Phnom Chisor, Takeo Province

We left Tonle Bati and continued south away from Phnom Penh for another 15 kms or so. Phnom Chisor isn't really very well sign posted, which is a shame as it was an amazing find. We drove to the bottom of a big hill, having passed through a high school and a few houses. We were dropped off at the bottom of the 348 steps, which we were accompanied up with about 10 local kids. They like to speak English and generally tell you a little about the surrounds, all for a bit of cash of course.

It was a hot afternoon and although 348 steps doesn't sound like much, it really did feel like a lot by the time we reached the top. We first came across a small Wat with a Buddha statue, and then some new statues that were being built, but the view wasn't that great and it seemed a little disappointing.

But as we carried on we came upon a monastery and an old Angkorian temple ruins. It had been bombed during the Khmer Rouge and wasn't in great shape but it had the most amazing feel about it. The monks weren't pushy and generally just wanted to have their photos taken and receive a small contribution for looking after the shrines.

As we came out the otherside of the temple we were hit with the most incredible view, it had been raining a fair bit but as we were sitting there the sun came out and it was truly beautiful. We looked out over the flood plains of Takeo province, with rice paddies and fields strewn as far as the eye could see. We just sat there and took it all in for a good hour or so. It's a very isolated place, and a number of monks live there. It was all very peaceful, if you shut your eyes you could imagine how things were a few thousand years ago.

The drive home was only about an hour and a half, it really strikes you how close you are to Phnom Penh but how different the way of life is for so many people. Rural life in Cambodia is really very basic, people grow rice to feed their families, and anything else is pretty hard to come by. The houses are all different depending on how wealthy the family is. The photo on the right is fairly typical. The cattle, if people are lucky enough to own some, will live under the house at night. The houses appear to be well kept and people look after what they do have. It's very easy to drive by and not take it in, i think maybe because if you do take it in, you realise just how privilidged you are, and quite how little these people survive on.

For more photos have a look at this site: http://picasaweb.google.com/JStancombe/PhnomChisor45kmSouthOfPhnomPenh