Roads Less Traveled in Thailand – Phanom Rung

About 25 miles away, Nang Rong is the closest town and ideal base for visiting the Historical park and is connected through regular buses from Khorat (Nakhon Ratchasima) city. Honey Inn is the only budget friendly guesthouse in town and can be reserved in advance by simply dropping them a mail or by phone. Contact information are available in their website. Departing from Phimai early in the morning, I reached Nang Rong at mid noon, via Khorat. The guesthouse is hardly a kilometer away from the bus station and taxis are available at the bus station to take you to the guesthouse. As soon as I reached the guesthouse, I quickly re-freshened and took one of their rental bike for visiting the Phanom Rung Historical park.

Initially the ride was quite hectic on the highway which was bustling with heavy trucks and cars. But once I exited the highway and made the turn towards the temple, it it was a pleasant ride through the country sides of Thailand. There were well displayed sign boards along the route to the Historical park for assistance. Due to a brief stop in the highway due to rains, I reached the park in about an hour time.

With a entry fee of 100 bhat you get a pamphlet containing the details of the history and architecture of the temple for a self guided tour. Apart from the main entrance there is another entrance a few hundred meters ahead that takes you directly to the hill top in your vehicle. The architecture of the temple is of typical Khmer style, consisting of three levels of naga bridges (which symbolize the connection between heaven and earth), a passageway, a main entrance and the inner sanctum with temple tower.

Not very far from Phanom Rung is Prasat Mueang Tam in the outskirts of a quite little village. Mueang Tam literally means lower city in the ancient khmer and was used to be the temple complex built for the common people. Simple yet stunning in its own way, Prasat Mueang Tam is also a must visit if you are in Buriram province of Thailand.

The next morning I left to Aranyaprathet, which is the main border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia. From Nang Rong it takes about 3 hours by bus to reach Aranyaprathet and before noon I completed my immigration formalities and left the Thai border by foot to enter Cambodia.