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Oudong a Must See Day Trip

Oudong a Must See Day Trip

Udong the must see day trip

40 km along rout 5 heading towards Battambang, lie’s the heart of Cambodia’s former capitol city Udong. Established in 1618 by Chey Chettha II, it heralded in a time in Khmer history commonly known as the dark ages. During this time Cambodia was at threat from both the Thai and the Vietnamese nations. Who forced the country in to decline by cutting off its access to the sea and there fore its trade routes. After again fighting for its own territory and winning as far as regaining back its own land the then king…………., moved Cambodia to where it lays now.

Having been left behind by the Khmer royal family Udong prospered and became an affluent area. During the mid part of the 20th century much of the city and temples in this spectacular area were damaged by the 5 year bombing campaign waged by the American’s.
With out any real time to recover in 1975 under the Khmer rouge what remained of any religious temples were plundered. With most of the shrines to Buddha destroyed, Udong again entered its modern day dark ages.
Traveling to Udong there are several choices of mode of transport to choose.
The moto which costs around $10-12 and is great for weaving its way through the city traffic until you reach the outskirts of town. However it’s not recommended as the term saddle sore rally comes home to you on the return trip.
Tuk-tuk’s can be hired for the day for around $15-20 round trip. There more preferable than the moto and the cost can be shared with other passengers.
But by far the most exciting but also most time consuming is the train. Usually packed with locals the train to Udong is the only regular serves run by the train operators.
The best starting place for the hill temples is the north side of the hill. Here you will come across the stairway that leads to the top. There are 509 steps to the first temple, it houses some bones and a tooth reputed to be Buddha him self. The views of the surrounding area from this point make the 509 steps well worth the climb. Following the path along the ridge you reach 3 more temples that house remains of 3 former Kings. The first one houses remains of King Soryopor who founded Udong in 1601. Next to this lies the present kings great grand father King Ang Duong. Continuing south you reach a bland looking building where king Monivong remains are housed. Further along there are a series of small chapel’s one with a replica of a Holy Cow, the original having been removed by the Siamese and taken to Siam the former Thailand
Last and most impressive of the temples is the Arthaross. Badly damaged by the Americans and the Khmer rouge the Buddha at the top faces north instead of the traditionally facing east.
This area is steeped in history and the nearby town has a great market for picking up souvenir’s and curios. Taking time to visit Udong is a fascinating experience
and will stay a great memory of any one who has the opportunity to visit.

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