Day 3: Wat Replica

I found this abandoned “temple” next to the hot springs, and for a moment I thought I was Indiana Jones and I had discovered an ancient ruin. I spent a happy time here exploring the place and imagining I was going to find the Ark, Cup, Skull and Dial tucked away in a corner. Afterwards I discovered it was a fake.

The origins of this seemingly ancient temple ruin are unclear but some people say it was meant to be a luxury spa but the construction was abandoned (presumably due to lack of funding).

I found it fascinating, haunting and perhaps a bit sad. It looks beautiful and obvious someone has spared no expense in making it beautiful, including reliefs of women in various poses, intricate Khmer style architecture and symmetrical design with palm trees and water features.

I managed to get inside one of the buildings, and the fakeness becomes apparent, with a modern roof design based on stell trusses and fibreglass and what looks like modern cement slabs used in the construction. The reliefs of the women also look a bit too sexy for this to be a true temple.

Still, it would be a great location for a fashion photo shoot, or perhaps adventure game.

I also found it a bit sad that someone has poured so much money into building this site, and some parts seem almost finished that I would have liked to see an operational version of this site.