Old Hippie Posted December 14, 2005 Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 Cent and I noticed the spelling of this place changed with each road sign...but easy to find with the help of a map. We left Surin and headed East. I got a bit nervous as we entered... a few Valium, some thorozine, and a call to my psychiatrist, and we were back on the road, which was decorated for the King's birthday!... we entered the park, and Paid 200 Bht each, and 30Bht for the truck... Parked the truck, and walked about 2+ KM to a check point... They photo copied my passport, and charged me 10bht... We entered Cambodia, and paid another 200bht (each), no visa was needed, they gave us a day pass... (sorry, no photo) Thai Army building... Entrance... More reminders or war, and man's stupidity, Land mines littered the area...STAY ON THE TRAIL...!!!!! Never 100% certain of safety, despite best efforts... The center of controversy, Khao Phra Vihaarn was awarded to Cambodia by a world court in 1963, but was occupied by the Thais for years afterwards. It was closed to tourists for awhile. Finally the 2 sides agreed on an "arrangement" and now all seems well and good. The only access is through Thailand, but now the park is officially part of Cambodia... This is a beautiful place, well worth the trip... View back into Thailand... Be careful of the "duty free shops," The JW Black I bought turned out to be Mekong... Another great day trip out from Surin, Thanks again to Cent for driving, and being the guide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Central Scrutinizer Posted December 14, 2005 Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 OH, Excellent pics of the ruins and stuff! Very nice! Hell of a climb up there isn't it? :: Hey, I warned you about the whiskey. Even had one lady yell to me when she overheard me say it was probably Mekong whiskey that it was "real! No copy!" Yeah, sure lady. I'll just shut up and drink my Angkor beer. :: It was fun OH. Any time my friend. Any time. Cent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaimaisabai Posted December 14, 2005 Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 Hi cent, oh, I was there in January on a day out during my visit to Sri Sa Ket. Great place. Khwai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 I've been wanting to get there for years, but always end up down south on an island or up north. So after spending new years eve, new years day, and papas birthday on jan 2 in a continual binge of Singha, somtam and nonstop morlam DVDs I found myself heading home from Ubon with my GF and her sister, in her car with plenty of time to take a detour..... perfect chance to finally see the place I figure. But when I suggest it they say "just old temple, waste time". So we rush on to Buriram where we stop overnight ..... "OK, we drive right past the turn off to Phanom rung, how about we go there for a look?" "no, same same Khao Phra viharn .... just old temple" The interior of shopping malls is the only architecture she is interested in .... next trip she might find herself on her own for a week or so !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted January 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 That is a sad shame...I have found Thai girls either really love the historical stuff, or they hate it, and want no part of it...sad, as it can interfere with your learning and curiosity...maybe try insisting, or just say "I love old temple, I want to see, LET'S GO!" has worked for me... Seriously, it is a really great place, and well worth the trip. There is a lot to see there, beer bottle temple waterfalls etc...silk villages, Silver villages...never ends! Never mind the GF, do yourself a favor and go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted January 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 khwaimaisabai said:Hi cent, oh, I was there in January on a day out during my visit to Sri Sa Ket. Great place. Khwai Hey, what were you doing in Si Saket...? and where you with? Oh god, I hope not another one under the evil spell of a SSG... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 Excellect pics and a good sequential order! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longwoodguy74 Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 Beautiful pics! I believe there is a road on the Khmer side that is under construction, so someday in the not too distant future it should be easier to access from Cambodia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 Wow! The've turned it into a tourist trap. I was there shortly before the Khmer Rouge takeover, and you just walked across the border. Didn't pay a thing. Thais are still a bit pissed off at the World Court's awarding the temple proper to Cambodia -- and have a right to be. It was built -- by Isaan folks under Khmer direction -- to serve the Khorat plain, which it faces. The Thais had long considered it theirs and the Ministry of Fine Arts had paid regular visits to the temple, studying it and doing some preservation. Then Sihanouk found an old map which showed the border as cutting across the mountain ridges to include the temple inside Cambodia. The Thais confidently agreed to go to the World Court, which stated it would follow the established rule: if the temple was on the Thai watershed (the way the rain water ran off), it was Thai. If it was in the Cambodian watershed, Sihanouk could have it. The Court was supposed to send neutral folks to determine which it was. But then the French popped up with an 1860-something map they had forced the Thais to sign when they didn't even know what a map was. Sure enough, the Froggies' map showed it in Cambodia. The majority of the Court then forgot all about the agreed upon watershed and handed the temple over to Cambodia. The minority on the Court wrote a scathing dissent, pointing how the Court was going against what they had promised to go by. But Sihanouk got what he wanted anyway. The Cambodians cheered their "victory" over the Thais -- and then promptly forgot about the temple. When I went there, I only saw a small Cambodian garrison, maybe one platoon of men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted January 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 This trip, I didn't see one Khmer Soldier, only Thai. The Khmers I don't think cared about it during the internal strife under Pol Pot...Cared again when it appeared as a source of revenue...Khao Panum Roung in Buri ram is restored better, and is a better maintained park as a whole. Still, this is worth a look. I had read about the road being built from the Cambodian side, but not sure how easily that will be accomplished...that would then maybe make it a border crossing, requiring visas etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.