Woke up early this morning to try and get a early start on the day as climbing mountains in midday heat is just no fun. The plan for the day is to stop at a mountain on the outskirts of the city with views of the entire surrounding area, plus a 11th century temple on top which is all the better. On the way back, stopping at Tonle Bati, a local small lake which is really a day trip holiday for locals on the weekend but sports a 3rd temple named Ta Prohm by Jayavarman VII nearby.

    So I grabbed a quick breakfast and then set out to find a driver. I walk for about five minutes until I'm a little out of the way where I can find drivers not working the main area and get cheaper fare for sure. I find one guy who wants $20 for the day but who can barely communicate it to me and doesn't want to budge which isn't going to happen. Seeing this another opportunist driver pulls up with quick english skills and lets me work him down to $13 for the day. I look over and know the other guy says OK $15, just not getting that theres already lower than that out there so I just cut it there and take Mr. $13. Getting out on to the roads leading there took forever in morning traffic, Phnom Penh looking as crazy as any major city back home in the morning maybe even crazier considering the driving habits here. Takes practically a half hour to get 10 blocks, but once on the open dirt roads its smooth riding. After maybe a little more than an hour total and one stop for directions later, we pull down a long gravel road leading to the base of Phnom Chisor. The stairs leading up are straight ahead at the end of the road your coming in on, and they look quite intimidating even after all my long stair climbs. Better to just get going and don't look back, so off I was...

    With almost 500 very steep steps its certainly no easy climb, but at least there are actual steps and not just dirt like some others. Its really straight forward aside from the following of young man who had some mental disorders and just couldn't stop laughing. He tagged behind for a bit but eventually lost interest. Out of breath but at the top, passing the very familiar big lizards that seem to be all over the hills here, I see the quite tranquil setting on the top. I pay a small fee and head straight past the newer active monastery that inhabits the top and head for the good old ruins. A lady starts following me pointing to the most obvious things and saying stuff like " Buddha " when theres a 10ft tall one in front of my eyes. It's at that point where if you don't distance yourself and stop it that you'll end up paying for a "guide" at the end of your short visit. At first its no big deal, but if you give $1 to 100 different people, one at every sight that you go to and never turn them away, well quite frankly your out a $100 and that adds up fast. So one my own I make my way to the temple grounds seeing an older group of maybe 10+ seniors with there guide visiting the temple. I looked at them seriously impressed, since that climb had me almost heeled over, but hey good for them. As I get to the base, I can see the modern buildings just behind the old, with a really nice looking set of trees and bushes lining both.

    Starting at what appeared to me to be the front, I go right and start around the outside in by now my usual pattern. Along the side wall there are maybe a dozen pieces against the tall still standing outer wall. They look rather modern and maybe be from the active monastery, but if they are older they are quite impressive made all the more so by the grass inching its way through them and the wall. When I get to the corner, looking around I can see the very well preserved back entrance and its entryway going right to the face if the mountains edge.

    Its upon going over the just that same entryway that I realize that this was without a doubt the original front entry as I stare to the bottom on the mountain with stairs all the way down. I can see at the base on this side a stone building which would have been part of the long pathway up the steps leading to the temple. I can almost see the pillar flanked steps leading to the building like it must have looked back then. Who knows just how far it went, but looking further I can see another same type of building far in the distance behind the other. It almost looks like from the river, there was maybe a building every mile or so leading to the steps at the base of the mountain. It was really great and staring at gave me lots to ponder. The circle dirt road that went around the building at the bottom, including the stairs, has a road going off perfectly in all the main directions. I can't help but think that those same roads were there almost 1000 years ago, and not much but the dirt has changed. Even if they are newly made roads, its obvious by the layout that something similar existed back then as well. The views on either side offered amazing views of the countryside, and you can really see the beauty of putting the temple on the edge here.

    Just taking all this in here, I can't help but think about all that there is too see out there in all the countries this world has, and I can't think of any place where there are more monuments per mile that have survived more than 1000 years. There are literally thousands of temples in Cambodia, and virtually every city or town has some to offer visitors. I just can't think of anywhere else where the same can be said. It's truly amazing here.....

    Finishing my circle of the outside, I make my way once again to the front but this time I enter and stay my way through. Through one of the doors one of the monastery dogs just caught my eye as heat baked in sun just laying there. I looked around the center which was actually in really good shape with really no random stones anywhere except for in between the walls. The space was small, being a rather simple temple but that was actually really nice as it makes things very easy. The layout seemed really jammed in the small space, but I really couldn't see much from where I came in. I went through a small hallway and climbed on some stones from a broken portion of the wall and got a semi high view of the grounds behind the main building and towers. From here I also was able to admire the lintels above the many doorways, which where of really great quality here.

    Moving around the middle but going around rather in the center building, I notice that one one side there is a rather interesting head of a creature that is obviously part of an old drainage system. I know the Khmer were pros at moving water, but seeing this was really great.

    Around the side and heading back to the part of the center you'd see first coming up the ancient steps is where all the towers where. Here you can immediately see the cramped nature of the space, and also that it was added onto later after the original construction. Towers are squeezed within inches of touching the center sanctuary and it all just looks rushed and rather careless. Someone wanted more towers in this place for one reason or another and how it looked to the eye didn't matter. One of the corner towers of red brick had a "modern" wooden door blocking entry with yellow paint on it that just forced you to look at it. It has " Your not allowed in here " written all over it and has that feeling that would make a young curious kid kick it down to see what was inside. I settled or looking through the broken pieces but there was nothing but a small shrine. From there I went inside the remaining space in the outer wall, which was covered in grass and other greenery which was quite nice especially the yellow flowers. I entered some of the other towers which looked exactly the same, but these simply where now being used to house random pieces of stone yet to be put back in place. Making my way to the back again, I skip going inside the center because lots of locals are doing some type of offering inside. I make my way to the back hallway and pass some large yoni's but no linga's on top, and then a large window with a great view of the outside. Not bad views for the inside of a wall.

    Back to where the steps are, I look down and have an urge to walk down to the lower building. I can't get it out so before long I was making my way down the crumbling steps. I made it about halfway down when I stopped and looked back up to get a picture of the entryway from the mountainside. I could see the dirt-way going all the way to the river now so clearly and as great as it would have been to go all the way down it, I just lost the energy to do it. The heat wheres on you so easily I just wasn't going to make it never mind having to go all the way back up. Just going back up what I did descend killed me and had me aching for water. Luckily I knew there was some backwhere I had to pay for coming up here and headed right there.

    It was really nice up here and altogether a good way to spend the morning. Great combination of things up here and the landscape a great place to sit and relax if you come up when the sun in a space where you can sit shaded from it. I made my way back down where the driver asked if I wanted to eat before going to the next stop which I probably should have, but I just wasn't hungry. So off to Tonle Bati I was, happy with the day so far.

    Heading back the way we came about 20 minutes, we turn off down a dirt side road that lead to the water. The area was really nice and although having to by a ticket for this single temple seemed unreasonable, I went ahead anyway. Pulling up to the temple, about 7 people, mostly older kids, rush the bike to the point where I can't get off trying to sell there flowers and incense for statues. Now normally this doesn't bother me and after a few stern no's they move on. But this was different, I was followed wherever I went and even some very annoyed no's didn't put them off. I was soon joined by a gang a elderly beggars and I just walked away from the temple towards the out wall. This barely did anything as the kids just followed, and soon after so did the elderly. I did manage to get a brief look at the outer wall, but my pictures couldn't even be had without some of the mad group in them.   

    I wasn't going to be followed into the temple, so I just walked around the outer wall to the other side. In the back by just really walking fast and trying to be left alone eventually it got across. Now it probably seems really wrong, but being out here changes alot of things. Within a few short months you'll be hit up by a few thousand beggars and of coarse you can't help them all, but its more than that. Most won't take food even if you try, they just want money which leaves a bad taste in your mouth. After that happens a few dozen times you just stop listening to the calls, another month goes by and you just start staring straight ahead not allowing yourself to look, and then before you know it not even empathy comes anymore. You become so accustomed to seeing and hearing it every single day from people who are mostly better off then they appear and will right in front of you take the money and use it for anything but food, hurting those who would really need it. So here I am now, at a point where nothing moves me when it comes to begging, I am numb to bit, theres just no empathy left, and what scares me most is that I'm not all that scared about feeling that way. So when it came to these people here surrounding me selling things proving they can buy things that are a complete waste, I was actually really pissed as bad as it sounds. But eventually alone again having made my rounds to the other side I was finally able to get a calm view. The place was not that much bigger than Phnom Chisor, but was really alot more pleasing to the eye. Surrounded by flowers and garden like plants, the place had great atmosphere. Lintels lined the ground, trees all over, the walkway to the inside just looked like something from a garden.

    Approaching the entryway, I come across something that just was odd but really looked nice. Basically something like a railing was made with 2 lintels that had fallen from somewhere and for some reason now flanked the door. One displayed a scene of the churning of milk, which is really always great and the many ways its shown never gets old.

     Entering, I immediately notice that the real garden was on the inside of this small walled complex. Directly ahead was the central tower and sanctuary, and at the four entryways where towers directly in line with the wall, so you could would the entire square wall passing through each tower. Looking from side to side, I can easily tell that this place has the simplest layout of any place I'd been. A perfect interior, the four towers spell each direction and the near perfect walls connect them all. Nothing clutters the center aside from 2 small buildings on each side of the entryway that probably housed divinity statues. The three small pictures below if viewed in order connect and give you a full view of the first sight inside and the entire inside at that.

     Exploring the 2 smaller buildings, I find some of the best examples of lintels I'd seen since the first " My Pet Monster " one at Ek Phnom back in Battambang. They were a nice touch to the inside and didn't clutter it at all. I also noticed the 2 bushes on each side of the door I came in, a realy great touch to the garden feel inside.

     I explored the insides of the walls soon after, finding small altars very much new but something similar most likely was there when the structure was in use during the Khmer's time. I really love finding sections of the wall I can walk in where the ceiling has just enough gone to see the sky and the outside, I just really like the feel of being inside a stone wall and having a view.

    Finally turning my attenion to the interior building, I walk around it on the outside first dreading going inside to face yet more people inside who will smile and just try to hand you something to put on a statue and then expect money, however small. The exterior is gorgeous, with pink flowers of all types along the sides of beautiful carvings of aspara's and much more. Bunches of peach flowers hide in the corners adding to the feel of the entire lonely middle building. The almost perfect center structure with practically 90% of it carved is just something to behold and really made that much greater much the atmosphere of simple flowers.

    Entering the center just passing those inside, Theres really nothing there except for some modern statues, and the lack of space reinforces the fact that these places were not went for lots of people to gather, but simply to house statues and literally the gods themselves. Everyone competing to build a bigger badder house for there god. After not too long inside, I emerge to find 2 of the girls following me again waiting to follow me to the nearby tower across the road. Forgetting the fact that I managed to have the main place to myself, I just get annoyed again.

    So followed but with just two young kids its hard to anything more than be stern, but I'm not going to yell. However during the time here I really wanted to, it would have been so much easier to just scream. I think the ammount of people made it all the worse, since being surrounded makes be have like mini panics, but it is what it is. On the other side of road sat a single tower in the middle of a very large and active monastery on the lake. Very picturesque, but very simple and nothing special. Inside, I finally just took the stupid incents and walked away after admiring the towers features being the lintel and the fact that it was directly in front of a modern temple. On the bike heading back, I gave the 2 a $1 and was on my way.

     I did stop a part of the lake to take a beautiful shot of massive amounts of green floating on the water. A really beautiful last sight before the ride back.

    On the way back however, I was given a nice laugh when I was passed in traffic slightly by a small sawntheaw bus/truck with a baby being rocked in a hammock in the bed of it. How awesome is that. I mean pigs on the back of a bike OK, but driving with a baby in the hammock of a truck and he's sleeping? Amazing!

    Back at the guesthouse, I rested up and then did a massive stint on the internet for the blog as usual lately before kicking back and watching a movie or two while eating in the lobby/restaurant. The atmosphere at this place is top notch, allowing you to sit at anytime during the day and watch a movie in a relaxing large room at a table eating or just having a shake. At night, everyone is here and it has the feel of a movie theatre inside of a small bar. Been my ritual for the past few days here, and am going to miss it after leaving here tomorrow. But have to move on, off to Kompong Cham.