Cambodia Day 4: Phnom Kulen

Our second full day in Siem Reap started quite early. Our destination for today was Phnom Kulen, a national park located about 60km away. The reviews on the internet were mixed, so we were curious to see what awaited us. Nak picked us up at the hostel and off we went.

The drive to the entrance of the national park took about 1.5 hours and took us through many small villages. Most people travel this route by car, and with the tuk-tuk, we were a bit slower, but we got to see more of what was happening alongside the road. There were also many small stalls along the way, and in some places, we saw the effects of slash-and-burn agriculture.

Shortly after entering the park, the road starts to climb up the mountain, and we had a really great view of the hilly landscape. Here, the road is still concrete, but our tuk-tuk struggled a bit with the three of us, and at times we even had to push it. Every few hundred meters, a group of park rangers is standing by the roadside, watching over everything.

Once you reach the plateau, there is no more concrete, and you drive only in dust. Luckily, we had our masks with us. The entire forest was covered with a fine layer of red dust, about 10 meters on both sides of the road.

But the most striking thing was to see children sitting by the roadside and playing. Neither they nor the few people who were shoveling dirt from the roadside onto the road to keep it intact were wearing masks, while tourists in their fancy cars passed by all day. Every time we passed a group of children, they waved at us, probably hoping someone would stop and give them money, but maybe they were just doing it for fun.

The main highlight of Phnom Kulen is the waterfall. So this was our first stop. The path there led through a row of stalls where the usual souvenirs and food were sold. There was a lot of garbage lying around, which wasn't very inviting to stay. However, there were many people sitting on both sides of the river, or rather the upper part of the waterfall, eating together and some even went for a quick swim under the waterfall.

Then we descended to the actual waterfall, and here, too, there were a lot of people, either bathing or taking photos.

A little further upstream from the waterfall is the so-called 'River of a Thousand Lingas', which is referred to as 'Kbal Spean' in Khmer. Large parts of the riverbed are covered with reliefs and lingas. Lingas are non-representational forms of the Hindu deity Shiva.

We walked along the river for a bit, but since there wasn't much to see, we turned back quickly. On the way back, we crossed the river and wanted to walk through the forest, but we didn't dare to go too far as it was more of a trail. In Cambodia, you can still find landmines from the time of the Khmer Rouge regime, so we decided to turn around and take the normal path.

Nak organized lunch for us. We simply got a whole cooked chicken, chopped into pieces and warmed up on a grill. We had it with rice and a dip, which was a kind of spice mixture that was squeezed with lime juice. It was simple, delicious, and a nice change from the usual food in restaurants. Then we walked to the Preah Ang Thom Pagoda. We climbed a lot of steps up the mountain. On the way, there were a few beggars, and there were stalls set up at the edges selling souvenirs.

You can only enter the temple complex barefoot, and the atmosphere was very interesting. Monks sit among various shrines and holy figures, offering prayers for a small donation. The air was filled with the scent of incense, and announcements were made over loudspeakers every few minutes.

The highlight was the reclining Buddha, which was carved out of a mountain peak and then a house was built around it. From up there, you could see over the treetops into the distance. There was also a small path further up the mountain leading to a small cave where a few more shrines for prayers were located.

You can actually see more on the plateau, but the roads were not made for our tuk-tuk, so we decided to head back.

Back in Siem Reap, we treated ourselves since it was our last evening here. After a refreshing swim in the pool, we went to the Little Pub Street to play pool and then indulged in a Thai massage.
Then it was time to pack our things to be ready for a relaxed departure the next morning.

So, Phnom Kulen was pretty much as described. The entrance fee is $20, but you don't see where the money is actually used. And it was also really shocking to see how people there spend their entire day in the dirt. It reminds you of the privileges you have at home. Even though I was aware of it before, it has a different effect when you experience it yourself...