On the hunt for Phnom Chhngok Credit: istock

Rebecca Lennard
3 June 2019

The young boy made caving look effortless as he gracefully climbed the rock formations. By contrast, we were slipping and sliding around the cave as if it were a water park.

My boyfriend and I had been driving mile after mile on dusty dirt-tracks, through the rural countryside of Kampot, actively searching for Phnom Chhngok Cave (don’t even start me on trying to pronounce it). We soon realised that the cave temple, which is set inside towering limestone mountains, might prove to be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Eventually, we reached the cave entrance and discovered a well-preserved shrine to the Hindu god Shiva, dating back to the seventh century. The young boy also pointed out the elephant-shaped stalagmite next to the shrine.

“Watch out! Batman!” the boy warned, as tens of bats bolted over our heads. They may have lacked black capes, but these bats certainly showed off their powers in achieving supersonic speeds. We were also tickled by the young boy remarking “Spider-Man!” whenever an eight-legged beast scuttled past us.

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