Preah Khan may very well be Cambodia’s most atmospheric temple, hidden in the thick jungle of the Preah Vihear province. Royal palace and worship place dating back to the 9th century, it recalls the Bayon and Ta Prohm temples in Angkor. If one makes the effort to reach it, one will be rewarded by majestic ruins with hardly any other visitors, far from the crowds of Siem Reap.
I decide to stop my motorbike in front of the narrow improvised bridge. I feel relieved and worried at the same time. Relieved, as the previous river crossing did not offer the luxury of a bridge. I had to launch my semi-automatic 125 cc Honda Dream motorbike into the murky stream and use all of my skills to extract it from the water in which it was immerged wheel-deep. Worried, as this wooden bridge is no more than 50-centimetre wide, with no rails to prevent a potential fall into the water, and for good measure a missing plank in the centre leaving a gap just the right size to sink the front wheel in.
I am looking at my partner with envy as she has already crossed. When she turns her head, I capture her smile and instantly come up with a genius plan Keep reading
The start of the engine overpowers the shrilling cicadas. Nicolas Ponzone steers his Zodiac boat out of the picturesque harbour of Niel, with its traditional colourful fishing pointus. Nicolas is a treasure hunter! Keep traveling!
It must be a tyrannosaur-rex, I think, while I turn on my side in another useless attempt to fall back sleep as the sun is almost rising. The roar from the Guatemalan jungle is so loud that I fear the size of the animal making this much noise, especially while spending the night in a small tent… Keep traveling!
From the top of the 77-metre high massive pyramid of La Danta, the huge city sprawls at my feet. From the grand plaza on which La Danta stands, a broad street paved with white stones leads to the Great Acropolis, Keep traveling!
Leaving the flat plains, the mid-day Mérida to Campeche bus takes a winding road as it reaches the Puuc (“hill”) region of Yucatán. It struggles to go up among the never-ending forests. Towards the hills, a high stone structure appears Keep traveling!
The early morning sunlight warms up my skin. Birds are singing as loud as they can while hiding themselves in the exotic tree tops. The earth smells humid from the night before as we walk towards a big clearing. It strikes me: Keep traveling!
Best regards from far, 