Posted 16 Nov 2010Explorers enjoying adventure travel in Cambodia could find Phnom Kulen an alternative to Angkor Wat that offers a less tourist-trodden taste of the spirituality of the region.Tourism Cambodia suggests that many people see Cambodia from a coach on a two-day tour of the main monuments.In the case of Phnom Kulen, this might not be possible, as a winding mountain pass is the only way to reach the top of the mountain by road.Once there, visitors are atop the only peak that can be seen from Angkor Wat and one with a story of its own to tell.Today, the mountain is a destination for people from Siem Reap to "hang out on their days off" and for overseas visitors to enjoy a taste of adventure travel in Cambodia.But in the days of King Jayavarman II, the mountains was a source of water – and the rocky bed of its stream is carved with fertility symbols in the form of phalluses called lingas.The tourism authority recently reported that visitor numbers to Angkor Wat in the first nine months of the year rose to just over 800,000 from around 650,000 the year before.
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Unfortunately, it costs 20 USD for foreigners to go to Koulen, because some high ranking Cambodian official built the road to get access to it. And now that same person has free hand to charge as much as they want to foreigners who want to visit Koulen. (Compared to the whole site of Angkor Wat and surrounding temples, which is only 20 USD).
Enjoy Phnom Kulen Cambodians! You won't see many foreigners there because it is such a huge rip-off! It seems almost like discrimination against foreigners... designed to keep foreigners out of Phnom Koulen?
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