Banteay Chhmar

Later.

But here's a taste, and remember, as you are reading, it's pronounced like Bon-tay Ch-maa. Say it out loud; it will make you feel good.

Banteay Chhmar has seen no reconstruction, and so is in a relatively dilapidated state. It was an interesting change from other, more rebuilt sites, and also was all ours to explore (apart from our 7 to 10 self-appointed guides, local village kids who magically appeared when we pulled up to the ruins.) At the entrance we paid a small fee to a shirtless man in what passed for a booth and were asked to sign the foreign visitor log. We were numbers 12 and 13 since May 1. We were there on July 2. We only had 1,000 baht notes at the time, so the shirtless man sent a kid off to find change somewhere, and we went off to look around (the kid did return with our change).

The site is in the heart (okay, maybe not the heart, more like the spleen) of Khmer Rouge country. While the Khmer Rouge controlled the area, Chhmar was considerably looted. It remains an amazing place though. Very peaceful, jungle setting, with enough of the complex still standing to give you a sense of the place as it must have been.