Older than Angkor Wat, Kbal Spean (also known as the Valley of 1000 Lingas) is a collection of Hindu and phallic images carved into a riverbed. To get there, we had to travel about 40km out of town then trek 1.5km through the jungle and up a mountain (on a very well maintained and well trodden track).
The trek through the jungle alone was spectacular, occasionally there would be a break in the trees, offering a fantastic view out over the surrounding jungle, valleys and mountains. There were thousands of different butterflies flitting around and, if we stood still long enough, landing on us. We could also hear different birds calls and, possibly, monkey cries (though that could also have been some kind of owl, hooting away to try and confuse the tourists).
The riverbed carvings were unbelievable. The surrounding jungle is so dense and the site seems to remote, it is incredible to think that people were up there over a thousand years ago, carving images into the rocks, just to show their devotion to their gods and to pray for successful crops.
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| We were in Siem Reap during the wet season. Trekking through the jungle in high humidity was very hot and sweaty. |
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| I don't know what these carvings of people represent, but they don't look over 1000 years old! |
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The river washes over the carved lingas. Animals are carved into the big rock.
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| The river runs through the carvings of lingas and Hindu legends. |
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