Cambodia 2005

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Cambodia

 

I made a 10-day trip to Cambodia from December 29, 2004 to January 8, 2005 and spent four days in Siem Reap exploring the ancient city of Angkor.  Most of you will have heard of Angkor Wat, the famous Khmer temple, but very few people realize that this is only one of the many buildings of an ancient civilization.  Close to Angkor Wat is the city of Angkor Thom, which housed about 1 million people almost a thousand years ago.  To tour the popular ruins of Angkor takes a minimum of three days.  Give yourself a week if you want to see it all!

One thing to remember near a place like this that is near the equator is that there is no real twilight at dawn or dusk.  Just after the sun sets, it goes from full light to pitch-black in about 15 minutes.  Angkor is dark at night, and if you are at the back end of some remote temple, it can be a challenge to get back out.  And if you are not afraid of the dark, this time you will be after hearing the jungle come to life around you, and the bats flying around your head within the ruins.  So get out before dark, or carry a flashlight if you plan to stay a bit longer off the beaten paths to get some nice time-exposure photos with nobody else in the picture

In the following photographs I have tried to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly of Cambodia.  Amongst the touristy photographs of Angkor, you will also find pictures testifying to the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge in the latter half of the 1970's.  In addition, I try to show you in a few photographs just how poor the majority of local people are to this day.  I have shot almost two hours worth of video, but unfortunately it is too much to post on a website.

 

Click on any one of the thumbnails for a larger view.

Dengue Fever!

One of the first signs I saw while en route from my guesthouse to Angkor. FYI, there is no vaccine against it, is transmitted by a mosquito, and usually not fatal.

Bayon

Entrance to Bayon in the ancient city of Angkor Thom. Bayon was built 100 years after Angkor Wat.

Bayon

Bayon in the ancient city of Angkor Thom.

Bayon

One of the over 200 faces at Bayon, thought to be of King Jayarvarman VII, who reigned 1181AD-1120AD.

Lonely Buddha

One of my best photographs. Note the face carved into the gopura (tower) in the background near the top of the photo.

Preah Kahn

Built in AD1191, Preah Kahn, which tranlates to the "Sacred Sword", was built as a Buddhist complex. This is one of the many statues found on the bridge spanning the moat around the complex.

Preah Kahn

The roots of this enormous fig are both prying apart and holding together the structure.

Banteay Srei Detail

Banteay Srei, the "Citadel of the Women" is small, but has the most intricate detail sculpted of all the buildings at Angkor.

Ta Prohm

One of the last places at Angkor that has not been cleared of the encroaching jungle. This is the doorway made popular by the movie "Tomb Raider", and is nearly 1000 years old.

Ta Prohm

Another doorway.

Ta Prohm

Standing outside of the south wall of Ta Prohm. Note the huge tree root running along the "sidewalk" to the left and right of the centre entrance.

Angkor Resident

I saw a lot of these running around, acting just like most of the tourists do...

Baphuon

This is a crawl-space about 1 meter high under the causeway leading to the building of Baphuon.

Majestic Angkor Wat

Picture is not from the front entrance, but who cares, Angor Wat is symmetrical from 90 degree angles. At least there were no tourists in this photo.

The Centre Tower of Angkor Wat

Looking at the previous picture, a large centre tower is seen flanked by two smaller ones. This is a photo looking up at the centre tower a few hours before sunset.

In Front of Centre Tower

Standing on top of the Wat right in front of the large centre tower.

Library Beside Angkor Wat

Located fifty or so meters beside Angkor Wat.

South Kleang

This is the back of the building.

South Kleang

A lonely doorway through the roofless ruins.

Detail Above Doorway

Many doorways are adorned with such intricate carvings.

Phnom Bakheng

The touristy thing to do at Angkor is to climb up this hill to the temple and watch the sunset. This is one of the four starways leading back down from the temple.

Phnom Bakheng

Looking up at the temple after sunset. This is an interesting time at Angkor since the sounds of tourists are quickly replaced by the sounds of the surrounding jungle.

Kosal and Akira

Kosal, on the left, is my tuk-tuk driver who chauffers me around Angkor. Akira (centre) is a Japanese tourist from Tokyo who I met in the back of a pickup truck riding from the Thailand border to Siem Reap.

Akira and I

We are standing outside the wall surrounding Angkor Wat.

Evening Beers at the Guesthouse

Planning the next day's trip while sipping "Angkor" beer.

On the Tonle Sap River

Every few kilometers locals would wave at us. The boat ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was over 200km.

On the Tonle Sap River

One of the larger villages/floating markets on the Tonle Sap River between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

K57 Automatic Weapon

Outside Phnom Penh, I squeezed off 40 rounds with this Russian rifle. Wanted to try the rocket launcher also, but $200 was too much for a big bang...

S21 Khmer Rouge Prison

This school was converted to a prison where tortures and executions took place by Pol Pot's communist regime. The prisoners that survived were later executed at Cheung Ek.

The Killing Fields at Cheung Ek

What's really disturbing is that the little sweater belongs to one of the actual victims.

Baby Skeetshoot at S21

A series of paintings by one of the survivors depicting his experiences is on display at S21. I found this painting more disturbing than the skulls and tattered bits of the victim's clothing protruding through the ground that I constantly had to step over.

Phnom Penh Alley

The poverty is astounding. Although it looks initimidating, these places are quite safe, at least in the daytime.

The Country Corner Store

Confectioners with a petrol station next door. (The two 40 gallon drums on the right).

Another Country Corner Store

Not sure what they sell here.

Presidential Grounds, Phnom Penh

Even if the majority is poor, you'll always find someone wealthy. I was impressed with the 90kg solid gold Buddha. Such wealth in the midst of poverty, what can I say?.

Presidential Grounds, Phnom Penh

The sun sets in this quiet paradise away from the traffic and motorcycles in the heart of Phnom Plenh.


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Page last updated October 02, 2008
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