Seeing more of the World: Part IV Siem Reap,Cambodia

Siem Reap

This is probably the most popular destination in all of Cambodia because of its proximity to Angkor Wat and the Angkor Archaeological Park. We've all seen the images of strangling vines wrapped around these ancient structures. Both Indiana Jones' Temple of Doom and Laura Croft's Tomb Raider were filmed here. There are more than a 1000 Temples of Angkor built between the 9th and 13th Centuries covering an area twice as big as Manhattan. Can you imagine the astonishment of the Portuguese missionaries hacking their way through the jungle and stumbling upon these towers? 

As spectacular as the exteriors of these temples are, I was captivated by the intricate reliefs throughout in interiors. Story-telling at its finest!

Of all the amazing temples we saw, I think Towers of Bayon with all the faces of Buddha was my favorite.

Because of the popularity of Siem Reap, the city has become quite a party place for foreigners. It comes to life in the evening with clubs, loud music, and street dancing. Mike and I could only handle a couple of drinks before seeking a less crazy place than Pub Street. 

We found there was another place of interest  near Siem Reap beyond the street scene and Angkor. We took a boat trip out into Tonie Sap Lake to see the floating villages complete with stores, churches and floating homes.

Stay tuned for our next stop--Vietnam.

Seeing more of the World: Part III Kampong Thom,Cambodia

We traveled by bus to this small less touristy town of Kampong Thom. We stayed at a great little hotel, the Sambor Village.












This gave us a nice break from the busy city of Phnom Penh, and a spot to cool down after a hot day in the countryside.

The much less visited ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk are just a tuk tuk ride away from Kampong Thom. 

Our ride awaits.

Sambor Prei Kuk predates the more famous Angkor Wat and was built in the 7th Century. It was built with bricks, rather than stone. Some of the structures are being restored with funds from various countries, but as these photos show, the vines have beautifully wrapped around many of the structures. (We also saw craters throughout the park that had been created by U.S. bombing 1969-1973.)

Our guide followed our tuk tuk for miles to the ruins, hoping to exchange his knowledge for our dollars. He spoke English and had been trained by a German-based archaeology program.

Looking up a tower into the sunlight

Our tuk tuk driver spoke little English, but gave us a wonderful ride through the Cambodian countryside.

We were fascinated by these contraptions (single cylinder engine)  that could haul tons of stuff.

Rice is harvested and raked out in the farmer's yard to dry.

Supervising the raking of the rice

Raking the rice

If your tuk tuk gets a flat tire, one young guy with two hands and two feet can replace the tire in the same time Les Schwab can do it with all the modern tools!

There are other things to see in the area. One is a silk farm where they grow a few silk worms (although most silk comes from China) and train women to weave the silk, a skill they can take with them to make a living in a larger production facility.

The silk worms start out as a green larva

Worms busy making silktreads

Mike ate a boiled silk worm--tastes just like peanuts!

Another industry in Kampong Thom is the carving these giant statues from stone. We wondered where all these would end up.

After this wonderful stay in Kampong Thom, we waited for a bus to take us on to Siem Reap.

Snails, anyone?

Seeing more of the World: Part II Phnom Penh,Cambodia

I am so glad that I travel with a journal! As I look over these photos a month after our trip, I am already confused about where we were and what was the most impressive part of our visit to each city. Luckily, I can look at my journal (along with some details I google) to make sense of over 700 photos. I'm trying to pick only the best.

Phnom Penh  

This was our first stop in Cambodia. This is the city that was evacuated by the Khmer Rouge in 1975, is known for the prisons of torture and death, and is one site of many "killing fields" used by the Khmer Rouge. We visited the Tuoi Sieng Genocide Museum. We took no pictures. Our guide was 12 when her family was told to leave the city. She and her mother ended up separated, working in the fields. Her father and siblings were killed. This is one of many stories we were told. Everyone we met in Cambodia had their own story or a family story about the horrifying reign (1975-79) of the Khmer Rouge.

However, this country is moving on, and so did we. Visiting the Royal Palace, it is easy to envision the days when the king rode an elephant while scenes from the "King and I" float through your mind.

Stupa holding the remains of a king.

Spectacular painted ceilings 

A mural of Sanskrit epic poem wraps around the interior of the walls.

This was painted in 1903-1904 by a team of art students.

Before leaving the palace grounds we washed with a bit of sacred water.

The city of Phnom Penh is full of markets and tuk tuks. The traffic is crazy and crossing the street on foot can be rather terrifying. 

Seafood Anyone?

Buying a hat

And then there is the poultry department

At the end of a hot, busy day of sight seeing, the Foreign Correspondent's Club, overlooking the Mekong River, was a good spot to sit and sip on a cold drink.