I started the day with Mr Pov the tuk tuk driver who also performs the role of security at the Lone Star Saloon and Guesthouse. I do recommend this place to other tourists. The service is friendly and the staff are excellent. The food is very good.
We rode out of town as the mayhem of city traffic was coming into town to commence work for the day. We had a 50km ride along village roads to the mountain top temple called Phnom Chiso Site. First we stopped at Pov's family home where I met the family. The lady in the above photo is the grandmother holding the 2 month old child. Now that face could tell a story or two.
Before I could leave I had to take another photo of the entire family. Pov the tuk tuk driver is on the right and his sister is next to him. This lady is the wife of the owner of the Lone Star Saloon. I was invited in for drinks and food but had to decline as we had a lot to see in 8 hours.
The above photo is of the Phnom Chiso Site 50kms outside of the capital. Now this trip is not for the feint hearted. This is a bone jarring ride on a dusty road with thousands of motorcycles, trucks, buses, dogs, cows, cars all in a hurry to get somewhere. Once you get to the parking area of the site you then have to climb 255 steps to the first summit. Then it's another 50 steps to another level, and then there's another level. By the time Pov and I got to the top we were sweating so bad.
The above photo is looking out through a doorway over the countryside in the distance. You will notice a lot of the site is very similar to the architectural designs of the world famous Angkor Wat back in Siem Reap. This is certainly on a much lessor scale but the view from the top is well worth the effort in getting here.
Phnom Chisor (
Khmer:
ប្រាសាទភ្នំជីសូរ) is a 133 m high hill in Sla village, Rovieng commune,
Samraŏng District,
Takéo Province,
Cambodia. It rises about 42 km south of
Phnom Penh.
Temple
There is an ancient Khmer temple located on top of the hill. The
temple was built in the 11th century of laterite and bricks with carved
sandstone lintels
[1] by the
Khmer Empire king
Suryavarman I, who practiced
Brahmanism. It was dedicated to the
Hindu divinities
Shiva and
Vishnu. The original name of the temple was
Sri Suryaparvata, "The mountain of
Surya".
At the foot of the hill below the stairs there is a building known as
Son Reveang that is now used as a
Buddhist place of worship, beyond which there is
Tonle Om, the
baray of the temple.
[2]
After the temple we went to the Phnom Tamao Zoological Park and Wildlife Rescue Center. I think in short they mean Zoo. Now the first thing you notice as you leave the main road and commence the 5kms trip to the Zoo is the number of beggars on both sides of the road. I was actually shocked to see people hunched over with their hand s out asking for money. This was all the way to the Zoo. We arrived at the Zoo and drove around taking photos of beers, monkeys, even an elephant, saw a lion and a tiger.
For those who haven't been to a zoo, that's a photo of a bear.
A photo of an iguana.
And that's an elephant and time to leave to our next destination.
Once back on the road we had to stop to get some food. Now that lady is not holding chicken or rat. It's a frog. Pov bought one and I had a leg of the frog. It didn't taste that bad, but my fruit did go down much better.
Now it was time to head to the killing fields. Now this is an incredible place. Now a lot has been said as to the role Pol Pot played in the genocide and what the USA did or did not do during this time. No matter what the truth is, thousands of people were executed by Pol Pot and the soldiers at the killing fields.
I'm not going to go into the history of this place. Plenty has already been said in the media and on the net for you to form your own opinion. The site is actually called 'the Choeung EK Genocidal Center and located about 15kms outside of the capital.
This memorial stupa depicted in the above photo contained the skulls of those murder by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. The skulls are from top to bottom.
Some of the skulls retrieved during excavations in the late 80's, and placed in the large stupa.
To assist you during the walk around the site you are provided with an audio narration headset. This goes through in great detail the site and the graves and how many bodies were retrieved. There's still graves that have been left untouched. The photo above is typical of the many signs giving a description of what use to lay under the ground. After spending an hour at the site and listening to the unbelievable brutality of Khmer Rouge I had to leave. I'd had enough. I left with a similar feeling as to the time I left the War Remnants Museum in Saigon.
To finish off my busy day we went back into the capital and made our way to the famous landmark of Wat Phnom.
The above photo is taken from the street level of the Wat. I didn't bother climbing the steps as I was sort of Watted out. For those who are interested, according to legend, the first pagoda on this site was erected in 1373AD to house four statues of Buddha deposited there by the waters of the Mekong River that were discovered by a women named Penh. The city is named after this Wat, which is set on an approximately 30 metres high hill.
After a drive around the riverfront we arrived back at the Lone Star Saloon & Guesthouse at 5pm. What a great day.
So tomorrow is a walking tour of the city.
Until tomorrow, safe riding.
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