Oudong
Oudong is about 40 km north west of Phnom Penh and is an easy day trip – although there are places that you can stay at also. Oudong used to be the capital of Cambodia until the French wanted to have a capital nearer the Mekong as that was their major way of moving through French IndoChina. So in 1866 the capital was moved from Oudong to Phnom Penh.
Oudong has one of the few large hills in this area and on top of this hills is a very impressive temple.
It is a spectacular view from the top of the hill. In all directions the flats of the Mekong plains stretches as far as you can see. It is a very steep walk up and can be just a little hot.
At the base of the hill there are a number of open air restaurants serving pretty good local food.
The temple is impressive considering its size and the steepness of the hill. Much of the temple is intricately carved. It is hard to imagine the challenge of getting the materials up that hill.
When you reach the temple at the top you need to take your shoes off. Carry them with you so you can walk along the ridge and then back down. Most people just go straight up and down and miss a large part of the temple.
