Our Asian Adventure: National Route 6, the road to Phnom Penh

After spending three delightful and educational days in Siem Reap (if you’d like to read about the temples and the ‘rest’, please refer to my blog posts ‘Siem Reap - I’m Smitten’ parts 1 and 2), we hired a driver, Richard through Get Your Guide, to transport us from Siem Reap to the (now) capital city of Phnom Penh. The trip would have originally included a fishing village and a spider market but, as we had these experiences in Siem Reap, we had only two major stops on the way. We especially did not need to crumch on more crickets.

The drivers in Cambodia are (and have to be) amazing. The road to Phnom Penh can only be described as over 250 kms of maximum 80 kms per hour, dodging scooters, tuktuks, cows, dogs, water buffalo, transport trucks, motorbikes laden with household furnishings, and people - with every inch of the roadsides lined with food stalls, little shops, restaurants, gas stations, and houses in varying degree of development (from shacks to quite opulent houses). We asked Richard why these houses were built on stilts if this area was not a flood region, and he replied that it was complicated. He believed that houses were traditionally built on stilts so that the women and children could be safe upstairs, away from jungle animals, while the men worked. Now, the under-house area is storage and shade for people and animals. Also, Richard informed that the number of roof peaks indicates the level of wealth - one roof would not be very well off while three roofs would be wealthy. Interesting.

Another interesting phenomenon along National Route 6 was that, depending on the location, sections of the road were dedicated to food stalls of a certain type - sticky rice in bamboo canes near the rice fields, dried fish closer to Tonle Sap lake, and taro roots near the fields. Each area would have stand after stand, each selling the same thing, with the ‘vendors’ trying to lure in passing traffic. If you’d like some good pictures, swing over to my travel companion’s blog, A Long and Winding Journey, as she and her husband were seated in the van towards the roadside and were able to snap some fabulous photos as we rode (Lucky Duckies - I was seated behind the driver with limited photo points).

Along the slow 250 km stretch of National Route 6 to Phnom Penh, we stopped at two sites which helped to enhance what we learned in Siem Reap.

The first stop was at Kampong Kdei, about 50 kms from Siem Reap, an historic bridge that was built during the Khmer Empire in the 12th century across the Kampong Kdei River. It is historical for it’s construction and purpose. The bridge was once the largest stone arch bridge in the world, constructed of 21 pillars spanning 86 metres long and 14 metres wide and standing 11 metres high. It is marked with intricate carvings, and at one end are two statues of the seven-headed serpent which is said to represent the seven ethnic groups in ancient Cambodian society. The bridge was an important link between then capital Angkor Thom/Siem Reap and the southern provinces. Locals often use the bridge as a religious monument, paying respects to their ancestors with food and prayer. Food stalls line the east side. The bridge is another shocking example of the skill of the ancient Khmer Empire. I wonder who crossed that bridge in ancient times - elephants laden with supplies or maybe chariots carrying royalty?

The bridge has suffered damage over the years so has had to be restored. Today, you can cross only by foot or motorbike.

Our driver, Richard, then treated us to a real delicacy from a food stand at the east side of the bridge. I can’t say for sure what these were but I believe they were a mixture of coconut, bamboo sticky rice, and pineapple. They were warm and so delicious.

Our second stop was a UNESCO site that is historically important because it pre-dated the Angkor temples which, again, puts our learnings in Siem Reap into better context. Prasat Sambor Prei Kuk is an archaelogical site that dates to pre-Angkorian times, the late 6th to 9th centuries. Sambor Prei Kuk means “temple of the forest”. It is believed to have been constructed in the early 600’s AD and to have contained over 100 temples in three clusters on about 1,000 acres surrounded by a wall. The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. Over the years, it has suffered from the climate and the forest growth but mostly from war conflicts in the 1970’s through to the 1990’s (apparently, the site was in a conflict zone between the Khmer Rouge and Cambodian government). There are several temple buildings still standing and under different stages of conservation. An insightful article is ‘Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Archaelogical Site of Ancient Ishanapura’ at whc.unesco.org.

Sambor Prei Kuk was a very peaceful and aromatic forested place with few visitors (it is a way off the main road). We were met by a local (and very energetic and animated) guide who gave us a private tour. We could easily have strolled around the area for hours and just enjoyed the tranquility.

An example of some of the conservation that has taken place:

The overgrown temple:

Our guide gave us an impromptu lesson on the traditional importance of scarves in the Cambodian culture. They can be used to carry food or babies or goods, to wipe sweat, to shield from the weather, as headgear or a cushion, as a privacy shield, to hold up clothes, as a ‘seatbelt’ for children on bicycles or motorbikes, as a hammock, as decoration . . . it made me want to run out and buy an all-purpose scarf of my own.

Our guide also gave my travelling companion a lesson on correct greetings:

We were glad that we made our way to Phnom Penh by car - and by private driver as we would never attempt to drive here by ourselves. We got the chance to see more of rural Cambodia, gained more knowledge about the ancient history of this great country, and learned some important cultural tidbits in the process. What more could a traveller want?

Thanks for reading, and please check back to read about some sad realities and some joy from the enticing city of Phnom Penh.