Close to the edge

The spectacular views from the south-east corner of the Preah Vihear complex

The south-east corner of Preah Vihear's central sanctuary is just inches away from the edge of the cliff, as it falls away into the Cambodian flatlands below. It's a pretty dangerous corner of the temple complex at any time but particularly when the mist is enveloping the whole site, as it was on my visit there in March 2002. A fog-bound Preah Vihear is quite an eerie sight, especially when you have the temple to yourself. A few of my photos were off-focus as my camera failed to deal with the foggy conditions, as you will see in future posts. However, when the fog lifts it reveals both the spectacular location in which it sits and a temple which has survived despite being at the centre of tug-of-war battles for many years between warring factions. Preah Vihear temple is a survivor and the current spat between Cambodia and Thailand is just another chapter in its long history. I've also posted a couple of photos of the road from Tbeng Meanchey to Preah Vihear before it was upgraded. It took us many hours to negotiate the treacherous muddy conditions after a shower of rain turned it into a quagmire. Getting to Preah Vihear in 2002 was a mammoth effort.

This is the south-east corner of the central sanctuary as it drops off the edge of the cliff

The false door of the south-east corner of the central sanctuary as it peers over the cliff-edge

A misty view of Preah Vihear

Pick-ups are the main choice of getting from between Tbeng Meanchey and Preah Vihear in 2002

That's my pal Sokhom in front, followed by a very large pig, as they navigate the treacherous route to Preah Vihear