809

I'm still recovering after having climbed the 809 steps leading up to a pagoda. Even though the place offered a fantastic view and even though the pagoda was worth a visit, the best reward for the physical effort was on the way down, where a man sat playing the traditional instrument 'tro' on the steps. The tune was a lullaby, and his music indeed seemed to have its effect as sleeping monks was not an unusual sight.

The pre-Angkorian site Sambor Prei Kuk in the jungle, which had been a Khmer Rouge stronghold and therefore heavily bombed, proved to be as amazing as I had imagined it to be. Very few tourists (I saw only two) but instead some herders and their cattle made the scene quite pastoral. A few children used the site as their playground - and source of income. For some reason they all sold little scarves and in the end it was inevitable to buy one. In fact I got two.