Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [396]
Getting There & Away
From Bangkok there are frequent departures to/from Si Saket (2nd/1st class 329/434B, 8½ hours) stopping at either the bus terminal (0 4561 2523) or on Th Si Saket just north of the train station. There are also buses to/from Ubon Ratchathani (ordinary/2nd class 40/59B, 1¼ hours) and Surin (ordinary 60B, 1½ hours, hourly). 999 VIP (0 4561 2523) has a 24-seat VIP service (685B) to Bangkok at 7.40pm.
There are 10 daily trains from Si Saket Station (0 4561 1525) to Bangkok (3rd/2nd class 197/311B, eight to 11 hours) including an overnight express service (1st-class air-con sleeper 1236B, 11 hours) departing Bangkok at 8.30pm and departing Si Saket at 7.30pm. A 3rd-/2nd-class train to Ubon Ratchathani (one hour) costs as little as 13/29B.
The Thai–Cambodian border at Chong Sa–Ngam is open, and visas (see Click here for details) are available here, but there’s no public transport.
AROUND SI SAKET
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Khao Phra Wihan National Park
KHAO PHRA WIHAN
Just inside Cambodia, and all but inaccessible from that side of the border, Khao Phra Wihan (Preah Vihear in Khmer) is one of the region’s great Angkor-period monuments. Straddling a 600m-high cliff on the brow of the Dangrek (Dong Rek) escarpment and accessed via a series of steep stepped naga approaches, the large temple complex towers over the plains of Cambodia, offering dreamy views and some beautiful and evocative ruins.
Claimed by both countries because of a misdrawn French map, the temple was finally awarded to Cambodia in a 1962 World Court ruling. Thailand’s bruised pride never healed. In June 2008, as the Cambodian government sought Unesco World Heritage status, a border dispute flared and eventually led to deadly clashes between the nations’ armies. Because of this unresolved situation, the temple complex is closed to visitors and may remain closed for quite some time.
Though there has long been talk of building a cable car to the temple from the Cambodian side (possibly associated with a casino complex) the only practical access (when the temple is open) remains through the national park (0 4581 8021; admission 200B, car fee 30B). A visitor centre marks the path into Cambodia and up to the temple (last entry 4pm), about 1km away. On the Thai side you have to pay 5B for a border pass (passports aren’t necessary, but bring it anyway in case things change) and just after the border the Cambodian authorities collect their 200B fee (total cost 405B).
Khao Phra Wihan itself was constructed over three centuries under a succession of Khmer kings, beginning with Rajendravarman II in the mid-10th century and ending with Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. It was the latter who also commanded the construction of Angkor Wat. The hill itself was sacred to Khmer Hindus for at least 500 years before the completion of the temple complex, however, and there were smaller brick monuments on the site prior to its construction.
The temple complex is only semirestored and the Cambodians appear to have little interest in completing the job any time soon, which makes one wish the World Court had sided with the Thais. During Khmer Rouge occupation, which lasted until Pol Pot’s death in 1998, the site suffered from the pilfering of artefacts, lintels and other carvings, although some of this smuggled art has been intercepted and may eventually be returned to the site.
One naga balustrade of around 30m is still intact. The first two gopura have all but fallen down and many of the buildings are roofless, but abundant examples of stone carving are intact and visible. The doorways to the third gopura have been nicely preserved and one (the inner door facing south) is surmounted by a well-executed carved stone