The Royal Road to the Real Cambodia

Angkor Thom, North Gate

If you are planning to get off the beaten tracks in Cambodia and get a real feel for the country, the people and the mystery and magnificence of its pre-Angkorian past, like I did thrice, I would strongly recommend you to hire the services of a good, reliable local guide.

I just hope you'll be as lucky as I was, when I found just that in the person of Mr. Has Sophy, a gentle, easy-going, experienced travel guide and top-notch motorbike/car driver based in the city of Kompong Thom, capital of the province considered the most deeply-rooted in Khmer tradition, beliefs and ways.

Sophy at the edge of the jungle surrounding the Bayon. Angkor Thom, Feb 06

A 34-year old former staff of the UK-based, Mines Advisory Group [MAG] Sophy built upon his 8-year experience clearing minefields and disposing of unexploded ordnance in the provinces of Kompong Thom and Preah Vihear. He speaks good English and knows by heart every twist and turn of the rough roads and narrow tracks leading to the massive, remote and beautiful temples abandoned to the forests of the North - and how to avoid the many leading nowhere or worse... [See http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-interviews-RB.htm for information on the issue of landmines and unexploded ordnance, or UXOs, in Cambodia]

Straggled along National Highway 6 and the Stung Sen river, Kompong Thom [pop. 66.000] is strategically located midway between Phnom Penh (165 km), the capital of Cambodia, and Siem Reap (150 km), the gateway to the temples of Angkor.

Angkor Wat: NASA satellite photo (above) and view of the Western façade (below)

Main sites of interest in and around Kompong Thom are:

□ Wat Kompong Thom, on the main road, 500 m north of the Stung Sen bridge
□ Wat Sleng, 6 km from KT, stores a small collection of lintels from different Angkorian periods
□ Phnom Sontuk, 20 km southeast of KT, the most important holy mountain in the region and a Buddhist theme-park of sorts
□ Prasat Andet, 30 km west of KT. This small, simple shrine from the 7th century located near the Great Lake (Tonle Sàp) was once home to the statue of Harihara (below), considered one of the most remarkable artpieces from the pre-Angkorian period
□ Prasat Kuha Nokor, 67 km southeast of KT and 2 km from the NH6, and Wat Hat Nokor, a small, enchanting temple in extremely good condition
□ Prek Sbauv, 4 km from KT, a small village on the eastern bank of the Stung Sen and birthplace to Saloth Sâr, alias Pol Pot

Harihara. Prasat Andet, Kompong Thom

Offering a wide range of accommodation to suit every travel budget, Kompong Thom is the ideal base from which to explore:

■ the 7th century, pre-Angkorian site of Sambor Prei Kuk (35 km), also known as Ishanapura, former capital of the kingdom of Chenla and first temple-city of Asia, dedicated to Shiva. An extraordinary place, with more than 100 temples in three main groups, Sambor is considered the birthplace of Khmer art, since the earliest existing pieces are all traced to this site. Indeed, 'it was the first time in Khmer history that a body of art could be firmly associated with a specific period in an identifiable place'. The statue of Durgâ, 'perhaps the most astonishing work of art created by the Khmers in more than one millenium of civilization' was found there.

Durgâ. Sambor Prei Kuk, Kompong Thom

'More than one observer has drawn a parallel between this dynamic and sensuous image and the ancient Greek statue known as the Winged Victory of Samothrace.'

■ The Great Preah Khan (120 km), or the Temple of the Sacred Sword, the largest temple enclosure ever built in Cambodia and the earliest example of four huge, enigmatic faces looking into the cardinal directions later seen at the Angkor Thom gates and the Bayon. The beautiful head of deva-raja (God-King) Avalokiteshvara-Jayavarman VII - perhaps, the most famous single piece of Khmer art ever - was found there.

Head of Jayavarman VII. Preah Khan of Kompong Svay. Photo: Hans Hinz

□ Ta Seng, the small village nearby where you must stay overnight to have at least two days to explore the sprawling temple site, has a Javanese or Tahitian air about it: people go by wearing their krama - the checkered scarf emblematic of Cambodia -, as a sarong. I was given a warm welcome by villagers and treated by them with touching gentleness and hospitality when I stayed there. Expect to be invited to share dinner, drink the delicious sugar-palm wine (tuk thnot jul) and spend a pleasant evening chatting with your host and guest friends, with Sophy acting as an interpreter.

In order to distinguish it from the temple of same name at Angkor, Preah Khan is also known as the Great Preah Khan, Preah Khan of Kompong Svay (name of the district where it's located), Preah Khan of Kompong Thom, Bakan Svay Rolay, as it's officially called by scholars, or simply Prasat Bakan, as locals call it. Note that Preah Khan presently falls within the boundaries of Preah Vihear province.

■ 1oth century Koh Ker (224 km from KT). Also known as Chok Gargyar, former capital of the Angkorian empire from which came several of the most impressive pieces of sculpture displayed at the National Museum in Phnom Penh, the first in Khmer art to depict movement. Koh Ker is 69 km from Tbeng Meanchey, or TBM, as the provincial capital is known among foreign travellers.

Wrestlers. Prasat Thom, Koh Ker. Photo: Hans Hinz

■ 10th century Prasat Preah Vihear, 270 km from KT by the NH64. Khmer Rouge's last stronghold and the most dramatic location of all of the Angkorian monuments, perched atop a 550 m-high cliff face of the Dangrek range, hugging the Thai-Cambodian border and offering a breathtaking view of the plains below, with the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen looming in the distance. This king of temple-mountains was dedicated to Shiva, in the form of the 'lord of the summit', though Vishnu figures prominently in the relief carvings of the lintels and pediments. As of present-day Cambodia, it was the northernmost limit of the Khmer empire during the reign of Suryavarman I (1002-1049), who had a major role in its construction. Prasat Preah Vihear is 115 km from Tbeng Meanchey via the village of Sa Em.

Prasat Preah Vihear, the king of temple-mountains

From Preah Vihear, you can either:

□ Return to Sa Em and head west to Siem Rèap via Anlong Veng, Pol Pot's place of death (120 km from Preah Vihear), and Phnom Kulen (92 km from Anlong Veng and 50 km to Siem Rèap), considered by Khmers the holiest of all mountains - the Mountain of the Great Indra -, with the largest reclining Buddha in Cambodia and the spectacularly carved riverbed of Khbal Spean, or the "River of Thousand Lingas", lots of shrines and a beautiful waterfall.

□ Return to Koh Ker and from there, through the new toll road following the route of an ancient highway once stretching as far as Banteay Samre, already in the outskirts of Angkor, proceed to:

■ 11th century Beng Mealea. Considered in many respects a precursor to Angkor Wat, though utterly subsumed by jungle, the "Pond of Garlands" is a spectacular, massive temple (108 ha) enclosed by a huge moat (4 km) located at the southeastern flank of the Kulen mountains and comparable to the most imposing temples of the ancient capital. Accomodation overnight is available at the nearby village of Svay Loeu. Beng Mealea is 61 km from Koh Ker by the toll road, and about 80 from Siem Rèap.

□ An alternative way to reach Beng Mealea is, return to Ta Seng-Preah Khan and from there hit the ancient Royal Road/La Voie Royale that once linked Angkor to Phimai and Lopburi, in the former lands of Dvaravati, to the west (present Thailand), as well as to Wat Phu Champasak (present Laos) and Indrapura, capital of Hindu Champa (present Vietnam), to the east - a major route of communication and pilgrimage of the Khmer empire in its heyday. The ruins of at least 10 bridges from the 12th and 13th centuries lay abandoned in the jungle along the stretch from Preah Khan to Beng Mealea, as well as parts of naga balustrades scattered almost everywhere. Luckily, one of the most beautiful bridges - Spean Ta Ong, with 15 arches and 77 m in lenght, 7 km west of the village of Khvau - still survives and is considerably well-preserved.

Naga balustrade, jungle of Beng Mealea

Though it should not be taken lightly, this itinerary - whether you depart from Phnom Penh or Siem Rèap - is no doubt the most adventurous and insightful way of linking the two cities. This trip is best done during the dry season, between November and May, as the monsoon rains make for tough travel around Cambodia in general, especially in these remote areas.

End of the journey: Sophy drafting the post. Phnom Krom, Feb 06

SOPHY can be reached anytime by:

■ mobile phone: (855) 012 682100
■ email: has_sophy@yahoo.com
■ address: Kompong Rotes Commune, Stung Sen District, Kompong Thom - Kingdom of Cambodia
■ yours truly: hsfmader@yahoo.fr

Text Hugo Mader & Has Sophy Photos Germaine Krull, Corbis/Contrasto, Hans Hinz, Hugo Mader Source reference for Sambor Prei Kuk and Preah Vihear: Art & Architecture in Cambodia, by Helen Ibbitson Jessup, Thames & Hudson world of art 2004; Lunet de la Jonquière, Inventaire Descriptif des Monuments du Cambodge, École Française de l'Extrême-Orient, 1907 Sculptures displayed above are in the collection of the National Museum, in Phnom Penh