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Region: Phnom Penh And Surrounds> Province: Kompong Cham>Location: Kompong Cham

Kompong Cham sights and attractions

Wat Nokor - Temple within a temple

Near the Nokor traffic circle

Description
This 11th century Khmer sanctuary is definitely worth a visit for its temple within a temple style layout. At the centre of the ancient complex a contemporary and rather garishly coloured wat has been built, but the two are set within each other like Russian dolls and are so close together that the new temple uses parts of the ancient Khmer sanctuary's laterite walls as its own exterior.

The sanctuary shows signs of being rebuilt in places, but overall it is in very good condition with a wild variety of apsaras in appearance and in stances unseen at Angkor. To the left of this complex are two smaller temple buildings facing each other. One holds a reclining Buddha while the other contains a variety of Buddha statues and, at the rear, a white cement statue of the woman who survived the Khmer Rouge period, escaped Cambodia and funded the construction of the temple in thanks for her good fortune.

On the right side of Wat Nokor, going towards another wat complex, are a bunch of stupas, including a taller one with a metal door. This is a killing fields stupa and looking inside you'll see a pile of around 100 skeletons. The original killing fields in this area was between Phnom Proh and Phnom Sray, a short moto ride out of town, but after the end of the Khmer Rouge period, monks collected the bones and interred them here.

Wat Nokor is set a couple of hundred metres to the south of the Wat Nokor traffic circle at the eastern end of town. You could walk here, but a motorbike ride is more comfortable.

Phrom Proh and Phnom Sray - Hills of many legends

20-minute moto ride from Kompong Cham

Description
Between these two hilltop temples is the original location of the Kompong Cham killing fields, before monks moved many of the remains to be interred beside Wat Nokor. Of the two hills, Phnom Proh (man hill) is the smaller of the two and a gently sloping road leads to its summit, while the summit of Phnom Sray (woman hill) is reached by a 200+-step staircase that is a lot steeper than it looks. Being by far the taller of the two, Phnom Sray offers splendid views over the countryside with Kompong Cham and the Mekong easily visible, while further in the distance the rising plateau of Mondulkiri can be seen. Atop the hill there is a small temple.

Phnom Proh is far smaller than Phnom Sray but in typical male fashion a trio of tall temples abutting each other have been built at the summit in an attempt to compensate for the hill's small size. Unlike Phnom Sray, Phnom Proh is overrun with fat monkeys and vendors will happily sell you rambutan to feed them. Phnom Proh is a popular spot to have your fortune told, though you'll need pretty good Khmer language skills to get much out of it.

Between the two hills (which are walking distance apart) there is a new garish wat, a library and a Chinese cemetery. The library has a selection of mostly Khmer books, with a particular emphasis on fortune telling handbooks -- the curator here speaks fluent French. A sculpture garden is attached, with a large Bayon-style head, anatomically correct deer and various other temple paraphernalia.

A wide range of legends surrounding the building of these two hills exist, most of which centre around the men being stupid, lazy or generally slack, thus allowing the women to build a bigger hill -- ask your moto-dop for his interpretation on the legend, and don't expect the same tale from any two.

Phnom Proh and Phnom Sray are around a 20-minute moto ride from Kompong Cham.

The French watchtower - Awesome views

Opposite Kompong Cham

Description
Renovated in mid-2005 and sitting on the far bank of the Mekong, beside the Kazuma Bridge and opposite Kompong Cham, this tower was built in the early 20th century by the French to serve as a defensive watchtower. The Kompong Cham Governor's house has a direct line of site to the watchtower and when a warning was needed a large fire would be lit in the tower announcing the pending danger. Today it is used to alert the moto-dops of the arrival of a tourist bus.

If you are fine with heights, an incredibly steep staircase runs up the interior of the tower, allowing you to climb to the summit and enjoy the same views that the guards in the 1920s would have had. If you have a fear of heights, don't bother.

Ko Paen Bamboo Bridge & Ko Paen - An island escape

Description
This bamboo bridge is built every dry season to connect the west bank of the Mekong to Ko Paen -- a medium-sized island just to the south of Kompong Cham. The island has sandy beaches, lots of fishermen and some tobacco plantations and can make for a pleasant half-day wandering or cycling around. In wet season the bridge disappears under the water and the island is only reachable by boat. Of particular interest, on the east bank of the island you can see fishermen using massive hand-held nets in the shape of enormous tennis rackets. With their glistening white nets, the lush green grass and the muddy Mekong waters, in the late afternoon light these fishermen can be particularly photogenic. The bridge (when above water) is about a 15-minute walk to the south of central Kompong Cham.

Wat Maha Leap - A great river trip

Description
This spectacular wooden temple is one of the few remaining entirely wooden wats in Cambodia. Believed to be over 100 years old, Wat Maha Leap was one of the few temples the Khmer Rouge left standing in Kompong Cham province. While from the outside it is rather bland looking, the interior reveals towering gilded teak columns supporting a beautifully painted, sky blue roof. The central alter has a collection of standard Buddha statues, but the true attraction here is the impressive wooden construction. Each pillar required a whole tree and we found Wat Maha Leap, while not as large, to be reminiscent of the magnificent Wat Phra That Lampang Luang in northern Thailand. At the rear of the wat is a stupa-strewn cemetery and a fairly unexceptional reclining Buddha. In wet season, the area beyond the reclining Buddha is often totally under water. Highly recommended.


How to get there: Wat Maha Leap is south of Kompong Cham on a tributary of the Mekong, referred to as Tonle Thoit (small river) and is best reached by boat from Kompong Cham. The trip takes about 30 to 45 minutes each way and en route you'll enjoy splendid riverside scenery. A trip here is best combined with a trip to the weaving village at Prey Chung Kran, a further 20 minutes downriver. Boatmen will charge around $30-35 for a trip including waiting time to both Wat Maha Leap and the weaving village. A boat could comfortably hold five plus guide and pilot.

Prey Chung Kran Weaving village - Interesting and a scenic trip

Description
Located a further 20 minutes by boat downriver from Wat Maha Leap, the weaving village of Prey Chung Kran is well worth a visit if you have not seen weaving in Cambodia. Famous across the country for its high quality kramas, sarongs and hol, the weavers here work under the houses that line the long dirt road. You're more than welcome to take a look at the women weaving and fabrics are available for sale fresh off the loom. You'll also see silks being dyed, but much of the silk itself comes from Vietnam or elsewhere in Cambodia. Prey Chung Kran is actually in Prey Veng province.


How to get there: Prey Chung Kran is south of Kompong Cham on a tributary of the Mekong referred to as Tonle Thoit (small river), and is best reached by boat from Kompong Cham. The trip takes about 30 to 45 minutes each way and en route you'll enjoy splendid riverside scenery. A trip here is best combined with a trip to Wat Maha Leap, en route to the weaving village. Boatmen will charge around $30-35 for a trip including waiting time to both Wat Maha Leap and the weaving village. A boat could comfortably hold five plus guide and pilot. You can also reach Prey Chung Kran by motorbike, but the boat trip is far more pleasant.