Riverside Kampong Cham, Cambodia, is a scenic 4½-hour bus ride from Siem Reap, passing rice fields, stilted homes with tin roofs and street-side vendors selling Jack Daniels bottles filled with gasoline to locals who zoom around on scooters, the preferred form of transportation in Cambodia.
Any visit to Kampong Cham, the third-largest city in the country, should include an afternoon at Nokor Bachey Temple. The picturesque temple complex was built in the 11th century as a tribute to Brahmanism, although Buddhism is the religion primarily practiced today.
The temple complex buzzes with activity. During the monks' call to prayer, pounding drums echo in the distance as young monks—draped in bright orange robes—race to the temple.
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