The temperature was a few degrees lower than the average for the past few weeks, but a storm was advancing and threatening to turn the nascent dry season wet again.
In lieu of opening the first door of a chocolate-filled calendar, we had planned an advent(ure) - groan - on Phnom Kulen.
Phnom means 'mountain' and Phnom Kulen is a 40km chain of plateaux situated northeast of Siem Reap. Sadly, for this Englishman, the peak of 487m falls short of the official UK (DEFRA) definition of 'mountain' (600m). This didn't lessen the effect of seeing the range rise out of the surrounding flat land, which we initially tackled by four-wheel drive. The sandstone was quarried as a source of building materials for the temples of Angkor, although I don't know how they managed to transport the rocks without such vehicles.
Despite its name meaning 'mountain of lychees', Phnom Kulen seems most famous for the bananas that grow there with a fittingly festive red hue. The car stopped at one of the sellers and our guide bargained a good price for a hand of the jaunty fruit. Belying their exotic appearance, the bananas tasted more akin to the typical Cavendish variety found in Europe and less like the sweet Asian varieties.
The hill-mountain is a site of significance for Buddhists and Hindus, being home to a temple and religious carvings. Many Cambodians and tourists alike make the pilgrimage to the waterfall there, which can get quite busy.
Our canny guide avoided the crowds and took us first on a trek along the hilltop. This was a chance to break in my walking boots, although the walking was not arduous along the plateaux - a point proven by our guide, who made the same journey in flip-flops.
Having set off before 7am, it had taken the 4WD car a couple of hours to reach the summit and we had not yet breakfasted. We stopped by a stream - the natural spring water is bottled and sold as Eau Kulen - and tucked into the baguettes I had packed. The bread is chewier than a standard French loaf, which our guide observed was due to the use of cassava flour, as wheat does not grow in Cambodia. I should have realised.
Our trek took us across the strange terrain of smooth sandstone, intermittently scarred by perfectly circular holes. The area used to be home to elephants and tigers, but these were scared away when people settled there. The villagers themselves were driven out by the Khmer Rouge, who used the hill as a stronghold, and the original settlers have only recently returned.
Aside from a couple of huge squirrels and a golden snake, the only animals we encountered were carved from stone. Even the inhabitants of the so-called 'bat cave' were frightened off by a meditating monk. At Sra Damrei (Elephant Pond), deep in the jungle, all that remains are sandstone sculptures of an elephant, a frog and two lions amid the jungle growth. It was an eery discovery at the end of our walk.
Part way through our walk, the driver had joined us. Turning back, we discovered he had driven the car over the rocky terrain until eventually abandoning it. The return journey, while in the cool air-conditioned interior, was much slower than on foot, as the driver eased the 4WD carefully over each bump and dip.
Noung is primarily an 'eco-guide'. On our trek, she took great delight in pointing out the flora and fauna, of which she is very knowledgeable. Her delight at seeing birds, snake tracks, and discovering several varieties of wild mushrooms was palpable. By contrast, her interest in man-made artifacts was muted. We visited Preah Ang Thom, which was sited by enormous boulders and outcrops, one of which had a large reclining Buddha carved into its tip.
The Buddha now has stairs to access it and a platform and roof for viewing it. It must have been quite a feat to carve it out of the rock in the 16th century.
The 1000 lingas are carved into rock over which a stream flows. For being in constant contact with moving water, they are remarkably well preserved. The lingas show ancient cultures' preoccupation with fertility and virility. Earlier versions apparently owe more to their phallic origins, but the representations by the 9th century had become inoffensively abstract. In fact, the linga (male) and yoni (female) sculpture at Preah Ang Thom is worthy of Miró.
At the waterfall, we stopped for lunch. Along the way we had picked up a pineapple, which Noung promised to show us how to carve in the manner we had seen on the market stalls. In the restaurant, she asked confidently for a sharp knife and a plate with which, essentially, to prepare our own dessert. I imagined her being set away with a flea in her ear by a British restaurateur. Nevertheless, Noung set to peeling off the tough outer skin. Nature loves patterns and She has bestowed the pineapple with a set of 'eyes' arranged regularly around the fruit ("you can't hide anything from it"). Following the line of eyes, cutting out small wedges of flesh, creates a pretty spiral and an entirely edible artifact. Sprinkling with salt, followed by a good wash, neutralises the acids and makes the fruit more easily digestible.
We shared red vegetable curry, mushroom amok and garlic-fried morning glory. In this instance, the red curry overshadowed the signature amok with an intensity of flavour that lifted the humble potatoes and carrots. For a plate of fried green vegetables, morning glory delivers so much in flavour and manages to stand alone as a dish.
After this feast, we contradicted every mother's advice and went for a postprandial swim.
The water at Phnom Kulen falls twice - first gliding over another Hindu relief carving and dropping a few metres before cascading nearly twenty metres over the final drop. This was the highlight of the day and we took a dip in the clear, cold water. Braving the spray, we attempted to near the base of the waterfall but were forced back by the buffeting current. It was ferocious and exhilarating.
Descending from the 'mountain', we made a brief visit to the 10th century Banteay Srei. This is also known as the 'pink temple', owing to the dusky pink of the sandstone used there. According to our trusty friend Maurice (Glaize), this kind of stone has weathered rather better than the usual grey Angkor stone and so the intricate carvings are far better preserved. However, the remote location of the temple means that it was not rediscovered by Europeans until 1914, after clearing on the main Angkor temples had already begun.
The forecasted thunderstorm had been conspicuously absent thus far, but dramatic grey clouds now wisped their way rapidly towards our exposed position. Unlike other temples, Banteay Srei has no roof, so with nowhere to run for cover, we sheltered as best we could under the lintel of a doorframe. This provided poor cover and, within moments, enterprising children, who had until then been hawking postcards, came running clutching waterproof cagoules. Alas, it was too late, as we were already soaked through. With their sales thwarted, the young entrepreneurs reverted to being children and hurled themselves into the ponds either side of the temple with great gusto.
As the rain departed as quickly as it had arrived, the rusty red of the temple was enhanced by the pools of water turned orange by the sand.
As we dried off, we made a last-gasp whistle-stop tour of the Landmine Museum before it closed its doors. We learned of one man's campaign to rid Cambodia of the explosives, many of which he regrettably laid himself as a young member of the Khmer Rouge.
In trying to make good his mistakes, he has set up a registered initiative to de-mine the countryside and now helps people who have been victims of detonations, some of whom live on site.
The day was exhausting and we collapsed at home with a comforting bowl of spinach and shiitake pasta (coconut cream taking the place of more conventional dairy) in front of a film. Aptly, we chose to watch Lara Croft - Tomb Raider, which is partly set in the ancient city of Angkor. Having not before seen the movie, we wanted to see some of our favourite locations on screen. In deference to the 'plot', the logistics of time and space take a back seat, as Lara runs in one scene from the gates of Angkor Wat to the top of the waterfall we saw today, some 30km away. Outside Angkor Wat an entire floating market had been constructed and underneath Ta Prohm an Indiana Jones-style temple of doom was conjured. It was cinema light and a good way to turn off our brains at the end of the day.
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