Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [388]
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Sleeping & Eating
Honey Inn (0 4462 2825; www.honeyinn.com; 8/1 Soi Si Kun; r 200-400B; ) This welcoming guesthouse, 1km from the bus station, is run by a knowledgeable retired English teacher. The rooms are simple but bright and travel tips get shared around the dinner table. Motorcycle hire, guided tours and food (with advance notice) are all available at good prices. To find it, walk north from the bus station, cross the main road and head east until you see the sign; or take a túk-túk for 30B.
P California Inter Hostel (0 4462 2214; www.nangronghomestay.com; 59/9 Th Sangkakrit; r 250-700B; ) Another friendly, helpful, English-speaking place, this one is on the east side of town. The California is somewhat shinier than the Honey Inn, although some of the rooms are a little more cramped. Khun Wicha, who is a wealth of knowledge about the area, also hires bikes and motorcycles and leads tours.
Cabbages & Condoms (0 4465 7145; Hwy 24; r 240-1500B; ) The cheapest (shared bathroom) rooms at this Population & Community Development Association–run resort, which is set in a garden and ringed by several little lakes, are pretty limp. But move up the price scale (where you get large rooms with stone floors) and this is a pleasant place to stay. The restaurant is also very good. There’s a clothing and shoe (including Nike) factory on site, opened to bring work normally found in the city to the villages. It’s 6.5km west of town.
Phob Suk (no roman-script sign; 0 4463 1619; Hwy 24; dishes 50-360B; breakfast, lunch & dinner) Nang Rong has the usual assortment of street stalls and simple restaurants, many serving the city’s famous kh mo (pork-rump roast), but for something nicer head out to this place by the bus station. The picture menu presents the typical mix of Thai, Isan and Chinese and you can eat inside or in the noisy garden. Wi-fi is free and there’s a playground for the kids.
There are also some restaurants and simple food stalls at Phanom Rung.
Getting There & Away
Nang Rong’s bus terminal (0 4463 1517) is on the west side of town. See Phanom Rung Historical Park (following) for transport details.
PHANOM RUNG HISTORICAL PARK
Phanom Rung (Big Mountain; 0 4478 2715; admission 100B; 6am-6pm) has a knock-me-dead location. Crowning the summit of a spent volcano, this sanctuary sits a good 70 storeys above the paddy fields below. To the southeast you can clearly see Cambodia’s Dongrek Mountains, and it’s in this direction that the capital of the Angkor Empire once lay. The Phanom Rung temple complex is the largest and best restored Khmer monument in Thailand. It took 17 years to complete the restoration.
The Phanom Rung temple was erected between the 10th and 13th centuries, the bulk of it during the reign of King Suriyavarman II (r AD 1113–50), which by all accounts was the apex of Angkor architecture. The complex faces east, towards the original Angkor capital. If you can, plan your visit for one of the four times when the sun shines through all 15 sanctuary doorways. The correct solar alignment happens during sunrise on 3 to 5 April and 8 to 10 September and sunset on 5 to 7 March and 5 to 7 October (one day earlier in leap years). The park extends its hours during this event. Locals celebrate the Climbing Khao Phanom Rung Festival around the April alignment with sound-and-light shows and dance-dramas performed in the temple complex. Camping is allowed during this time.
Below the main sanctuary, after the long row of gift shops, an Information Centre (admission free; 9am-4.30pm) houses artefacts found at the site and displays about both the construction and restoration. You can pick up a free informative brochure or arrange a guide (fees are negotiable) here.
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Design
One of the most remarkable design aspects of Phanom Rung is the promenade leading to the main gate. It’s the best surviving