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In what the Thai's call the Northeast, but is really nearly east of Bangkok and therefore about halfway between the northernmost and southernmost points in Thailand is an area that from about 800 AD to 1600 AD was Cambodian in culture. At the time, the Khmers were building the Angkor temple complex they were also building others just a few hundred kilometers to their northeast. Two of these are at Phimai and Phnom Rung. We visited them on our way to Angkor, wondering if they would be a good introduction or perhaps would spoil the greater trip.

The swimming pool at the Phimai Inn

In the end we decided that they were a very good introduction. Had we seen them after Angkor, we might have been disappointed. As it was, we loved all three Khmer temples that we visited and would gladly go back. Part of the reason for that is the wonderful hotel we found in Phimai. For about $25.00 we got a nice room with private bath, TV, and fridge, and got to use the large swimming pool. What a deal.

Statue of the Buddha in Phimai Temple	Typical Khmer-style tower at Phimai
	Schoolchildren visiting Phimai Temple
	Buddhist monks at Phimai

The photographs above were taken at Phimai. It is a lovely temple located right in the center of town that seems to serve as a city park for the locals, especially the class of school children that we saw there.

The grand staircase at Phnom Rung

Roofscape of inner temple at Phnom Rung

These snaps are of Phnom Rong, another lovely temple with a very nice entry gate and bridge to the temple, that is rather reminiscent of Angkor Wat. Note the five-headed cobra that decorates the staircase. The long raised bridge to the walled temple itself is behind the cameraman.

We got to Phnom Rung on a motorbike rented from the Honey Inn, where we were staying in the nearby town of Nang Rong. We spent almost three hours looking around and taking lots of pictures. The temple itself was not as pretty as Phimai, but Phnom Rung has this wonderful ceremonial entrance which is very impressive and being high up gives wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.

Alas, just before we leave the temple, Gerry steps on the edge of a very uneven stone and turns his ankle. He is instantly in very great pain and Jan immediately thinks back to India and Agra where he last twisted his ankle trying to escape from an agressive monkey. That time it took 6 months for the ankle to heal. Thank goodness we have already finished our visit here. Gerry hobbles down to the parking lot and lets Jan go find something for a snack lunch so that he can rest his foot. We find a lovely seat under a thatched roof that looks out over the plain below and are amused to see that there is a rain shower crossing the plain and coming toward us. We decide to stay put sure that the rain will get to us and sure enough only minutes later we hear the raindrops pattering on the roof. But it is only a shower and lasts only a short time, after which we clean off the seat of the bike and set off to see the third Khmer temple in this area, Muang Tam.

Monks entering Muang Tam temple

Water-lily pond at Muang Tam

Neither of us had great expectations of Prasat Muang Tam, seeing it as a poor relative of the famous Phimai and Phnom Rong temples. How surprised we were to find an absolute gem of a place. The most attractive features are the L-shaped lily ponds inside the enclosure, and the design of the gopura (entry gates) which are cruciform and thus provide some very interesting angles for the photographer. The combination of lily ponds and architecture was unbeatable in Jan’s view on their own, but Meuang Tam also had some very well preserved stone carving, almost as much as at Phimai. Unlike Phimai and Phnom Rung however, there was no tower to admire. That is to say, the five towers that there are are in such poor shape that they are nowhere near as attractive as those at the other temples.

We had only just started making a circuit of the outer enclosure when raindrops started to fall again. At first we thought an umbrella would be sufficient, but the rain kept getting heavier until we felt we’d better put on our ponchos. That, of course, was the signal for the rain to subside. Although we didn’t have any more heavy rain, we did have constant light rain for the rest of the day until we were almost back at Nang Rong.

Gerry had managed reasonably well on his ankle, but how would he manage riding the motorbike back to Nang Rong? Very well. His only problem was starting the bike, which required a kick-start. Jan gladly provided the necessary foot power. The journey back to the Honey Inn should have been about an hour but Gerry refused to try to drive up and over the volcano that Phnom Rong sits on and that we had climbed that morning. It had been a rather jerky ride with gear changes while riding uphill difficult to say the least. Even though Jan was unhappy (she much preferred the known route even with a small amount of discomfort than the unknown), Gerry insisted because he was afraid uneven gear changes going downhill might end up toppling us off the bike. Our first attempt was to follow a dirt road that seemed to skirt the hill in the right direction. The recent rain however, had made one section into a mudbath that Jan pleaded with Gerry not to try to cross. He acquiesced and instead set off to find another route around the mountain. We did find it but at the cost of maybe an extra 20-30 km of driving. We were both pretty tired when we finally got to Nang Rong at about 6 o’clock. After a short visit to the bus station to check on bus times to Aranya Prathet (and the Cambodian border) and a stop at the gas station, we finally got back to the Honey Inn and returned the motorbike.

Gerry’s ankle was by now visibly swollen and it took little encouragement from Jan for him to forgo further excursions and let Jan go find some supper. The task proved very easy as a night stall at the highway end of the road to the Honey Inn sold a very reasonable takeaway dish of rice, BBQ pork, sausage and cucumber for the incredible price of 20 Baht (50 cents) a serving. It even came with hot soup!