I visited Si Thep 2 weeks after its inscription, and it is a telling illustration of the power of the World Heritage tag. Prior to being inscribed, the management shared that Si Thep was lucky to see 50 visitors a day. Almost immediately after its inscription, however, visitor number grew to as much as 10,000 a day! It is a bit too much and the management was caught off guard with the sudden surge, but this clearly speaks a lot of how the tag is an effective tourism magnet overall. Interestingly, the shuttle services already bear the WHS logo too! They still had no clear rule about ICOMOS member's entry, and they had to discuss if they would honor my card for a free pass, which they eventually did. What I further observed is that many visitors just congregate around the two Khmer period prangs (towers) in the inner town, when in fact they are neither unique nor the actual highlights. One can see better examples of Khmer prangs in Ayutthaya, Sukhothai or even nearby Lopburi. What these visitors fail to realize, and I discussed this with the site workers and they acknowledged this occurrence, is that the ancient town's most important attributes are the 7th century(?) Dvaravati stuccoworks in Khao Klang Nai that are said to have no equal elsewhere. The "carrying dwarves" definitely need to be highlighted more as when there were hundreds of visitors around, I found myself being the only one seemingly interested enough to check these out at that time. One question often raised is, "Are the extant in situ and ex situ artwork enough for Si Thep to embody a high point in Dvaravati culture?" It is a valid question, but I have no simple answer to that. Els' comparison with Naumburg Cathedral, therefore, resonates with me a lot. 

As I went to Si Thep on public transportation from Mo Chit-Bangkok (there is now a direct van to Si Thep town), I had to borrow a bike to see Khao Klang Nok. It can no longer be climbed, for good reasons, but it sees a lot of visitors as well. It comes as to no surprise then that many food and drink sellers have flooded the vicinity so quickly. Upon my return to the visitor center, I had to consult with the people I previously talked to how to get back to Bangkok as Thomas' experience seemed complicated. They did me a favor by contacting the bus terminal and arranging that I be picked up at a bus stand just 3 kms away. I did not have to worry about getting into the next big town anymore. They gave me a lift to get to the bus stand, and on the way, they insisted that I visit another Khmer period tower, the leaning Prang Rue Si, which hardly gets visited. The bus is what is considered as first class in Thailand and is comfortable (note that this bus leaves at 5:30PM).

Though Si Thep's rise is undoubtedly a deserved victory and the move to include outlying monuments (including a cave) was a wise move, it is my fear that it may now indirectly reduce the chances for Phu Phra Bat --an amazing cultural landscape that has been sitting in Thailand's T-List for the longest time now -- to get in as the two may be heavily compared against each other considering their Dvaravati period attributes and associations.