Currency:
Cambodian Riel

Highlights:
Angkor Wat, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and The Killing Fields, being able to drink good wine again

Our Adventure:

Cambodia is indeed a country of extremes. We had heard so many contrasting stories about this country that we were so keen to form our own - which has ended up being a combination of positives and negatives - but above all admiration for the people who have struggled through it all.

As Lonely Planet describes it:
'There's a magical aura about Cambodia that casts a spell on so many who visit this charming yet confounding kingdom. Here you can ascend to the kingdom of the gods at Angkor Wat, a spectacular fusion of symbolism, symmetry and spirituality, or you can descend into the hell of Tuol Sleng, and come face to face with the Khmer Rouge and their killing machine. Welcome to the conundrum that is Cambodia, an intoxicating place with a glorious past, a tragic present and an unwritten future.'

Some interesting facts:
• Population - approx. 15 million.
• Officially 96% of Cambodians are described as ethnic Khmer (ethnic Cambodians), suggesting Cambodia is the most ethnically homogenous country in Southeast Asia.

You can't help but wonder about what this country would have been like had it not been for the civil war and the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime which resulted in the death of almost a quarter of the population between 1975 and 1979. Prior to the 13th century, Cambodia had been at the heart of the Khmer empire, unrivalled in the region for three centuries and during the 1950's and 1960's, Cambodia prospered and was self-sufficient.

Here's a brief summary of their recent tumultuous history (from wiki):
• 1953 - Cambodia gained independence from France and Prince Sihanouk took power.
• 1970 - Prince Sihanouk was overthrown by his top general, Lon Nol .
• 1969-1973 - Republic of Vietnam forces and U.S. forces bombed and briefly invaded Cambodia in an effort to disrupt the Viet Cong and Khmer Rouge.
• 1975 - The Khmer Rouge overthrew the US-backed Lon Nol government. The regime, led by Pol Pot, changed the official name of the country to Democratic Kampuchea, and was heavily influenced and backed by China. They immediately evacuated the cities and sent the entire population on forced marches to rural work projects. They attempted to rebuild the country's agriculture on the model of the 11th century, discarded Western medicine, and destroyed temples, libraries, and anything considered Western. Over a million Cambodians, out of a total population of 8 million, died from executions, overwork, starvation and disease.
• 1978 - Vietnam invaded Cambodia to stop Khmer Rouge incursions across the border and the genocide in Cambodia. Violent occupation and warfare between the Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge holdouts continued throughout the 1980s.
• 1991 - Peace settlement was signed in Paris. The United Nations was given a mandate to enforce a ceasefire, and deal with refugees and disarmament.
• The Cambodian People's Party is now in power.

On a positive note, the economy is booming thanks to tourism and lots of regional investment.

SIEM REAP

Our Adventure:

Day 1 - Arriving into Siem Reap

We were very pleasantly surprised by Siem Reap. We had not been expecting a lot from the cities in Cambodia as we had been warned about how poor the country is yet we arrived to a jostling little metropolis in Siem Reap which has clearly been primed to cater to the many tourists it receives each year eager to check out the temples of Angkor, the eighth wonder of the world.

We arrived early evening into Siem Reap and for one of the first times one tour, had not pre-booked accommodation which ended up being a mistake as the tourist area was almost fully booked. The guys kindly left us girls sipping a bottle of wine (finally Cambodia has good cheap wine again - imported from France and Chile - yay!) while they went in search of rooms. They finally found a spot and once we had checked in, we headed straight out to 'The Alley' - a side street full of restaurants. We were really shocked at how many Western restaurants were on offer. Al and Greg had been craving Indian food for a few days so headed for an Indian spot so they could finally satisfy their craving. After some great curries and a few games of our favourite card game, we headed for bed knowing that we had a full day of templing to look forward to the following day.

You can see our photos here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=384143&id=713415257&l=d48485f68d

Day 2 - Temples, temples and more temples

We organized a van and driver for the day to drive us to and around all the temples. We didn't know that much about the temples of Angkor before our trip so we were really overwhelmed by the immensity of this religious complex.

The temples of Angkor, capital of Cambodia's ancient Khmer empire, are the perfect fusion of creative ambition and spiritual devotion. Made by the Khmer kings in a process that lasts almost four centuries, this magnificent area has been abandoned and hidden by the forest. Re-discovered by a French man about 150 years ago, Angkor Wat is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The temples 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 visitor numbers approach two million annually.

In 2007, an international team of researchers using satellite photographs and other modern techniques concluded that Angkor had been the largest preindustrial city in the world, with an elaborate system of infrastructure connecting an urban sprawl of at least 1000 square kilometres to the well-known temples at its core. The closest rival to Angkor, the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala (which we visited a few months ago), was between 100 and 150 square kilometres in total size.

We managed to see most of the main temples which was a very moving experience. It was also heartbreaking to see all the little kids trying to sell stuff outside of each of the temples - they are very entrepreneurial and have obviously made a point of learning something about each country to share with those tourists - for us, it was impressing us with their knowledge that South Africa has 3 capitals. Unfortunately we couldn't afford to buy books and bracelets from all of them and we were really saddened by the fact that they were out selling goods for their families instead of being at school. One funny story did come out of the sales though - when we walked past a group of women selling books, they yelled out to us that they were selling guide books - but as soon as they saw Shaun, they shouted, 'We have Russian books. We have Russian.' Shaun Leisechoff was born.

Warning - the below section probably makes for a rather boring read but we just wanted to document all the main temples that we saw (there were some smaller ones sprinkled in between the below) :)

Angkor Thom:

Angkor Thom was built by Angkor's greatest king, Jayavarman VII. The city's walls stretch more than 12 km and it has five monumental gates each topped by four serene faces of Avalokiteshvara (the Buddha of compassion). Behind it walls are some amazing monuments, including Bayon, Baphuon, the Terrace of Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper King.

Ta Prohm:

This was our favourite of all the temples we saw. Walking through the temple, you really do feel as if you are an explorer from Indiana Jones (actually Tomb Raider was filmed here). This 12th century Mahayana Buddhist temple is unlike most Angkorian temples in that it has been left in much the same condition in which it was found so there are lots of trees growing out of the ruins and it is surrounded by jungle.

Angkor Wat:

This temple complex was built by Suryavarman II to honour Vishnu, his patron deity, and to be his funerary temple. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation—first Hindu and then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.

As LP describes: 'Soaring skywards and surrounded by a moat that would make its European castle counterparts blush, Angkor Wat is one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind. Some researchers believe a walk from its outer causeway to its inner confines is a symbolic trip back to the first age of the universe's creation. Others point out that it also replicates the spatial universe in miniature.'

Our tour guide Clyde informed us that Lonely Planet warned us that one day in Angkor would never be enough but something about looking at 8 temples in one day made it more than enough - there really are only so many temples you can look at, no matter how impressive they are.

That evening we decided to explore the other popular side street in town - 'Pub Street', again full of lively bars and restaurants. We started off with a few drinks at Angkor What, a well-known pub where you can write on the wall. We then piled into some pizzas next door which were delicious! We spotted a South African bar across the street as we were leaving, the Banana Leaf, but unfortunately we had to get up too early the next morning for us to make a worthwhile visit.

You can see our photos here:

2010-01-21 [Cambodia, Siem Reap] Exploring the Temples and Angkor Wat - Part 1
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=384144&id=713415257&l=19800caffa

2010-01-21 [Cambodia, Siem Reap] Exploring the Temples and Angkor Wat - Part 2
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=384146&id=713415257&l=397fcd4c47

Day 3 - Sunrise at Angkor Wat

You can imagine the grumpy faces when the tuk tuks arrived to pick us up at 5:20 am so that we could set off to Angkor Wat in time to watch the sunrise. We were really exited about this - and apparently lots of other people were too as when we arrived at the lake in front of Angkor Wat (where you can get the best photos that include the reflection in the water), there were loads of people already giving it a festival type vibe. The coffee with condensed milk and milo accompanied by free chairs brought a few smiles to the group and we settled in to watch the sunrise. Alas, it was not to be though as it was a cloudy morning so we didn't as much see the sun rise as we did just witness it getting light. Still an impressive sight though and we really enjoyed exploring Angkor Wat more thoroughly with fewer visitors than the day before.

After that, it was time for a shower and breakfast before jumping on the bus to head south to Phnom Penh.

We will post the sunrise photos over Angkor Wat with our blog from Phnom Penh, so until next time…

Cheers,
Lara + Leise