See Koh Ker Temple - Siyong - TravBuddy

About 70 miles northeast of the large Angkor Wat complex lies the ancient capitol of the Angkor civilization. Koh Ker, the ancient Angkor city, was only used for several decades before the capitol was moved to the bigger, grander site of Angkor Wat.

Although Koh Ker is a smaller site it has many interesting aspects that cannot be found at Angkor Wat. First there are several architectural differences between the structures at Angkor and Koh Ker. The most striking is the Mayan-esque pyramid that dominates the city center in Koh Ker. Leading up to the pyramid, the main passageway passes many buildings, with interesting carvings and windows. As you approach the temple you find a passage way marked by rows of columns. One side is collapsed but it is easy to imagine what it might have looked like in it's heyday. The path passes by two moats on either side then opens wide to the startling view of the pyramid. Steep wooden stairs aid the climb up and is worth the view.

Koh Ker is undergoing development to open it's doors to more and more tourists. Many of the sights are still covered in jungle but are open to explore. It's interesting wandering around these sights. You can see statues that have shattered whose pieces lay exactly where they fell. You can see buildings still swallowed by creeping jungle vine. Walking through a site I looked down to find myself standing on an intricately carved pillar being slowly covered by the forest floor.

The admission price is 10 or 20 US$ and is a separate fee from the Angkor Wat park. A new road that runs directly to Siem Reap was newly opened so I don't expect the park to remain as untouched for very long.