Story here. This looks like an astounding find. Predates Angkor Wat by 350 years. Believed to have never been looted. Found using revolutionary airborne laser technology.
Once they open it up to visitors, it may be time for the wife and I to make a return visit to Cambodia.
Hopefully they’ve arranged for security. We’ve visited Angkor Wat, and it is astounding. The whole area. We’ve been thinking of going back, and this may be a good excuse.
We’ve done the overland route, which is theoretically two hours from the Thai border, and we did make it in two hours. But the “national highway” the last half from Sisophon was just a dirt road that could be a hard slog in the monsoon season. Bridges sometimes go out. But we made it. And I’ve heard they’ve got the road paved the whole way now.
A few months ago I read a novel about this very type of thing, The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay, about Cambodia’s ancient Khmer civilization. It’s because of this that I can only imagine the beauty and cultural significance of such an incredible find.
Oh, this sounds neat! If I was a traveler, it is definitely the kind of thing I’d love to go and see firsthand. I hope they keep covering this story - would love to see more on it - but I hope they have good security in place too so it doesn’t get ruined by looters.
Looters? Ha! They won’t have a chance against the diabolical death traps, snares, pits, cunningly concealed spring-loaded nooses, swiveling blocks of stone, dart guns, and scything blades!
I expect they will. I don’t see it mentioned in the story, but I’ve heard The Sydney Morning Herald has been promised the exclusive on this, and they’re a good paper. I’m sure they’ll follow up.
EDIT: Okay, it does carry the label “World Exclusive.” But I’ve heard it was to such an extent that everyone involved was sworn to secrecy until the Morning Herald could break it. They’ll keep on it.
This is freaking awesome. Last trip to the Siem Reap area, we skipped Phnom Kulen and went to Kbal Spean instead (it’s a similar mountain with carvings in the streambed), and now I wish we had gone with the original plan!
Looks like the place has been completely untouched including by land-mine planters, so I wouldn’t worry too much. But it’s best to be safe. It’s like I’ve told the wife: “Haven’t you ever wondered why I make you walk in front of me in Cambodia?”
Yes, but that doesn’t mean lesbians don’t make better couriers.
During and after the 2011 flooding in Thailand, the local English-language newspaper, which lean toward British spellings, were always talking about introducing new dykes, leading to all sorts of mirth among us Americans and comments about little boys sticking their fingers in them.