Cambodia’s Future
A visit to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh is not complete without a visit to the genocide museum and the Kings palace. The contrast between Cambodia’s rich and respected monarchy and Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge make for a great introduction to the real Cambodia. Once known as the “Pearl of the Orient’ it is the commercial, political & cultural hub of Cambodia. It is home to more than 13 million with over 2 million in Phnom Penh.
Phnom Penh
First stop is the Royal Palace where the King resides. The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh are a complex of buildings which are the royal abode of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk. The Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in 1866, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Outside the palace children gather to beg along with land mine victims walking on crutches. Inside we are blinded with the glitter of gold and silver on the temples roof tops.
The complex is divided by walls into three main compounds, on the north side is the Silver Pagoda and to the south-west is the Khemarin Palace and a central compound containing the Throne Hall. The buildings of the palace were built gradually overtime, and some were dismantled and rebuilt as late as the 1960s.
Throne Hall
The Khmer name for the Throne Hall is the "Sacred Seat of Judgement." The Throne Hall is where the king's confidants, generals and royal officials once carried out their duties. It is still in use today as a place for religious and royal ceremonies (such as coronations and royal weddings) as well as a meeting place for guests of the King.
Silver Pagoda
The Silver Pagoda is a compound located on the North side of the palace complex. It features a royal temple. Its main building houses many national treasures such as gold and jewelled Buddha statues. Most notable is a small 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha (the "Emerald Buddha" of Cambodia) and a near-life-size, Maitreya Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds dressed in royal regalia commissioned by King Sisowath.
Khemarin Palace
The Khemarin Palace is the common English name for a building called the "Palace of the Khmer King." It is used a residence by the King of Cambodia. This compound is separated from other buildings by a small wall and is located to the right of the Throne Hall.
Chan Chhaya Pavilion
Otherwise known as "Moonlight Pavilion", is an open-air pavilion that serves as stage for Khmer classical dance in the past and present. It is one of the most notable buildings of the palace as it easily seen from the outside as it was built along side a section of the palace walls.
An hour of strolling through the four palaces reminds me of Bangkok’s Royal Palace, elegant & extravagant.
Second stop is Tuolseng Genocide prison.
The double wire fence serves as a reminder of the holocaust that once swept this humble nation. They were known as the killing fields when over 1.5 million Cambodians were slaughtered between 1976 & 1979. Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's forces and was turned into the S-21 prison camp, where Cambodians were detained and tortured. Pol Pot desired a return to an agrarian economy and therefore killed anyone who was educated, who wore glasses, or who did not have calloused hands to cleanse the population of the taint of westernization. Many others starved to death as a result of failure of the agrarian society and the sale of Cambodia's rice to China in exchange for bullets and weaponry. Tuol Svay Prey High School is now the Tuol Sleng Museum in which Khmer Rouge torture devices and photos of their victims are displayed.
This genocide of barbaric proportions is being told by its people who survived. Everyone has a connection with the past. Through story telling they are healing their emotional wounds and looking to a positive future. Despite rampant corruption in government &
Extreme poverty in some parts, Cambodians are optimistic for the future.
A walk through the old prison and a look at those who perished from Pol Pot’s Khmer rouge regime, leaves me drained of emotion. It was a shock to hear of the way they were
Tortured. Even more shocking to hear when I heard when the kids were also killed. Pol Pot’s reasoning for this was no generation should be left behind as their ideology would be passed on.
As I walked around the prison I ran into a Buddhist monk eager to practise English. In exchange for small chit-chat I asked to take his picture. The stark contrast between the good in the monk and the bad in the Khmer Rouge made for a good story about the past and the future. A future filled with kindness and forgiveness. Tourism dollars are re-shaping this great nation and NGO’s are patching up loose ends and broken branches on family trees. The war tribunals are bringing to justice those responsible for the atrocities. Development is apparent with bamboo scaffolding on many street corners and hoards of new motorbikes swarming the city like flies on a birthday cake. Many are celebrating a new wealth of opportunities. Next stop is an hour away by plane – Angkor Wat.
Lost Kingdom
Siem Riep is the gateway to North Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple and Tonle Sap lake. It is where rich people’s homes are on the right. Odd numbers are liked. Where mirrors drive evil spirits away. Over the next 4 days we explore all three destinations with Siem Reap as our base.
Day One
Tonle Sap is a combined lake and river system of huge importance to Cambodia. It is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hotspot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997. Home to a row of floating villages along its river with 40% of its population coming from Vietnam. It is no great secret that there is no love lost between the Cambodians and the Vietnamese over the centuries. Education, Health and sanitation are falling by the wayside in areas heavily populated by their new neighbours the Vietnamese.
For most of the year the lake is fairly small, around one meter deep and with an area of 2,700 square km. During the monsoon season, however, the Tonle Sap river which connects the lake with the Mekong river reverses its flow. Water is pushed up from the Mekong into the lake, increasing its area to 16,000 square km and its depth to up to nine meters, flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish.
The pulsing system with the large floodplain, rich biodiversity, and high annual sediment and nutrient fluxes from Mekong makes the Tonle Sap one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world, supporting over 3 million people and providing over 75% of Cambodia's annual inland fish catch and 60% of the Cambodians' protein intake. At the end of the rainy season, the flow reverses and the fish are carried downriver.
Perhaps over time this area will learn to live in harmony and help each other with projects to manage its waste, sediment and water levels. The reversal of the Tonle Sap river's flow also acts as a safety valve to prevent flooding further downstream. During the dry season (December to April) the Tonle Sap Lake provides around 50% of the flow to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Perhaps for some westerners who have not seen poverty this area may seem as a shock to some. Having said this, it is worth a look to see how worlds collide and nature exists.
Day Two
In 2007 an international team of researchers using satellite photographs and other modern techniques concluded that Angkor had been the largest pre-industrial city in the world with an urban sprawl of 1,150 square miles. The closest rival to Angkor, the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala, was roughly 50 square miles in total size.
Angkor as you can see from the map below covers a large area and comprises of quite a few temples. For our day trip we only had time to see some of the best. At 5am we rode our Tuk-Tuks in Siem Riep to arrive 20 minutes later in Angkor Wat before sunrise.
Along with thousand of other tourists we waited for the sun to rise. We set up our tripods for the quintessential shot of the Wat of all Wats. I didn’t seem to blend in with my We were all mesmerised by a moment that stood still for a few minutes of silence among the thousands of tourists waiting half awake.
Once the sun had blinded us, all crowds dispersed into pockets of groups swarming through the temple. Oblivious to our guide’s commentary we were easily distracted by a family of monkeys playing along the temples walls. “Hang on to your belongings as Monkeys have been known to bag snatch” mentioned our guide. Our attention had focused back to our guide.
Angkor is a name conventionally applied to the region of Cambodia serving as the seat of the Khmer empire that flourished from approximately the 9th century to the 15th century A.D. (The word "Angkor" itself is derived from the Sanskrit "nagara," meaning "city." More precisely, the Angkorian period may be defined as the period from 802 A.D., when the Khmer Hindu monarch Jayavarman II declared himself the "universal monarch" and "god-king" of Cambodia, until 1431 A.D., when Thai invaders sacked the Khmer capital, causing its population to migrate south to the area of Phnom Penh.
The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together they comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture.Visitor numbers approach one million annually.
Since we are supposed to cover just a few temples in one day, our next stop after a boxed breakfast is Angkor Thom. It was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km, within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. To cover all entrance fees make sure you hang on to your ticket worth US$20. If you are keen for an elephant ride this is the place for US$10. Bayon temple is in Angkor Thom.
Banteay Srei our third stop(or Banteay Srey) is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor in Cambodia, at 13.5989 N, 103.9628 E, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (15 miles) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom.[1] Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. This temple can be seen in a few minutes as it only covers a very small area which adds to its charm and popularity. The Indian government has invested money to preserve its structure and re-build some damaged sections.
Our last and final stop is Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. Famous for its association with the movie “Tomb Raider” where many scenes with it’s star Angelique Jolie were filmed. Angelique also formed her charity when she was exposed to Cambodia’s poverty. She continues to come back and support her charity. Finishing our trip here and seeing how deep the trees roots have gone and how they continue to grow and protect its foundations amazes me with its resilience and beauty much like its people and future.
