Preah Vihear temple, Cambodia
A quick visit last week to the disputed Angkor-era temple on the border between Cambodia and Thailand. Officially (World Court ruling in 1962) and historically (built by ancestors of modern Cambodian people) the temple belongs to Cambodia, but happens to sit at a geographically inconvenient spot for handling the management of the temple complex. And since tourism = $, that means governments (and especially people of a nationalist bent, read: yellow-shirted imbeciles in Thailand, and dictators elsewhere) can’t let sleeping temples lie. Hence the dispute. Kind of pathetic and deserving of no attention by the ‘international community’ at all.
And that’s where the topic would lie, if it were not for the fact that visiting the temple is such a blast! The complex itself has loads of architecture to thrill the temple enthusiasts, as well as scenery from the clifftops to knock the socks off all the other visitors.
(Likely lads: Nathan, Peter, Chris)
What’s more, for the adventure and movie fans, there’s half an army up there armed to the teeth – which you see plenty of, since they smile at you a lot 
. As a tourist, you’re absolutely welcome to wander among the bunkers, artillery guns, and chat to the soldiers. And if you’re really lucky, they might let you pose for a photo with their AK47.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, the motorbike journey there (cars and buses are for wooses! ) was one of the most spectacular days of riding I’ve done anywhere in Asia. 215km each way, mostly on newly sealed roads, but also on hard-packed dirt roads, the journey took us through heavily wooded villages in the dawnlight, with buffaloes frolicking in the paddies, alongside farmers with red scarves wrapped round their bodies casting nets into ponds, while the womenfolk stoked the fires and kids played among the houses. An unforgettable ride for sure!
The upshot of such a long and arduous journey was the lack of time for enjoying the temple and its surrounds, so the photos were all shot in a matter of minutes before hitting the trail again to return to Siem Reap by nightfall.
Let me know if you need any details on the journey. Truly a stunner!
