Cambodia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 476

Phnom Banan

Exactly 358 stone steps lead up a shaded slope to 11th-century Wat Banan , 28km south of
Battambang, whose five towers are reminiscent of the layout of Angkor Wat. The views
are well worth the climb. From the temple, a narrow stone staircase leads south down the
hill to three caves , which can be visited with a local guide.

Wat Ek Phnom

This atmospheric, partly collapsed, 11th- century temple (admission US$2) is 11km north of
Battambang. A lintel showing the Churning of the Ocean of Milk can be seen above the
east entrance to the central temple, whose upper flanks hold some fine bas reliefs . This is a
great place for a picnic.
On the way from Battambang by bicycle or moto , it's possible to visit a 1960s Pepsi bot-
tling plant (1.2km north of Battambang's ferry landing), frozen in time since 1975 and,
1km further out, the Slaket crocodile farm .

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Anlong Veng

For almost a decade Anlong Veng was home to the most notorious leaders of Democratic
Kampuchea. For those with a keen interest in contemporary Cambodian history, the Kh-
mer Rouge sites in the area are an important, if somewhat disturbing, part of the picture.
Anlong Veng is the capital of the remote, dirt-poor province of Oddar Meanchey.

Sights

Ta Mok's House
(admission US$2) Pol Pot's military enforcer, Ta Mok, was responsible for thousands of
deaths in successive purges during the terrible years of Democratic Kampuchea. Widely
known as 'the Butcher', he was arrested in 1999 and died in July 2006 in a Phnom Penh
hospital, awaiting trial for genocide and crimes against humanity.
Ta Mok's house is a spartan structure with a bunker in the basement and childish wall
murals. It lies east of town on swampy Ta Mok's Lake , festooned with the skeletons of dead

MUSEUM