This was perhaps the single most unique experience I have had in visiting a WHS. With a group of really good friends I made the trip in a day from Siem Reap in two chartered taxis.

The site itself was rather impressive; it was a destination for pilgrims during the Angkorian period and had some fine temples drawing influence from the magnificent Banteay Srei style at Angkor. Altogether there are 4 sets of temples. The first that we encountered was perhaps the most impressive, looking a little more delicate with finely carved detailing. The final group was the largest set of temples and it was enclosed inside a nice cloister. There was a Monk located in the central temple burning incense and talking to us. Behind this final group of temples is the cliff which offers expansive views over the plains of northern Cambodia.

The uniqueness of visiting the site though come from two factors, firstly it is currently a pretty remote place to get to (from the Cambodian side) but this is being drastically improved. Secondly is that the site is now essentially a Military camp, as Cambodia and Thailand have regularly escalated tensions over the sovereignty of the site, and it is now essentially a semi active ‘front line’.

Due to the tense military situation in the area, and also the desire to develop tourism the road links to Preah Vihear have been greatly improved in recent months and form the look of the work going on will only seem to be getting better for some time to come. However the last stretch of the ascent is only possible in either a 4x4 pickup or on the back of a moto (perhaps only for the brave!). This was an exceptionally steep climb, and we were jostled around pretty frenetically after we piled into the back of a pick-up. Around us there were military patrols and teams carrying out mine clearance operations (this was one of the last places the Khmer Rouge retreated to). Once we reached the summit we were left in a small group of ramshackle stalls. We then proceeded to walk along the escarpment weaving between manned machine gun posts aimed out at the Thai border, and we assume that on the hills on the other side the Thai military were aiming such artillery back at us. The military presence continued throughout the temple complex with armed soldiers using it as a place to rest away from the front line. There never felt like there was any immediate danger here, and the military all seemed very friendly, however it was very odd to be on the front line of a conflict zone which occasionally becomes active.

A lot of the recent conflict and escalation in tensions has been related to its position on the World Heritage List, and it was very interesting to see the effect that its listing can have. The Cambodian authorities seemed very keen to fly the WHS symbol to illustrate that UNESCO has categorically stated this is a Cambodian site. There is a real national pride in protecting this place, displayed by the sign stating ‘Proud to be born Khmer’ to all of the children in the camp introducing themselves by saying “(I’m) Khmer, Khmer”

The site itself was very interesting and its location on top of a cliff makes it different from many of the other Angkorian temples. The real interest for me though was in visiting this site during a unique period in its history, when it didn’t receive many visitors and was essentially part of an active military zone. It was certainly a visit I will remember for a long time.

[NOTE: This site is currently not reachable from the Thai side of the border and this does not look like it will change at any time in the next few years (Nov 2010)]

[Site 7 Experience 9.5]