Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
from which side you get a stunning view across the plains to Angkor Borei. From the
eastern doorway, the old entrance road leads straight to the foot of the hill and still
retains its two gatehouses. In the entrance, two stone
basins
are filled with water, which
is ladled out for blessings using a couple of large seashells. The
achars
say the basins
used to fill naturally - presumably from a spring - but after a US bomb came through
the roof of the central sanctuary in the 1970s (thankfully it didn't explode) this
stopped; the roof remains covered with corrugated iron. The very fine internal doors to
the central sanctuary are decorated with images of Shiva standing on the back of a pig
- although no one knows why.
Cave shrine
A path leads around the hill to the east to a small
cave shrine
, really more a collection
of rocks, but containing enough room for two or three people to squeeze inside the
crevice. There's sometimes an
achar
here dispensing blessings for a consideration. He
might also sell you one of his handkerchiefs decorated with holy symbols for protection
and prosperity.
Phnom Tamau Zoo and Rescue Centre
50km south of Phnom Penh, off NR2 • Daily 8.30am-4.30pm • Foreigners $5, car 2000 riel, motorbike 1000 riel • The Takeo
bus from Phnom Penh passes the turning, but as the site stretches over several kilometres it is best visited with your own
transport (look out for the signposts and archway 10km beyond Tonle Bati, from where it's a further 5km up the side road to
the zoo entrance) - or contact Betelnut Tours (
W
betelnuttours.com) for full-day trips from the Lazy Gecko guesthouse
(Tues-Sun 9.45am; $40) or Free the Bears (
W
freethebears.org.au), who operate a Bear Keeper for the Day programme
($70 for one person, $65 each for two)
he
Phnom Tamau Zoo and Rescue Centre
is more of a safari park, set in an area of
regenerating scrub forest between Tonle Bati and Phnom Chisor. Most animals here
were rescued from desperate situations: some as they were being taken out of the
country to satisfy demand for exotic foods and medicine in China and Thailand, others
from markets where they were kept in tiny cages as pets or destined for restaurant
tables. Although many of the animals still have far from adequate facilities, the team of
dedicated keepers do their best with limited finances. With an annual feeding bill alone
of more than $100,000, the centre relies on private donations and sponsorship, so your
entrance fee is going to a good cause.
One of the star attractions are the
tigers
, which by day prowl around a purpose-
built deluxe enclosure; at night they are secured indoors and protected by armed
keepers - poachers are still a cause for concern and a dead tiger can net thousands
of dollars. Other highlights include
Malayan sun bears
and
black bears
(129 at the
last count) and there are other indigenous species - elephants, pileated gibbons,
Siamese crocodiles, macaques, pangolins and various wild cats and fairly tame
cranes, among others.
Elderly
beggars
line the road on the way to the zoo from the main road. Having no
one to care for them, they walk daily from their villages to ask for alms, so you may
wish to take a bundle of small notes.
Neak Leung
The dusty transit town of
NEAK LEUNG
is the jumping-off point for Vietnam: its ferries
form a crucial link between Phnom Penh and the border at
Bavet
, while boats set off
down the Mekong for the alternative crossing at
Chau Doc
. With so many buses now
travelling between Phnom Penh and HCMC direct there's little need, if any, to make a
stop en route.
Divided by the Mekong, Neak Leung still lacks a bridge (although one is being
constructed), and is consequently congested with vehicles revving up in