wat Koki (North) Temple, and Wat Kokir Temple. This side of the complex hasn’t had many visitors in recent times with the recorded trails having mostly been lost to time. That said most were easy enough to find without any drama, and O Chheu Teal E Tbong Temple was a standout, it’s so well preserved but at the time, sadly difficult to really fully discover all its curiosities as it has become quite overgrown. Come to the warmer weather and that growth will probably die off or clear in seasonal burnoffs.
After that, we’d head back along the trail from PKKS that leads to Khvav, which is slow going and then take the sealed road down to Kampong Kdei and stay at Mei Bo Guesthouse which is simple and very clean.
The next day we’d go to take a look at Kampong Kdei Temple aka Prasat Praptos, and then we’d stumble upon an ancient mile-marker when sitting down for lunch. Apparently, there were several of these at one time, placed every so often along the road. It’s quite fascinating to think that this one is still in its original position (maybe).
After that we’d go for a look at the Ampil Rolom Temple whose pagoda now features a grand entrance arch, stopping by Wat Prasat which houses an ancient lintel, then Wat Spean Krong. The roads are all excellent, sealed for the most part and Chamna Leu commune is really quite pleasant to ride around.
That ended this trip and it was back to Siem Reap for me and Chanthim headed east to Kampong Thma. We’d only cover select sites along these routes, and there’s much more, so stay tuned for future posts were build a more complete picture of yet another area packed with ancient wonder.
Trip Map