Filled with ancient bridges, little-known temples and plenty of off-road adventure, Cambodia's East Royal Road reveals a unique side of the illustrious Khmer Empire. I set off in a minivan the morning of my birthday and ended up on the back of a dirt bike clutching a Cambodian man I'd never met before. At 07:00, I had alighted from the wrought iron lift at Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor Siem Riep , much as I imagined Jackie Kennedy had done during her visit here in 1967 , and met my guide, Pheakdey "Dey" Sieng from the tour operator About Asia .
I'd come to Siem Reap to explore the East Royal Road, a 100km route that links the ancient temples of Angkor Wat , Beng Mealea and Preah Khan Kompong Svay . The Khmer Empire , which ruled much of Southeast Asia from 802-1431 CE, is famed for its temples, but much of its power came from the 3,000km road system stretching from its historical capital, Angkor, to the far reaches of its realm in modern-day Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. While there were five royal roads that linked the capital with its provincial cities, the East Royal Road not only has the largest collection of intact Khmer infrastructure (including bridges, ponds, walls and embankments), but also resthouse temples that aren't found on other roads where pilgrims could eat, pray and sleep.
The road was also used to transport the stones used to build the Khmer temples and the iron that was made into weaponry to defend them. The Khmer were known for their sophisticated i.