Angkor Borel & Phnom Da

 

BOREl & PHNOM DA   Angkor Borei was known as Vyadhapura when it served as the capital of 'water Chen la' in the 8th century. Angkor Borel is actually a small town, but in this instance it is used to refer to a group of temples in the vicinity. Four artificial caves, built as shrines, are carved into the north-east wall of Phnom Da, a hill south of Angkor Borei. On top of Phnom Da is a square late rite tower open to the north. In the wet season, it is worth approaching Phnom Da by water as the island is spectacularly isolated. During the dry season, it is possible to make it there by road. The town has a small museum housing a decent collection of Chen la-era artifacts.   Getting There & Away Angkor Borei and Phnom Da are about 20km east of Takeo town along Canal No 15 (visible only in the dry season). A boat to Angkor Borei or Phnom Da is about 4000r a person, but you may have to charter a speedboat for more like US$20 for the day if no one else is making the journey. In the dry season it is also possible to visit by road. Expect to pay 2000r in a share taxi or about 5000r each way by moto, the best option is to take the road to Angkor Borei and arrange a boat to Phnom Da from there.   KOKI   Koki (pronounced kaw-kee) refers to the beach on the Mekong River in Kien Svay district; beach being a rather misleading name, unless your idea of a beach is a mudflat on the Mekong covered in 'picnic restaurants' on stilts. Koki, east of Phnom Penh, is a peculiarly Cambodian institution, a mixture of the universal love of picnicking by the water with the unique Khmer fondness for lounging about on mats. It works like this: for 1500r or so an hour, picnickers rent an area about 2.5m square on a raised pier covered with reed mats. Be sure to agree on the price before you rent a space. On Sunday, these piers are packed.   Places to Eat All sorts of food is sold at Koki beach on Sunday, though at prices higher than in Phnom Penh. The beach is deserted during the week, but food is available at restaurants along National Hwy I between the Koki turn-off and the capital.   Getting There & Away Koki Beach is in Kandal Province in the Koki sub-district of Kien Svay district. To get there from Phnom Penh, turn left off National Hwy I, which links Phnom Penh with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at a point 12km east of the Monivong (Vietnam) Bridge. Buses depart from the Psar Thmei regularly for Kien Svay and cost just 1500r. There. are taxis to Koki from the Champa Ampou share-taxi station, which is just east of the Monivong (Vietnam) Bridge. A moto will take you out there and back for a few US dollars.