Some 60 kilometers from flat Siem Reap, on the side of Kulen Mountain, is one of the most remarkable ancient Khmer sites: not a soaring temple but a splashing river whose sandstone bed was carved with Hindu imagery, sanctifying the water as it flowed over the holy images. The river, Kbal Spean, rushes down a hillside covered with thick forest and large boulders. Perhaps because of the terrain, the carvings---which are thought to date from the 11th or 12th century---were not rediscovered until 1968 (within Chris’s lifetime). Discoveries continue at the site, with new carvings found as recently as 2005. Many more may still lie buried under moss and vines and trees. The Kbal Spean flows down to join the Siem Reap river, which then meanders past the many temples of the Angkor complex---including the less famous, but still pretty, temples of Baphuan and Pre Rup.
