Issue 21

Digital Magazine Jan. - Mar., 2015

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The 15 most memorable attractions in Cambodia Phnom Penh’s cultural revival Bruised bottoms to Battambang

Sihanoukville The Don Finck Story

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Les Bambous Boutique Hotel is a charming family run hotel with an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi. Nestled in the heart of a 2000 m2 tropical garden, the 18 spacious air conditioned rooms are all individually decorated and furnished.

The rooms feature a garden, countryside, or pool view. Twin, Double or King size beds are available. All rooms have air conditioning, a private en suite bathroom with either a hot water shower or bathtub, cable TV, mini bar/fridge, hair dryer, complimentary coffee & tea, drinking water and toiletries. All rooms also include a free breakfast.

The hotel is a 5 to 10 minute drive from the Old Market and Pub Street. Angkor Wat and other temples are located a short 15 minute tuk tuk journey away. We are also only a 10 minute drive from Siem Reap International Airport.

Les Bambous Boutique Hotel 16 Krous Village Svay Dongkum Commune Siem Reap - Angkor 17000 Kingdom of Cambodia

Everyday 7am - 10pm Work: +855(0)63 96 62 26 Mob: +855(0)70 21 98 12

Skype:Les_Bambous_Boutique_Hotel

PUBLISHER’S NOTE Dear Readers, It’s hard to imagine anything that’s harder, more fun, and ultimately more satisfying, than completing the first five years of a new venture still standing.

This issue of Cambodia Insight is our 21st quarterly publication. It’s been, as the Navy promises, not just a job, but an adventure.

Heartfelt thanks to our many readers. You’ve proven again and again that you’ll visit an online publication. We appreciate your attention, as well as your comments and suggestions. Every one of them was read, and many adopted. We’re grateful.

Heartfelt thanks, too, to our advertisers. We don’t charge our many readers, and your generous support has made this possible. We hope that your business has benefited from the attention your ads garnered both locally and internationally. We’re grateful.

As we look ahead to the new year, we’re encouraged that we’ve weathered the initial growing pains and can focus now even more on producing the leading publication about Cambodian life, business, culture, and especially responsible tourism.

What will future issues bring? We’ll continue to spotlight the growing numbers of visitors and investors from Russia, the important role of investment from China and Korea, relations with our neighbors Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. And most of all we’ll continue to bring to our readers the wonders of the Land of Wonders, our adopted home.

As always, your readership, your advertising support, and you comments will help us make this the leading publication of its kind on the internet. We’re truly grateful.

Sincerely,

Heartfelt thanks, as well, to our contributors.

You’ve supplied us with interesting – indeed fascinating – insights into this Land of Wonder and its warm, welcoming people. The quality of your work shone brightly. We’re grateful.

Heartfelt thanks, finally, to our staff. You’ve worked tirelessly and without complaint under the pressures of deadlines. You’ve brought creativity to Cambodia Insight, along with a full measure of talent, hard work and good spirits. We’re grateful.

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Charles R. Evans, Publisher H/P: 017.906.721 Tel: +855 (0) 63.963.583 Charles@CambodiaInsight.com

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CONTENTS Phnom Penh’s cultural revival 09 Bruised bottoms to Battambang

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Angkor Wat, Cambodia: A guide to avoiding the crowds

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The Don Finck Story 23 Cambodia: From rags to riches

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Homage to the new Cambodia

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Sihanoukville

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The call of Cambodia : Hard history and heavenly hotels in an exotic Asian cocktail 44 The 15 most memorable attractions in Cambodia 48

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A Quarterly Magazine on Business, Economy, Tourism, Culture and Society in English for Cambodia. Founded in Siem Reap City in January, 2010 by Evans Marketing Charles R. Evans Dave Courtright Don Finck Kanyapat Evans Savuth Sao Chinda Sovan Atchariya Priabnan Sokum Tim Bunleab Hong Eric Larbouillat Peter Richards

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Publisher and Managing Director Editor - in - Chief Senior Creative Director Creative Director Manager, Graphic Design & Print Production Sales Manager Graphic design Graphic design Webmaster & Programmer Sales Executive Thailand Bureau Chief

Evans Marketing Business Adviser Co., Ltd., 331 Tep Vong St., Taphul Village, Svay Dongkum Commune, Siem Reap - Angkor, 17000 Kingdom of Cambodia Tel: +855 (0) 63.963.583 Advertising & Subscriptions E-Mail: Advertising@CambodiaInsight.com E-Mail: Subscription@CambodiaInsight.com @Copyright Evans Marketing Business Adviser Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. The name Cambodia Insight.com, in either English or Khmer languages, its associated logos or devices and the contents of this publication and website may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in print or electronically, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without written permission of Evans Marketing Business Adviser Co., Ltd.

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Cambodia Insight.com is a wholly owned publication and website of Evans Marketing Business Adviser Co., Ltd. Licensed by the Ministry of Information.

Although every care has been taken in the production of this magazine and website, no responsibility for errors or liability is assumed through the use of the information contained herein.

Cambodia Insight.com is an independent publication dedicated to providing our readers with informative content presented in a positive light helping to boost business investment, tourism, cultural awareness and the image of the country.

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Gobshite & Prolyfik perform at the Tiger Translate festival.

Phnom Penh’s cultural revival There’s more to Cambodia than its ancient sites, as visitors discover a newly thriving arts and music scene in the capital, Phnom Penh, with galleries, clubs and cafes springing up

“Welcome to the Penh my friend, big city in the kingdom of wonder, where all the streets are numbered and when it rains it thunders, them smiles stay infectious, chaps asleep in their cyclos or pushing a Lexus.”

Thus rhymes artist Grant Massey in his ode to the Cambodian capital. Massey hails from Leicester and is one half of the Phnom Penh-based hip-hop duo Gobshite and Prolyfik (yes, you read it right - that’s Gobshite!). The other half is Chally Dang, a young Khmer who recently returned to Phnom Penh from Philadelphia, to bring, as he says, true hip-hop to Cambodia.

Their timing is just right. Cambodia’s riverside capital is on the rebound. After little more than a decade of peace following 40 years of war, the city of two million is recapturing some of its early 20th-century flair. Foreign visitors drawn to Cambodia by its ancient monuments are discovering a thriving contemporary cultural scene with arts cafes, clubs and galleries springing up all over town.

Meta House (meta-house.com), a large art gallery, rooftop cinema and restaurant housed in a

gleaming white 500 sq m space in the heart of the city, has been at the forefront of raising the profile of Cambodia’s contemporary artists.

“The contemporary arts and music scene really kicked off five years ago,” says Nico Mesterharm, founder of Meta House. “Since then we have had more than a 100 exhibitions presenting contemporary Khmer art.”

Down the road from Meta House, Java Cafe (javaarts.org) serves as both cafe and gallery and presents equally interesting artists, such as Mao Soviet, who is currently showing Cloudy and Loud, a light sculpture exhibition created in collaboration with American artist Arnoldo Hurtado, in which the idea of illuminating (both physically and metaphorically) is explored (until 13 May). The fact that Java Cafe turned from a non-profit setup into a business in 2008 is an indicator of the increasing bankability of Cambodian artists.

Just as fascinating, though more specialised, is Bophana (bophana.org), an audio-visual centre set up by renowned Cambodian film director Rithy Phan to archive images and sounds of

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the Cambodian memory. Rare Cambodian films such as Kou Oy Chok Chheam (Painfulness), made in 1966, are showing throughout April.

And there’s more. Take a walk down Street 178, behind the National Museum, a road once lined with shops exclusively selling garish depictions of Angkor Wat, and you’ll find a number of new art galleries showcasing emerging local artists.

One of the country’s best known is Em Riem who runs La Galleria. The 34-yearold artist, who was born and raised in the Cambodian countryside until the age of 15 and experienced the Khmer Rouge period with his family, has had his work shown in the US, in Colombia, France, Hong Kong and London.

Java Cafe gallery

The artistic community’s work has tended to draw heavily on the Khmer Rouge period, but subject matters are changing.

Sa Sa Art (sasaart.info) gallery on Street 360 is run by a group called Stiev Selapak – the art rebels – who are currently working on The White Night, a community art project with the residents of The White Building, an infamous slum landmark in Phnom Penh.

Em Riem, too, is broadening his artistic horizon, moving away from the country’s dark history to help redesign the former US Embassy, now the smart boutique White Mansion Hotel (rooms from £51), which offers huge rooms and an attractive blend of Khmer designs, harking back to the 1,000-year-old Angkor era architecture. Riem’s work – his own brand of modernist furniture and sculpture infused with historic Khmer characteristics – is exhibited in the hotel’s lobby and suites.

Phnom Penh’s music scene has also been given a serious shot in the arm by an influx of young foreigners and Cambodians who grew up outside the country, mixing it up with local artists.

In 2002, Hollywood actor Matt Dillon shot City of Ghosts, an affectionate, dark portrait of postwar Phnom Penh. The movie’s soundtrack featured music from the 1960s – Khmer rock’n’roll.

Most of the artists of the period were killed by 10

White Mansion Hotel

the Khmer Rouge and it’s only now that the country’s pop cultural heritage is enjoying a resurgence.

For the past couple of years, The Cambodian Space Project, a rock band founded by the charismatic female singer Srey Thy and Australian band leader Julien Poulson, have taken their reinterpretations of the country’s 1960s sound around the world – the band have just returned to Cambodia from their second tour of Australia. They have also performed in the US, Europe, Hong Kong and China in the last two years. Visitors to Phnom Penh might be lucky and catch them at music venues such as the French-managed balcony bar-cum-exhibition space Equinox or Mao’s Pub, a new nightclub located near Wat Phnom on the city’s riverfront.

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The Cambodian capital is beginning to host larger events too. In February, Preap Sovath, the nation’s biggest superstar, performed live in the city’s historic railway station. The 36-year-old collaborated with several foreign artists, as part of the second Tiger Translate art and music festival. Preap sent his favourite songs to British reggae-popsters Will and The People and several other bands, who performed with the heartthrob crooner in front of a 2,000-strong crowd.

Vandy Rattana, founder of Sa Sa Gallery

Tiger Translate Phnom Penh – one of a global series of events designed to give Asian artists a platform, while offering them opportunities to work with western creatives – is indicative of the Cambodian capital’s flirtation with contemporary cosmopolitan flair. In its own unique way, the “Pearl ofAsia” is coming of age once more.

Credit: Tom Vater, Theguardian.com

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Ta Prohm Hotel

Pokambor Avenue, Mondul 1, Sangkat Svay Dongkum Siem Reap, Angkor, Kingdom of Cambodia Tel : (855) 63 380 117 / 760 087 , Fax: (855) 63 963 528 Email: info@taprohmhotel.com Website : www.taprohmhotel.com Jan - mar, 2015

Bruised bottoms to Battambang

Tonle Sap Lake – En Route to Battambang

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here are two ways to get to Battambang from Siem Reap: 1) bus on reliable roads, 5 to 6 hours or 2) boat on less than reliable waterways, 5 to 10 hours.

We chose the boat option, having read that the journey along Tonle Sap Lake is the best water trip in Cambodia, where beautiful scenery and active floating villages accompany you most of the way.

The night before we took the boat, Dan received an email from a friend who had taken the same journey a year ago with her mother. From the email, we gathered that the highlights of their trip included arriving to an already overloaded boat, numerous breakdowns along the way, including one where the crew took the motor apart on the roof of the boat. Her mother saved the day, pulling out a full-sized monkey wrench out of her daypack, which was apparently just what was needed to repair the motor. They made it, eventually.

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We were picked up at 6 AM at our guesthouse.

The driver arrived with a pick-up truck already brimming with people and luggage, and managed to squeeze us and three others, and our luggage somewhere on the tail end of the sagging truck. All good, we thought, until another stop where four others waited. The driver insisted they join the back of the truck. He motioned as if to say “no problem” but these folks were sensible and and hailed a taxi to follow the truck to the pier instead.

The pier is located on the outskirts of Siem Reap, past fishing villages and tucked away in an inlet. The smell in the villages leading up to the dock was pungent, like poverty and rotten fish stewed to the point of putrefaction. Anyone familiar with the movie Silence of the Lambs remembers the scene with the body in the morgue.

As the body bag gets pulled away, the characters swoon at the stench. This was one of those moments, but we had to endure it without the aid

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Just Hanging Out – En Route to Battambang

Our Truck, Almost Full – En Route to Battambang

A large number of ethnic Vietnamese also live here. Many came to Cambodia after 1979 when the Vietnamese helped overthrow the Khmer Rouge. We were told that since they are not full Cambodians, they can’t own land. As a result, they build their homes and businesses at the margin – in this case, the water. of smelling salts. This was a bit more than most of us could take at 6 AM. We couldn’t imagine living in it full time, filling our lungs with the smell of death.

Boarding the boat was nothing exceptional, for us. We were one of the first trucks to arrive at the pier, so seats inside were plentiful. Others were relegated to the top deck to bake in the sun. And while we appreciated the shelter from the sun, our bums were quickly aching from the hard benches and even curiously harder cushions.

The reason everyone takes the boat is to see the many floating villages and communities on the Tonle Sap lake near Siem Reap, complete with electricity, TV, schools and churches. People get around everywhere by boat, with boats carrying kids to school, selling breakfast soups and all manner of goods. We saw floating churches, but the Buddhist temples always always seemed to be securely fixed on land.

Since we were traveling in the dry season (February), the water level in the river wasn’t high enough to allow us to make the entire trip to Battambang by boat. Eventually, the longtail motor, apparently accustomed to turning heavy mud, became bogged down with trees and water weeds. After eight hours on the boat, 20+ of us got in the back of a pick-up truck for the remainder of the journey, some 90 minutes over washed out ruts passing as roads. Our driver managed an impressive, yet bouncy ride through steep craters and pits. Burdened with loosely strapped bags and weary passengers, our truck listed heavily sideways, testing its rollover tolerance with each obstacle. Our asses were sore and we were alien-like, covered in brown dust. But our truck didn’t tip over and we eventually arrived in Battambang…and were thrilled to do so in one piece.

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Credit: uncorneredmarket.com

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Banteay Chhmar, the most remote Angkor site

Angkor Wat, Cambodia: A guide to avoiding the crowds Angkor’s magnificent monuments attract many thousands of visitors but with careful planning you can find a way to get off the beaten track

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The first time it happened was a surprise. Like hundreds of thousands of other tourists that year I was visiting Angkor, the Khmer temple complex in Cambodia that is one of the biggest draws in south-east Asia. But my excitement was tempered with concern that too many people had been here before me.

Flanking the road from the airport the day before were very different temples, vast bland hotels, seemingly dozens of them, built to cater for the hordes, particularly the burgeoning Chinese market. And on that first morning, as we drove the three miles from the town of Siem Reap to the

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As I was quickly learning, one of the most remarkable things about 21st-century Angkor – almost as remarkable as its vertiginous beauty, which retains the power to render you speechless a full 12 centuries after building first began – is that with just a little cunning you can enjoy it almost as you might have done two decades ago, when it was just being opened up after the terrible civil war.

Stonework at Angkor Thom

Of course, Angkor Wat itself, with its vast friezes of soldiers and devils and dancing girls, is always full of hordes. But with clever timetabling – namely those couple of hours when most people stop for lunch, and the very beginning and very end of the day (the complex opens at 5am and shuts at 6pm) – the other main sights can be shared with comparatively few. Take the glorious Bayon, which sits at the heart of the ancient city of Angkor Thom, built by and for King Jayavarman VII, famed for its 37 stone faces. At lunchtime, up on the roof, the only other “people” to be seen were those faces on the towers, and what serenely beautiful companions they were. vast main complex, the tourist-filled buses and the tuk-tuks were out in force. Mmm, I thought to myself, paradoxically both smug and disappointed, my fears that I was too late for Angkor were to be proven right.

Yet even at my very first temple, Ta Som, a small affair chosen by our guide because it wasn’t in the top rank of Angkor must-sees, I found myself suddenly alone. It was just me, walls of intricately carved stone, and the jungle, almost audibly encroaching, a strangler fig oozing its way over one of the main entrances.

My other fear, that Angkor would have been restored out of its wilderness state into something generic and safe, also proved unfounded. In many of the temples the jungle is in only temporary abeyance, in part because there are just so many buildings here that reconstruction is an impossible task, but also because to attempt to remove the encroaching vegetation would be to risk damage to the structures. This means that even a temple such as Preah Khan, another of the most celebrated, with its daisy chain of interconnected rooms and impressive causeway flanked by giant nagas, or snake-gods, still seems wild.

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And then there is the otherness of the art and architecture itself – first created in the name of Hinduism and appropriated a century later

by Buddhism – which depicts a wonderland of all things imaginable and unimaginable.

As you visit more and more temples you start to recognise the language of kings, warriors and embonpoint apsaras, or celestial nymphs, upon whom, if the numbers alone are anything to go by, the craftsmen seemed to lavish a remarkable amount of care and attention.

Whatever the number of visitors, it seems Angkor remains untameable. Even so, the intrepid can get off the beaten track to a temple called Banteay Chhmar, 63 miles north of the main Angkor complex, the most remote of the 74 accessible sites. By car it takes more than three hours, by helicopter a mere 40 minutes.

If you plan to stay overnight the only accommodation option is to stay in one of the six local houses that are signed up to the Banteay Chhmar homestay project.

This temple was “discovered” in the Fifties – the French came across Angkor Wat a century earlier – and restoration work only began in 2008. To the untrained eye much of the temple is little more than giant piles of stone, but there is enough of the original structure to make a trip worthwhile, particularly the friezes, which depict two octopus-armed bodhisattvas, or enlightened beings. At least as compelling though is the chance to compare life as recorded by the artists with that which unfolds in rural Cambodia today. Here on the frieze are farmer-warriors heading off to battle with their kup-kups (small scythes); in the nearby fields you can see the local farmers using their kup-kups to cut grass. And the buffalo carts that are shown in many friezes are still being used on the local roads.

Viewing Angkor Wat

Back in Siem Reap, the town seemed the height of urban sophistication. And indeed it sort of was. Because here, once again, my preconceptions had been misleading. Away from the hangar-style hotels near the airport, Siem Reap is a low-key yet lovely place, full of pretty colonial buildings, charming cafés and restaurants, and tempting and surprisingly chic shops. The clever traveller spends the busiest temple-going hours of midmorn18

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ing and midafternoon people-watching (or, perhaps more realistically after that hideously early 5am start, dozing) in the cafés here, then pops back for more Indiana Jones-esque delights. It’s an unbeatable double act.

Getting there BA (ba.com) flies direct from London to Bangkok from £696 return including taxes. Bangkok Airways (bangkokair.com) flies from Bangkok to Siem Reap £233 return including taxes.

Packages Abercrombie & Kent (0845 485 1557; abercrombiekent.co.uk) offers a four-day visit to Siem Reap from £1,795 per person, including international flights, excursions, transfers and accommodation at La Résidence d’Angkor (see below) on a bed-and-breakfast basis.

When to go Peak season is November to March, which means cool, dry days and lots and lots of people. June to October is quieter, but also hot and potentially wet. Avoid April at all costs: it is boiling.

Where to stay La Residence d’Angkor One of the chicest places in town – and the competition is fierce. Beautiful architecture and a swimming pool that is perfect for post-temple cool-downs. From £235 per night for a double room (00855 63 963 390;residenceangkor.com; doubles from £235).

Viroth’s Hotel A hip feel for very little money, this tiny seven-room establishment does boutique on a budget like no one else in town. It costs for a double room (63 761 720; viroth-hotel.com; doubles from $90 (£55) per night.

FCC Angkor Offerings at Angkor Wat

This pretty place was once the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and remains the favoured

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hang-out of the chattering classes. The rooms are airy, stylish and good value, plus there is a lovely spa and a see-and-be-seen restaurant too (see below); (23 992 284; fcccambodia.com; doubles from $135 (£82) per night).

Where to eat and drink FCC Angkor The food may be unexceptionally international in style but the atmosphere in this high-ceilinged terraced eyrie overlooking the river is hard to beat. Great day or night (fcccambodia.com).

Viroth’s For a top-notch modern take on traditional Khmer cuisine – a less spicy version of Thai – this is the best place in town (viroth-hotel.com).

Le Grand Café When you are hit with temple fatigue – and it sneaks up on even the most dedicated sightseer in the end – this colonial-era favourite next to the old market is the best spot for an afternoon of people-watching. The coffees and cocktails are top-notch.

named Pub Street in the centre of town, and ask for directions from there.

What to see This depends on how much time you have. There is much to see, but temple overload can be difficult to recover from. The four “must-sees” are Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm.

But you are likely to gain equal – if not more – pleasure from visiting some of the smaller temples such as Neak Pean and Ta Som. If you want help making sense of it all, Asian Trails is one of the best mainstream guiding companies in town (asiantrails.info). Hidden Cambodia offers more unusual adventures (hiddencambodia.com). If you just want to hire a tuk-tuk driver you should reckon on about $12 (£7) a day.

What to avoid There is all manner of exotica on sale in some of Siem Reap’s shops. Stay well clear of baby crocodile and lizard-skin wallets, bags and shoes, many with small heads still attached: you won’t be able to bring them back into Britain.

Miss Wong

Tuk-tuk drivers often try to recruit themselves as your guide inside the temples as well as being your driver. Don’t agree, as their English – and their knowledge – is likely to be limited.

Stylish and intimate, this tiny cocktail bar down a narrow alleyway makes you feel like you are in Shanghai in the Thirties. Head for the charmingly

Cambodians are often willing to talk about their personal histories under the Khmer Rouge. Asking questions is usually fine but follow their lead.

Whatever the chic fashion on sale in downtown Siem Reap, make sure your dress code is modest.

Long sleeves and hats help guard against the sun as well as local sensibilities.

Credit : Anna Murphy, telegraph.co.uk

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Angkor National Museum The Legend Revealed The Angkor National Museum is the most important museum dedicated to the Angkor civilization in Cambodia and Asia. It is located in Siem Riep City, on the exclusive Charles de Gaulle Avenue, to the north of the National Road.

Lintel Style: Banteay Srei Date : 10th Century Display in Gallery C

Its collection, exhibited in eight galleries (the Exclusive Gallery and the other ones identified from A to G), numbers several masterpieces of theAngkor temples and it is the most complete representation of the culture, history and archeology of the Golden Age of Cambodia.

The Charles de Gaulle Avenue is not far from the temples themselves (about two kilometers from downtown). The facade maintains the harmony of the unique Angkorian architecture.

Comparable to any modern museum in the world, it has a fast ticketing service system (and it is possible to book online), a Guide Map and Audio Tour Set (personal translation device) with eight languages (Khmer, English, German, Korean, Japanese, French, Chinese and Thai.)

It is a highly recommended place to complete visits to the temples. The combination of modern technologies and multimedia presentations introduces the visitor into the magic of the Angkor world.

The Museum Mall

The Museum covers 20 thousand square meters (65,616 sq. feet) surrounded with the traditional Cambodian gardens and the exclusivity of the northern area of Siem Riep City.

The Museum is the product of a joint effort of the Royal Ministry of Culture and Fine Art, the APSARA Authority and the Museum Co., Ltd. on a 30 year concession period. No doubt, it is a world class museum dedicated to the preservation of the Khmer artifacts, collections and restorations of the fascinating Angkor Civilization.

The Angkor National Museum is unique in Cambodia. It has its own style and its full inspiration in the ancient glorious time of the Khmer Empire, just at the doors of the temples.

by A. Rodas

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Gallery 6 : Ancient Costume

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Ta Prohm Temple

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groups: those who look at the pictures and others, the words.

A very few, though, will look even closer, at the typography.

Typography involves decisions about fonts (type-faces), sizes, bold, italic, condense or expand, all capitals, upper & lower case, line & word spacing, punctuation & color. Those decisions are highly detailed and very, very important.

Don Finck, a retired New York City, USA Ad Agency Professional has selfishly volunteered 5+ years of his exceptionally creative talent, marketing and business skills (since its inception in 2009,) as Cambodia Insight Magazine’s Senior Creative Director.

Who makes those choices, the decisions that our eyes recognize without conscious thought? People like Don Finck, who has been an acknowledged master in the field of typography and page design for 50 years. A perfectionist for whom a “widow” (a single word requiring an extra - and to the publisher, an expensive - line of type) is akin to the scratching of fingernails on a blackboard. An artist who knows how to match a type-face to the message a publisher or advertiser wants to convey to readers.

Cover for Art Direction Magazine

When we look at a publication – whether a book, a magazine article, or a piece of advertising – most of us will fall into one of two

If that description conveys the notion of an accountant with green eye-shades obsessing over columns of numbers on a page, let’s hasten to add that Don Finck is also an avid boater, a creator of artworks made from antique printer’s wood type, a scuba diving instructor with hundreds of hours under the Caribbean, and a renowned party-thrower.

Don is what used to be called, admiringly, a “Renaissance Man”, a master of many skills, full of knowledge of many subjects.

He’s also a loyal friend and allaround fun guy to be with.

Don Finck has graciously served as the Senior Creative Director for Cambodia Insight for the past five years. He is the mentor, and for 50 years, the close personal friend of this magazine’s publisher.

Don Finck, who designed our June silhouette cover, is also chairman of this year’s type show of the NY Type Directors ‘Club. He graduated from State University of NY in advertising and has lectured at Rutgers University, Parson’s Design Institute, School of Visual Arts, and NYC Community College. Formally at DDB, he is now typography director at Compton.

The two faces in silhouette are Finck’s at left and Julius Fuchs at right. Fuchs is TD at Compton also; photographer was Shelly Schachter.

Don and Charles Evans, Founder amd Publisher of Cambodia Insight (together with his wife Kanyapat), have enjoyed a fruitful 50+ year friendship. They first met in 1962 when Don

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hired Charles to work as a “Lay Out Artist” in the graphic arts production department at E.J. Korvettes offices in N.Y.C. Eventually, Don and Charles both left E.J. Korvette and joined Doyle, Dane & Bernbach Advertising Agency at different times.

Eventually, both left Doyle Dane and took very different career paths.

Don’s award winning picture on book cover

Don, a very c r e a t i v e p e r s o n , remained in the business and enjoyed much success as: Type/Creative Director, Columnist for Art Direction Magazine, Lecturer at many colleges, Photographer on land & underwater, Collage Artist, Innovator, Party Giver, Scuba Diving instructor, Guest writer for Graphics New York, Printing News & Type Talks, Chairman of the 14th annual Type Directors Show, Chairman of All Advertising R e u n i o n Committee, held at the famous Studio 54, featured in New York Times advertising column & cover designer of the Don’s flyer for The Treat Shoppe June 1969 Art Direction Magazine.

Charles and his wife invested into a chain of successful New York City Gourmet Food shops, (The Treat Shoppe) eventually selling the shops.

Charles and his wife moved to Ft. Lauderdale, 24

One of Don’s original artworks

Florida where they started an International Corporate Marketing Agency serving (from 1982 until 2002) clients like Exxon, ExxonMobil, Esso International & Burger King. (www.

CorporateMarketingIntl.com). From there, on to Bangkok, to serve Esso International in Thailand, Japan, Singapore and Exxon-Mobil in the USA. Later moving to Cambodia to service specific clients and start Cambodia Insight Magazine.

Don Finck’s introduction to Doyle, Dane & Bernbach and the creative & exciting advertising agency world Prior to Don joining the advertising agency world, he spent a lot of time working in retail advertising in places like Montgomery Ward, Hat Corporation of America, JC Penney, & E.J. Korvette. It was in November, 1962 when a friend called Don to tell him that there was a production job opening at Doyle Dane Bernbach.

At the time (1962), Don was in charge of the production department at E. J. Korvette (a large department store chain) where preparations for insertion & release orders for newspapers were worked on. Don immediately called the contact he was given & got an appointment with Jerry Wertans, the vice president in charge of production.

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One of Don’s awards for his photography

Don was interviewed by Jerry Wertans and told he wasn’t qualified for that job, as all his experience was in black & white print and this job called for color knowledge. But, he said that because of Don’s mixed experience as an assistant art director at Hat Corporation of America, typography director for JC Penney and production for E.J. Korvettes, he would see Bill Bernbach and create a job for Don in the typography department which he was also in charge of. Jerry mentioned that he had been looking for someone with this kind of diverse experience for a long time but didn’t think any such person existed.

Don went back to his office.

Jerry said he would call Don in the New York Times Don when the job was approved. Within 2 days, Don received the call and he gave his notice to E.J. Korvette.

DDB, as Don found out later, was the number one creative ad agency in the country, if not the world, and literally had changed the face of advertising. Creative people would do anything to get a job there, as Creative’s had free reign with their work thanks to Bill Bernbach who put humor into advertising and had art directors and copywriters work together as a team. The Literature produced for most creative one of Don’s clients. people in the

industry worked here. You had to be really good to land a position there.

On Don’s first day, he went to personnel to fill out all kinds of papers and was introduced to a great deal of people. When Don went to lunch the first 2 days, he came back to an empty floor.

There was no one in sight. After asking what the story was, he was told that officially it’s an hour for lunch, but everyone takes two hours and that’s the accepted practice. Most large agencies had this practice. Retail advertising was nothing like this!

After Don was there all of 3 weeks, a memo came out stating that the annual h o l i d a y Don’s home made coffee table constructed party would of antique printer’s wood type be held at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Hotel from 12 noon to 5:00. When Don got there with a large group, there were tons of food, drinks, music, and dancing. Don had never experienced a lavish party like this in retail advertising.

Al Robinson, head of the typography department, told Don that there was a photographer’s party after hours and a lot of people were going to that.

A group of people, including Don headed over there where even more food and drinks were being served.

There was even a small stage set up for the entertainment, a belly dancer.

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First article in Don’s typography column.

One of the V.P. art directors saw a ladder and moved it to the center of the floor and climbed up to the top. Others followed on the steps. When the 25

show started, he got excited and started doing a striptease. (He was drunk, of course...) With all the people on the ladder, it finally collapsed, and everyone fell to the floor. All were in various stages of drunkeness.

Next, Al gets up on the stage and starts doing his version of a belly dance after seeing her perform.

The next thing that happens is he puts his arms straight out like wings and runs into the audience at top speed, knocking people over.

He cut his knee in the process, but he felt no pain.

When Monday rolled around, Don asked Al why he did his bird impression. He reCover for booklet for one plied that he didn’t of Don’s clients know how to end the dance, so in his stupor, that was the only way he could think of to end it.

Over the next three weeks, there were so many after work holiday parties, it would make your head spin. There were parties at type shops, sound, art, photographer’s and movie studios, printing, & lettering shops, graphic arts studios, production houses, publishers and so on.

Don got to meet a lot of people from different agencies and studios where he made a lot of helpful con26

tacts that he used later on in his quite long and illustrious career.

When the New Year (1965) began, lots of DDB people hung out after work at a Persian-Italian restaurant where they served free hot and cold snacks. It was a very social agency where no matter what your position, all was equal after hours.

Here, you got to know all the people you worked with on a personal level.

During the work days, the people Don dealt with were extremely creative and serious in their approach to doing the best for their particular clients.

Everyone worked diligently and put in long hours to get the best possible results. They also Don’s 2nd boat ride with seemed to enjoy Ed Benguiat what they were doing, as Don eventually did. There were challenges and solutions to be found every day. Even the production and traffic people took everything to heart.

How & why; Don started his first boat ride at Doyle, Dane & Bernbach

Article of Don’s plans for changes to Type Dept

It was the beginning of summer and Don had been at DDB about seven months.

He had gotten to know hundreds of people Don in a slightly smaller boat that worked there on both a business and personal level. He liked the people in the department, and told

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them he had a boat, and they were invited to come out some weekend and go boating.

As usual, word spread quickly in the NOT the Ridiculous Boat Ride! agency and soon there were a lot of people asking if they could also come. He said it was only a small 19 foot boat, but if everyone wanted to chip in and rent a larger one, that would be fine as he had experience handling a 35 foot boat. That set off a frenzy to do just that.

So Don went down to his office and signed a contract for a boat that held 550 people, making him the person responsible for everything. This was a big risk, but he did it anyway.

Now even more people wanted to come out on the water. Finally, he said “This is ridiculous”.

Those were the magic words that gave him an outlandish idea. Why not see if they could rent one of the Circle Line’s many boats & have a big private party. These are boats that tourists take to go around Manhattan, see the Statue of Liberty, and a lot of New York landmarks. Don discussed it with Al the department head, who was a big party animal. Al told him to “Go for it”.

He called a friend in the publishing business who was a friend of James Brown’s manager.

He put Don in touch Don at a show opening with him & after he explained what was going on, the friend said he would give Don a great band that he managed just for the cost of transportation and two tickets on the boat. (They later were on the famous Ed Sullivan show)

Don called the Circle Line’s Manager, made a quick appointment, and went down to see him.

He said they never rented out any of their boats to companies or individuals, but was intrigued by the idea. He had heard favorable things about DDB & said he would contact his lawyers to see if this was at all possible. Poster for first Boat Ride Don explained that this was not an official DDB outing, but almost everybody who would be on the boat worked there.

The manager called after a couple of days and informed Don that he had a special contract drawn up just for this event.

Don went back to the office and told everyone his plan. Al got into action designing a poster, tickets, and getting an outside contact to receive reservations, as they couldn’t legitimately do it during office hours. Because of the way it all started, Don named it “A Ridiculous Boat Ride”.

They decided to charge $3.00 per person & BYOB. Now, with Al taking care of that part of the plan, Don had to get everything else in motion. First, a good band was needed. By now, after all those parties, Don had a lot of assorted contacts.

Next, since Don was responsible for everything according to the contract, security personal had to be hired to make sure there would be no problems. Drunks can do crazy things after all. Another contact put Don in touch with his friend’s security company. The charge was nominal if he could get two tickets. Don asked for 4 guards with walkie-talkies and one for himself. Next, transportation would be provided for those who were going to the boat right after work.

Another contact got him an antique car pulling a town coach that holds 14 people. He ordered a

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stretch limo for himself to take people to the boat.

The owner liked the whole idea so much that he gave him another stretch limo free. People were told that they could get picked up at the Persian –Italian restaurant & driven to the boat for free.

With all that in place, Don got more creative & sent word through the agency that it Supply Sergeant Don with his Army Jeep would be a costume party to make it even more fun. Everybody loved the idea. These were party people.

Tickets were sold out in about a week and a half.

When the big day arrived, Don put on his costume which was an Arab headdress, pants tucked into riding boots, a dark blue shirt with huge white stars and a white cape. Armed with his walkietalkie, he went to the restaurant and directed people into the limos and coach.

The costumes people had on were wild. Arriving at the boat about 7:30 to find out all the ice for drinks was already gone was an unexpected problem. This had to be taken care of right away, so the captain was told not to move the boat until Don returned with some ice from a nearby hotel.

Don found the manager, and as he looked at him in the costume strangely, told him of the predicament. The ice making machines were shut off at that time, but the guy who operated them lived in the hotel. The manger Don at Queen’s Unisphere got him to come down and start the machines. It took a while, but he filled up a 55 gallon can with ice cubes, got a dolly, and wheeled it down to the boat. The manager generously said “no charge”.

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You should have heard the cheers and shouts as the ice approached the boat. Don told the captain to get the boat going. There were about 20 people left on the dock who didn’t buy tickets in advance. The captain was very strict about the number of people on board.

When the 4 hours were over and the boat was back at the dock, no one wanted to leave. The band kept playing and the captain and his crew joined the party for about another hour. It was quite a night and no problems!

A couple of days later, Don went back to the hotel and gave the manager and the ice maker tickets to a top Broadway show.

People worked hard, as there were always challenges, and played hard after work, as there were many parties to go to during the year. This was the advertising world at Doyle, Dane, & Bernbach, Don’s first ad agency.

Moving on… Life after DDB Don was forever being approached by “Personnel Recruitment Agency Headhunters”, and enjoyed a long and fruitful career as an executive with several of the most prestigious NYC headquartered advertising agencies: Compton Advertising and Royal Composing Room in the 70’s, Kenyon & Eckhardt, Inc. in the 80’s. and Grey Advertising in the 90’s.

Later on, Don created his very own advertising agency where he had such clients as The Island of Bonaire, Capt. Don’s Habitat in Bonaire, ALM & ABA Airlines, Professional Divers International (PDIC), and Emery Dive Tours to name some.

Herewith, in pictures, we present an appreciation of the life – and the friendship - of Don Finck.

Written and organized by Charles R. Evans, Publisher, and Dave Courtright, Editor-in-Chief

Don’s wife Kitty in Bonaire

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Don teaching at Rutgers

Photography award Don and Joe at the Hong Kong Boat Fest

Alligator wrestling

In Uruguay

At a Chinese buffett

Ad for client

Don with Amphora from Greece

At the Intrepid

Don’s artwork

Wife Kitty in Bonaire with mile high Conch shells

Don’s artwork

15 pound lobster FINCK’S FINEST HOUR This may not be your life, Don Finck, but it certainly looks like your year.

Featured in many trade magazines and in The New York Times ad column, and author of his own column in Art Direction magazine, Don’s been constantly in the public eye in recent months for his high level of achievement in his field.

In recognition of his leadership, Don was placed in the limelight once more with his appointment as chairman of the 14th Annual Type Directors Show, held in a branch of the First National City Bank this June. On exhibit were 194 pieces of graphic art selected for their excellence in type direction.

At the beach Wife Kitty at a party

The theme of the show was “Typography wherever It Exists” but in the accompanying brochure, was expanded to “Think of your work and think of what’s going on around you. The larger context was an attempt to place the show, the winners, a person’s work, etc. into their proper perspective inthe much broader scheme of “real life”.

Don’s artwork article

Don’s photo of a Baracuda

Party at Studio 54 NYC

Fishing

15 pound Lobster Don caught, ate, and mounted on wall

In Venezuela

Kitty with cat “Taylor”

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Sea Life collection

World’s Fair 50th Anniversary

Going to Machu Picchu

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The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

Cambodia: From rags to riches

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sk a gap-year traveller where their round-the-world ticket will take them and Cambodia almost always makes the list. It became a stalwart of the pre-uni voyage of hedonism many moons ago.

Quieter has been its rise to the top of the pops for travellers who enjoy abit of luxury.

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The difference between an affluent person and a gap year traveller visiting Cambodia is choice.

The choices money provides are generally easy to spot. A chauffeur-driven car as opposed to a heaving bus sans air conditioning. A hotel with butlers and spas versus a room with occasional hot water.

But choice is also about deciding when to pay for the obvious luxury option, and when to choose to get your hands dirty and enjoy firsthand those wonderful experiences that might not have a high price tag, but keep the backpackers coming back year after year.

I pondered these choices as a tourist-laden helicopter soared high above my tiny wooden boat

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peach limbs curled on a rickety wooden boat and framed against the Mekong. It’s an image that captures the country’s appeal – mysterious, ever so slightly dangerous and, increasingly in the case of this rapidly developing nation, glamorous.

After decades of turmoil that left the infrastructure decimated, the days of Cambodia as a Wild West for backpacking, gap-year kids to fire rocket-launchers at cows and stock up on over-thecounter valium are on their way out.

It would appear the luxury market has been growing over the past few years. “Luxury is expanding in Cambodia, but at a slower pace than other countries,” says Shona Napier, Kuoni’s market coordinator for Africa and Asia.

Cox & Kings recorded a 40% increase in passenger numbers between 2009 and 2011, while Abercrombie & Kent says trips to the country are popular with clients over 55 who want to be adventurous, but still stay somewhere comfortable. Finding a luxury hotel is hardly a problem in Siem Reap, the city that serves as a gateway to Angkor Wat. More than 10 high-end hotels have popped up in the city over the past few years, four of which (Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, Hôtel de la Paix, Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort and Amansara) featured on this year’s Condé Nast Gold List of the world’s best places to stay, although the contemporary resort Hotel De La Paix is closing for refurbishment this year.

drifting through a flooded forest in the rain.

As my gaze returned from the sky and the rain grew heavier, my lady skipper, who steered our misty path through petrified trees, smiled and gestured over the head of her baby daughter towards the single life jacket that sat beside me.

We were hours from anything other than floating village Kampong Phluk (an hour from Siem Reap), and a long way from even that small comfort. But would I have swapped my mode of transport for the chopper overhead? Not for all the money in the world.

As I left the boat I couldn’t have looked any less like Anjelina Jolie in her ad campaign for Louis Vuitton shot last year in Cambodia. She posed,

The vast temple complex at Angkor Wat is still the country’s main draw. Seven thousand people tread the ruins (tour ops can arrange private tours), one of the new seven wonders of the world, every day. Few sights are so staggering to bleary, early-morning eyes as those ancient domes rising up from the jungle at sunrise.

But Ross Pakes, the regional manager for Asia at Abercrombie & Kent, says its clients are starting to venture beyond the traditional Angkor itinerary, requesting tailor-made tours that take them to farther out temples such as the red sandstone Banteay Srei, as well as the wider country. “Angkor Wat is the perennial draw to Cambodia, but clients are becoming more adventurous in their

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Banteay Srei Temple Banteay Srei Temple

Kala - Banteay Srei Temple

pursuit of temples away from tourist hordes. If you are willing to spend time in a car on bumpy roads, or for those travelling in style then by helicopter, you are rewarded with less-visited temples but no less impressive.”

In response to the demand to see more than just temples, both Abercrombie & Kent and Kuoni have introduced new tours this year that include the capital, Phnom Penh, more remote countryside such as Battambang and boat journeys on the Tonle Sap Lake. “[Cambodia] is fast becoming a standalone destination rather than just being part of a bigger itinerary,” Pakes says.

The frenetic Phnom Penh is set for an influx of tourists; the international terminal is expanding to accommodate four million visitors this year.

It’s a city of two faces. Tuk-tuks career through the streets where backpackers get giddy on ‘happy’ pizzas laced with cannabis. But mere minutes away a crowd of expats party in cool repose, sipping white Russians by a poolside bar such as Equinox before melting away into clubs such as Pontoon, which play host to international DJs.

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A local cafe owner presented us with overflowing bowls of fried cockroaches (surprisingly juicy), while local children tucked into snake lollipops.

But at the elegant riverside Foreign Correspondents’ Club, guests eat under the gentle whirr of colonial-style ceiling fans, stand at the balcony and watch the sun setting over the Mekong, as locals extend their limbs in synchronised dance on the front.

The luxury market really has its eye firmly fixed on the coastline, with Song Saa, the country’s first private island, recently opened in the Koh Rong peninsula. The couple who set up the resort, in the blue waters off Sihanoukville in the Gulf of Thailand intend to open two more properties. And getting to the islands is far easier since flights between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville were introduced last year.

When I travelled, there wasn’t a choice sadly so the fastest route to the beach was a five-hour dash along the road that connects Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.

Rather than a private ride I demonstrated poor decision-making once again. Sweating in the back of a bumpy share taxi, squeezed in between a cheery but extensive Cambodian family,

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Apsara - Banteay Srei Temple

I struggled to distinguish which of the four men in the two front seats was driving. From now on the journey should be a much gentler affair, a statement that could be applied more generally to travelling in this wild, enchanting country.

taught how to restore it. They have also started homestays for tourists. www.tinyurl.com/banchhmar Ross Parks, Regional Manager, Abercrombie & Kent.

Three of the best 4 Rivers Floating Eco-Lodge Among a virgin rainforest, 12 tented villas rest on the river. While all tents have modern amenities, they will be no match for the natural wonders on view from the private balconies. www.ecolodges.asia Song Saa Private Island A private island resort in an archipelago of islands that remain undeveloped. There is a sense of being one of the first foreigners to explore this beautiful place. www.songsaa.com Banteay Chhmar temple For 800 years, this 12th-century Angkorian temple has been untouched but it is now in the first stages of reconstruction with villagers being

New for 2012 1. Luxury river cruising on the Mekong has been made possible by Avalon Waterways, which will launch Avalon Angkor in September to cruise from Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap.

2. The intricately-carved, three-tiered Baphuon temple was opened to the public last summer after five decades of reconstruction work.

3. Raffles has just finished refurbishing Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh (pictured) and Grand Hotel d’Angkor Siem Reap.

Expert View “I’ve been going to the country since I was a child, as my grandmother is from Cambodia and I’m from Thailand. One of the things that really shines out is the warmth of the people, as well as the majesty of Angkor.

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“The focus is shifting from just seeing temples to experiencing Cambodian life in all areas it has to offer. More and more people are going to Phnom Penh, and spending longer there.

“A lot of people overlook Phnom Penh, but it has such a buzz about it, you can really feel the local life. I love doing a little walk at dusk around the old town, seeing all the colonial buildings and watching the sun set over the Mekong river.

“The Raffles hotel has a fantastic spa, as does the Sofitel. There are also lots of spas down by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, one particularly called Bodia spa.

“The 4 Rivers Floating EcoLodge in the south is a great alternative to the beach, as it’s in the middle of the jungle, while the Song Saa resort is setting the standard of luxury. Our partners in Cambodia are trying to open up more opportunities in the northeast of the country as well.”

Yaow Butwisate-Lok, Far East Product Manager Cox & Kings

Banteay Chhmar Temple

Must-do tours 12-day Cambodia in Depth This tour is designed to show guests some more remote and dramatic areas. The trip begins in Phnom Penh taking in the National Museum and the Killing Fields while staying at Raffles. Then the tour moves to spots such as Stung Treng for a boat ride to Cambodia’s northern border with Laos and Kratie to see irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River.

From £2,430 including accommodation, private transfers and guides. www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk Cambodia Explorer – 14 days A detailed tour through Cambodia, giving you the opportunity to see hidden gems such as the

Hotel Le Royal

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Angkor period jungle temples of Sambor Prei Kuk. Accommodation varies from comfortable three-star to top notch bolt-holes such as Victoria Angkor.

Private tour from £2,689 including flights and all accommodation. www.transindus.co.uk Temples of Angkor - five days Starting in Phnom Penh this trip takes in the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda and the Killing Fields. Then the chance to learn about the plight of local street children before flying to Siem Reap to explore the jungle, Tonle Sap Lake and temples.

From £559 for tour and accommodation. www.travelindochina.co.uk Credit: Travelweekly.co.uk

Tourism on the rise

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Homage to the new Cambodia Beyond the time-etched temples of Siem Reap, Johnny Morris discovers a less visited world of Miami-style townhouse hotels, design boutiques and modernist villas inspired by Le Corbusier – all within reach of the virgin islands of the south.

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ur pepper-red Eurocopter swung south-east over the expanse of the ancient West Baray reservoir and suddenly I could see the sandstone towers of Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world, glowing like a set of giant chess pieces in the Cambodian sunshine. Keeping a respectful distance from the huge, time-tattooed faces of Angkor Thom, we passed over smaller temple ruins engulfed in scrub jungle and surrounded by the chartreuse green of rice paddies. Following the Siem Reap river down to the watery heartland of Cambodia, Tonlé Sap Lake, I saw fishing boats carving glassy Vs as they passed floating villages in the surreal, semi-flooded landscape.

The helicopter did a wide loop around the mountain temple of Phnom Krom and, as we headed back north, I was surprised to see below us the familiar shape and texture of a well-manicured golf course. This one, it transpired, had been designed

by Nick Faldo and is regarded as the best of the three courses that have sprung up in recent years around the temple town of Siem Reap.

My Australian pilot, Phil Butterworth, sensed my interest. “That’s what I like most – the variety,” he

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explained over headphones. “You can do your Indiana Jones bit all day, exploring the temples, then change into something smart and head out to a decent restaurant.”

From godheads to golf greens, Siem Reap has it all – and a lot more besides. Indeed, the gateway town to the Angkorian temples now attracts so many international visitors – year on year numbers were up 23 per cent in 2011, to 1.6 million – that it has emerged as a vibrant destination in its own right. It’s good news for brand Cambodia, but the surge in visitors also means the country may be in danger of destroying its most valuable tourist asset. The fabric of the Khmer monuments is steadily being eroded by the increased footfall, and the tranquil atmosphere of the holy sites is threatened by the kerfuffle of coachloads of tourists. While I was there, Chinese guides were barking out facts about the serenity of 13th-century Buddhist temples without any sense of irony or volume control.

Enter AboutAsia, the local luxury tour operator that helped organise my trip around Cambodia.

Using crowd research data and discreet backdoor entrances, my guide, Bond Chhay, made

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my introduction to the World Heritage Site a personal and peaceful experience. Appreciation of the mystic monuments was aided further by a good supply of cold towels, breezy tuk-tuk rides and G&Ts magically produced out of thin air.

Having ticked off the temples (more Buddhism in later life, I promise), I was directed by AboutAsia towards a new menu of treats away from Angkor Wat itself. My favourite was as a pioneer on a “soft adventure” trip, kayaking and birdwatching in Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary. As we crossed the vast Tonlé Sap Lake, Nick Butler, my affable guide, told me that Prek Toal is unmatched throughout Southeast Asia for the variety and sheer number of endangered water birds it supports.

Later in the week I mounted a horse for a ride across rice fields and a trot through the grounds of a modern temple, organised by the aptly named Happy Ranch. I endured the wallop and fierce rub of a Khmer-style massage, a strange mix of pleasure and pain, and visited the local market where I bought a pretty china opium pipe for US$12. Then, clutching my prize, I concluded the week by falling down a drain.

Although there are no real traffic lights in Siem Reap, the slow progress of cars, scooters, remorks (Cambodian tuk-tuks) and bicycles makes the roads manageable for pedestrians – if you are careful. I made a quick dash, stepped on a paving stone that turned out to be a broken sewer cover, and found myself crotchdeep in the drain.

Scraped and bloody, I was reminded that, Thanks to him, although the tourist I can testify that Tuk Tuk at Siem Reap business is booming encounters with in Cambodia, you only have to take a few wrong black-headed ibises, lesser adjuncts and the steps to discover that the infrastructure is woeodd spot-billed pelican are much more dramatfully lagging behind. ic from out on the water. I can also report that exchanges with the local residents of the lake’s Similarly, it was a shock to discover that while floating village are more intimate, and certainly temple admissions and associated tourism bring more amusing for them when you are in a canoe. in millions of foreign dollars, Siem Reap province is one of the poorest in the country. Sharing In a busy week I learnt how to cook a soufa coconut with a sickly-looking boy, Tuy Pos, and flé-style “fish amok” with Kethana Dunnet, a lohis family in a pretty but poverty-stricken village cal celebrity chef; shopped for haute texture silk less than three miles from Siem Reap’s airport, I by the internationally acclaimed fashion designasked him how old he was. When he explained er Eric Raisina; sampled a Basil Trance (mudthrough my interpreter that he didn’t know, I dled basil, vodka, cranberry and passion fruit) could see that the great monetary trickle-down in the martini bar at La Résidence d’Angkor; and promised by the free market is not working in found myself at the notorious cocktail bar, Miss Cambodia. The big problem, it seems, is national Wong, enjoying the 1930s Shanghai styling and corruption on an industrial scale. a late-night session of camp Cambodian karaoke. I discussed politics with a local artist, Muy Late last year, Transparency International anTheam Lim, on a visit to his atelier to see his new nounced that Cambodia’s government, whose distressed-lacquer technique; and at Amansara prime minister is Hun Sen, had managed to fall luxury retreat, I attended a mind-expanding leceven further down the Corruption Perceptions ture on the demise of the Angkorian empire – Index to 164th . To put this in context, the country brought about by global cooling, apparently. is now regarded as more corrupt than Mugabe’s Jan - mar, 2015

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Zimbabwe at 154th , but cleaner than North Korea and Somalia – the most corrupt – which are tied in 182nd place. Developing a form of rural tourism where visitors’ money goes straight into the pockets of local people would help – but, as yet, decent homestays and tourist attractions outside the town are a rarity.

To their credit, many of the major hotels and tourist agencies in Siem Reap support charitable projects that try to alleviate rural poverty. Guests are gently made aware of these; never badgered.

Surprisingly, the variety and inventiveness of the projects adds to the creative character of Siem Reap. My favourites were the Sewing School, promoted by Hôtel de la Paix; the Ecole Paul Dubrule, which produces world-class workers for the hotel and catering industry; and AboutAsia’s scheme, which uses the profits from its luxury tourism business to aid rural education through AboutAsia Schools.

The departure lounge at Siem Reap is perfect at least – all green and light, with places to enjoy a calm coffee and shop for artisan gifts – but the Sihanoukville end has a long way to go before it lives up to its poster image. It’s a dysfunctional place that can’t decide whether it is a sprawling industrial port, a destination for backpackers on an extended bar crawl, or a military base with casino and girlie bars. There are beaches, but Sihanoukville’s tinpot town planning doesn’t make holidaying easy.

The good news is that the 60-plus tropical islands off the coast of southern Cambodia are untouched by this urban mishmash. Some are being lined up for 21st-century tourism, and leading the way is the recently opened private island of Song Saa in the Koh Rong archipelago, 15 miles off the coast of Sihanoukville.

When I visited, the Australian couple behind the resort, Rory and Melita Hunter, were still putting the final touches to their ambitious projA few days after ect and it would the open-drain be unfair to judge episode, I found whether Song Saa myself in Siem Monks at prayer will live up to the high hosting Reap’s attractive domestic airport standards (and high prices) they have set for about to board an inaugural flight south. Camthemselves. bodia Angkor Air has just introduced short-hop flights from Siem Reap to the southern coastal town of Sihanoukville, in the hope of keeping its temple tourists on a Cambodian beach rather than losing them to neighbouring countries.

“You’ll be so happy at Sihanoukville,” said the teenage security guard at departures, inspecting my boarding card and pretending to scan my bag. “Have you been there?” I asked, hoping to share her happiness. “Oh no… but just look,” she beamed, pointing to a huge backlit poster depicting a plane flying over a palm-fringed white beach and picture-perfect sea. “A WHOLE NEW ERA FOR THE COASTLINE”, the banner proclaimed in bold capitals.

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I can report that the interior styling in the villas is up to scratch, an effortless mix of Robinson Crusoe chic and contemporary designer simplicity.

The thatched driftwood architecture, borrowed from the Maldives or the Seychelles, works well amid the tropical greens of the islands. The villas are a little tightly packed – but given the pioneering logistics involved, the biggest achievement of Song Saa is that it exists at all. Unless you are a keen early adopter, I would give the place time to settle. It will, I hope, soon make a comfortable base from which to explore all those virgin Cambodian islands.

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What the resort has done is put Cambodia on the radar of well-heeled travellers, and there is a real determination to make the project work.

Over lunch, I asked the charming Rory about his choice of desert island disc, and quick as a flash he answered: “I Will Survive”.

zags and organically curved atrium help make it surprisingly optimistic architecture.

By the villa’s huge saltwater infinity pool, I sat in the shade of a mango tree and looked out to the Bay of Kampot. It was hard to imagine the property’s dramatic past. Far easier to conjure was an image of my pepper-red helicopter touching down in Villa Romonea’s extensive grounds, for a tropical weekend by the seaside after a few days’ temple-trotting. Now there’s an idea…

What I can recommend is this: head east, away from the new SihaTwo frapatinis and a plate of Penoukville king duck pancakes,” repeated the airport, and mini-skirted waitress at Cafe Metro, after a couraising her voice above the sound of a ple of hours modern Southeast Asian city revving you will up for the night. It was 7pm and I was find pockets finally in the capital, Phnom Penh , of true tropjust a few hours’ drive from the tropical gold in ical tranquillity of Kep. If Siem Reap the seaside is all about culture and rehearsed town of theatricality, Phnom Penh is the fullKep. There Fried crab with Kampot pepper on live show with plenty of swagger and is the unique Knai edgy improvisation.

Bang Chatt hotel with its lush waterfront grounds and, for balmy I was sitting outside this popular cafe on Sisoevenings, the Sailing Club with its laidback wath Quay, in the centre of the city’s buzzing snooker scene and well-stocked bar. For foodentertainment district, watching the world go ies there is the god-given combination of freshly caught Kep crab and green Kampot pepper still on the vine at Kimly’s – a classic example of the “keep it local, keep it simple” destination restaurant that we all crave on our travels. New on the scene is Villa Romonea, the first modern luxury villa available for rent along the southern coast – which, luckily for me, also offers individual rooms at weekends.

“Can you imagine that, when the Khmer Rouge were in power, the beautiful villa you are relaxing in was saved only because it was used as a dried-fish store?” asked Stephane Arrii, the French manager of the property, filling me in on its history. Designed by Lu Ban Happ, a key figure in the Le Corbusier-inspired New Khmer Architecture movement, it is one of the few intact private mansions of Kep’s golden era in the 1960s. Fully renovated by its current owners, it is a shining example of how to mix Sixties interior design and contemporary furnishing within a striking modernist mansion. Its bold white zig-

Villa Romonea by. A million stories and a stream of colour from tuk-tuk and scooter lights rushed by, punctuated by black Lexus monsters trying to muscle into non-existent parking spaces. In the new riverfront park, a crowd watched street performers doing an uneasy mix of Apsara and break-dancing. Beyond, the Mekong River raced in the dark

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towards the South China Sea. With smooth choreography, rich young Cambodians scrolled their iPhones, their bodyguards tapped their earpieces, a couple of toned personal trainers came and went on a Harley-Davidson and pretty waitresses kept up a constant supply of cocktails, mocktails and noodle soup.

The result is a pleasing time-machine synthesis of architecture opening out into a tropical courtyard filled with Alexis’s new pool, some Miami-style cabanas and an airy bar. The ramshackle urban explosion of downtown Phnom Penh seemed a very long way away.

Things are also changing in the capital’s hotel business, as visitors move away from the grand colonial hotels towards smaller, funkier places near the Royal Palace. “It’s a great day,” explains Alexis de Suremain, the super-charged owner of three boutique hotels and the new Plantation, a 70-room urban resort and spa in the centre of Phnom Penh. “We’re opening on time, we have just managed to fill the new infinity pool and I’ve now heard that North Korea’s Kim Jong-il has gone!”

AboutAsia (00 855 637 60190; aboutasiatravel. com) can tailor a bespoke itinerary similar to the above from about £1,500 per person, excluding international flights but including domestic flights, accommodation, transfers, services of a driver and a helicopter trip.

“It’s an exciting hotel, isn’t it?” I said, handing The cosmopolitan Metro Cafe has replaced the over my bags to Sam Sokunthea, the 18-year-old nostalgic Foreign Correspondents’ Club as the trainee receptionist at the new urban resort. At place to watch the first she suppressed Phnom Penh parade her excitement with go by. With luck, the gulps and giggles; tuk-tuk drivers sellthen she couldn’t ing tours to the interhelp herself. rogation centre and the Killing Fields “Yes, and this is will eventually get the first time I have the message and worked in a hotel,” move on from war she blurted out. nostalgia to the city’s “Actually, it’s my 21st-century attracfirst job ever!” Her tions. As the BBC face lit up with sunforeign corresponny laughter, a perdent Fergal Keane fect expression of observed in a recent her country’s newreport on Phnom found optimism.

Plantation Hotel Penh: “The age of utopia and blood has long passed and all attention is on economic growth.”

Cambodia essentials

It was a great day for me, too, as I was about to be the first overnight guest at the Plantation.

Stepping under a pale yellow lantern and walking over the mushroom-grey patterned tiles of the former colonial house that now serves as the hotel’s lobby, I could sense a winner. The 1930s building merges harmoniously with the former 1960s Ministry of Labour on to which it backs.

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Vietnam Airlines (vietnamairlines.com) flies direct from London to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City four times a week. From there, short-hop flights are available to Cambodia and Laos. Return fares from London to Siem Reap via Vietnam start at £660 .

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Credit: Johnny Morris

Sihanoukville deserted plots of land marked out by high and imposing fences — plots often “owned” by businesspeople with sometimes dubious land titles and an eye for a fast buck.

And though it’s a beach town, it’s not the most relaxing place. Endless construction projects in all parts of the town make sleeping in a luxury and time spent on many of the beaches is punctuated by repeated requests from street children and local vendors to buy bracelets, make donations or have massages.

Sihanoukville is Cambodia’s premier beach location, a peninsula ringed by pretty whiteish-sand beaches and surrounded by a smattering of tiny islands. Debate rages over whether its beaches will ever seriously rival those that lure the hordes to neighbouring Thailand, but given international tourism’s insatiable appetite for new places, we think they will ... eventually ... one day ... maybe; at least, the international developers who have snapped up many of the islands on long-term leases are hoping so.

Cambodia’s youngest city, Sihanoukville town sprang to life in 1955 when a construction team arrived at what was then known as Kompong Som to begin work on Cambodia’s first (and only) deep water port. When the port was finished in 1960 the area was renamed Sihanoukville (in honour of then King Sihanouk) but many Cambodians continue to refer to it as Kompong Som. The Khmer Rouge kept Sihanoukville largely off-limits to all but the most intrepid travellers for years. But today, with a good road from Phnom Penh and an on-again, off-again airport where regular flights may one day become a reality, Sihanoukville is drawing a steady stream of backpackers along with expatriates down from Phnom Penh for lazy weekends.

The first time we visited Sihanoukville we loved it, the second time less so; each time after that less so again, as its seediness started to outshine the prettiness. Despite its newfound popularity, the town has a somewhat abandoned feel to it, amplified by the number of half-built or

Ochheuteal beach, Sihanoukville’s most popular, has a bit of a caravan-park feel to it and the motodops here are among the most dodgy in Cambodia. Over the last few years, Thailand has slowly tightened its visa regulations and it seems there’s been a commensurate influx to Sihanoukville of crusty, sex-tourist types who have certainly contributed to the rising number of dodgy bars.

Sihanoukville also has a long-running problem with foreign and local paedophiles.

It isn’t all bad news though. Sihanoukville’s beaches are sprawling and pretty, though perhaps not as postcard-perfect as many of Thailand’s. The sand is generally grainier and more yellow-grey in colour and many are lined with ramshackle food vendors. On weekends, Khmer and barang hordes converge particularly on Ochheuteal, and accommodation prices rise accordingly. It’s a fun place, and the unusual mix of Khmers and barang relaxing side-by-side is something you don’t see in Thailand, nor in fact in the rest of Cambodia, that often.

If you’re looking for white sand beaches and turquoise waters, you’ll have to head offshore to one of the many islands around Sihanoukville.

The province is also home to Ream National Park, which is well worth a visit.

If you’re arriving in Sihanoukville by bus or share-taxi from Phnom Penh, you’ll arrive in Sihanoukville town, from where Ochheuteal Beach, Independence Beach, Victory Hill & Beach and Sokha Beach and much more are but a motodop ride away.

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Credit: travelfish.org

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The call of Cambodia: Hard history and heavenly hotels in an exotic Asian cocktail Past, present and future: Different eras of time seem to collide in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh

On the veranda of Raffles Hotel Le Royal, a lovely woman of elegant middle years is toying with a cocktail.

Apparently lost in thought, she turns the glass so that the ice cubes within clink the sides – a sound that, on this muggy evening, is almost smothered by the tropical burble of insects and the whirr of the ceiling fan. Finishing her drink, she gestures at the waiter for another – and, watching from the next table, I briefly wonder what year it is.

It is a scene that could have played out in any grand hotel anywhere in the Far East at any time in the last century. But the fact that I am observing it in 44

Phnom Penh, in the first days of 2013, is somehow appropriate.

For the Cambodian capital is a place where past, present and future seem to mingle, like the components of a gin sling just before dinner.

I notice this almost as soon as I leave the airport.

The present is there in the hundreds of motorbikes that swarm on either side of the taxi, dancing through improbable gaps with that nerveless urgency so common in large Asian cities.

The future stares down from the new skyscrapers that are starting, slowly, to jut into the skyline. And history lingers in a city that still acknowledges Jan - Mar, 2015

the long decades it spent under French rule in the 19th and 20th centuries – wide avenues, leafy spaces, a map awash with ‘Boulevards’ and ‘Rues’.

The visibility of its past is one of the reasons why Cambodia – once an uncertain quantity tinged with a dark back-story – has become a popular holiday option of late.

Previously overlooked in favour of its neighbours – Thailand, with its soft beaches and loud nightlife to the west; Vietnam, with its war tales and exotic appeal to the east – Cambodia has quietly grown in profile over the last 15 years, a fresh presence on travellers’ to-do lists.

Icon: Angkor Wat has become the classic image of Cambodia - but is not a lone example of its heritage

In part, this is down to Angkor Wat, the glorious 12th century Buddhist temple – outside Siem Reap, in the north of the country – whose spires and splendour have become the country’s postcard image.

But there is much to detain the visitor in Phnom Penh: the National Museum, where carved Buddhas and intricate friezes are a reminder that Cambodia was alive with culture while Britain was mired in the Dark Ages; the Royal Palace complex (Cambodia still has a monarchy), where, on the morning I stroll through, the Silver Pagoda – a 19th century architectural fantasy – gleams in the sunlight.

Atrocity: Just south of Phnom Penh, the Killing Field of Choeung Ek recalls the brutality of the Khmer Rouge

Then there is the darkness. If Cambodia is famous for Angkor Wat, it is also notorious for the brutality of the Khmer Rouge – the regime that, under the dictator Pol Pot, held sway from 1975 to 1979.

There is no joy to be found in a tour of Tuol Sleng, the group’s key internment centre in Phnom Penh – where blood still stains the floors of dank cells in what, shockingly, used to be a school.

But a glimpse of this evil place feels as necessary as a visit to Auschwitz or any Nazi landmark in Europe. Talking with my affable guide, Sao Sattya, we realise that we were born six days apart. Hearing him speak of his childhood – including the afternoon, aged three, when he saw his father taken away for execution by the authorities – adds extra horror to a site where thousands were tortured.

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Nor is there respite at Choeung Ek, 10 miles south of the city.

One of the ‘Killing Fields’ where the Khmer Rouge butchered their own people, this grizzly enclave sings its sad song with appalling clarity. In areas, the mass graves are so poorly concealed that rotted clothing peeps through the soil. In the middle, a glass ‘stupa’, 40 metres high, is packed with skulls, each pulled from the mud and put on show as a symbol of man’s inhumanity.

But while this dreadful era still haunts Cambodia, life continues unabated: at the oddly named Russian Market, at the heart of Phnom Penh, where I wander between stalls that sell everything from paintings and toys to chunks of raw poultry; at Khmer Surin, a bright eatery, where the chicken comes in more palatable form, served with mango and peppers.

The Raffles watches over all this, a vision of colonial sophistication with its lush gardens and courtyard swimming pool. It too, clings to the past, its subtle refurbishment artfully concealed behind an ambience that gazes back to the hotel’s Roaring Twenties origins.

In the lobby, black-and-white snapshots recall Jackie Kennedy’s stay in 1967, America’s onetime First Lady looking carefree and stylish on a tour of the Far East.

Just as glamorous, Angelina Jolie was a more recent guest while making the Tomb Raider films.

From here, I have two choices. One would be to forge south in search of the future, which is taking the form of modern hotel developments on the country’s shoreline (such as Song Saa, whose 2012 opening has introduced rare luxury to an undiscovered stretch of coast).

But instead I fly to Siem Reap – and soon discover that the treasures of Cambodia’s north are not limited to its most celebrated attraction. Archaeological analysis has hinted that Angkor may have been the largest city in the pre-industrial world, a metropolis built into the jungle from the ninth century on – where Angkor Wat was just one of 1000 temples.

Of course, there is no denying this astonishing structure’s magnificence – particularly not at sunset, when its delicate swoops and curves are reflected to serene effect in the pool at its feet.

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Not so far from France: The Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh is still redolent of Cambodia’s colonial era

But it is not alone in its majesty.

Nearby, Angkor Thom is almost a city in itself, spreading out around the 12th century Bayon temple, where numerous faces are carved into steeples of rock – some peaceful, some quizzical, some that seem to follow me with their eyes as I pass. And Ta Prohm is a semi-ruined spectacle, thick tree roots swarming all over its maze of passages and chambers, where the forest has tried to reclaim the land.

A few miles away, Siem Reap is firmly lodged in the present, its hotels catering for the many tourists who flock to Angkor. In parts, it replicates the noisy flurry of Phnom Penh, motorbikes whirling, backpacker bars blaring. But there is gentle charm too – such as the Sugar Palm, a restaurant where the beef stir-fry goes nicely with a local Angkor Beer.

On the edge of the chaos, another colonial dame keeps her cool.

Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor

True, there are elements of the 21st century about the Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor – the giant swimming pool, the swish spa. But the wrought-iron lift in reception, the antique dial telephones in the corridors and the polished wood in the rooms are romantic relics of the French epoch in Cambodia.

There are plenty of sad moments to the country’s difficult past – but, nursing a gin cocktail of my own on the hotel veranda, I decide that, for now, the future can wait.

Travel Facts A five-night tour of Cambodia with Cox & Kings (0845 154 8941; www. coxandkings.co.uk) – including two nights at Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh and three nights at Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor in Siem Reap – costs from £2,595 per person, including flights from London with Malaysia Airlines, private transfers, excursions and daily breakfast.

Credit: Chris Leadbeater, Dailymail.co.uk

Magnificent: The Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom is every bit as splendid as the more celebrated Angkor Wat

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The 15 most memorable attractions in Cambodia

Ever since Angelina Jolie swung through temple ruins in Cambodia as Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, the place has been crawling with tourists. Siem Reap, the town closest to a vast complex of ancient Hindu/Buddhist Temples, is in fact a tourist bubble (with 127 hotels from hostel to ultra luxe) within an otherwise fearful, unkempt country. Pockets of opulence exist, but visitors should not turn a blind eye to reality in Cambodia. A good tour guide - or good itinerary - will show you everything.

1.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap Cambodia; Everyone does it; you’d be amazed by how many tourists show up at 5:30am. You just have to know how to beat the crowds and where to sit for optimal unobstructed viewing. (Hint - get off the main walkway and sit on the steps of the outpost buildings). Angkor Wat, built over the course of thirty years in the 1100’s as a home for King Suryavarman II after his death, was unknown and undiscovered until France colonized Cambodia in the mid 1800’s. What they uncovered in the midst of the jungle, both overgrown and somewhat well-preserved, is now considered one of the Wonders of the World. A good tour guide will direct you to the magnificent bas-relief walls depicting many levels of heaven

and hell, some quite gruesome, and to some of the 1,800 seductive Dancing Maidens carvings.

One warning; beware of monkeys. They swarm the place and will grab stuff out of your hands (a few were enjoying tearing up a guidebook when we visited), and come after you if you dis them.

2. Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Locals pronounce this temple “Uncle Tom,” and though it hasn’t been restored to the degree of Angkor Wat, it does have several interesting elements.

Angkor Thom’s defining feature is an entry bridge flanked by 54 stone warriors who seem to be playing tug-of-war with the sacred Naga Snake. Most of the warriors’ heads are missing (pop-up head, great photo op!), taken by looters after the Vietnam War. Bas reliefs here have less to do with the afterlife and more of the day to day aspect of this one; men playing chess, women cooking and having babies, a “Monkey 69” (use your imagination). “That would have never been on my father’s Metropolitan Museum of Art Tour,” quipped a friend.

3. Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Cambodia; The “Tomb Raider” Temple, which was left as found - crumbling walls intertwined with tree roots - to show tourists the state in which the rest of the surrounding temples were discovered.

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4. Artisans Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia; watch artisans at work in this trade school for disadvantaged Cambodians, then shop in the colorful store where authentic goods fly off the shelves. We walked out with several ornamental silver-plate boxes ($17 each) and vividly colored silk scarves ($22). You’ll find everything from fashion to furniture and not one bit of junk.

5. Have lunch at New Hope Restaurant, Siem Reap. You will not only enjoy one of the best meals you’ll have in town, but you’ll feel good to know that this is a trade school for former sex workers, an elementary school for at risk kids and a local free medical clinic. The former head chef of a Siem Reap 5 star hotel runs the training restaurant,and her expertise shows. Plan to stay for a site tour and to meet the kids. They are so smart and engaging, you just want them to have a better life.

6. Sunset Tour, Quad Adventures Cambodia, Siem Reap; I was instructed to keep my hands on the handlebars of my ATV at all times, as the rural dirt roads on the outskirts of Siem Reap are rutted and mogul-like, but what I really wanted to do was High Five the smiling village kids lined up, hands out. (I didn’t). I nearly hit a cow and the ubiquitous lo-

cals on bikes before stopping for one of the most stunning scenes that has ever graced my eyes; sunset in the rice-paddies. Eight of us on ATV’s with four guides (on their own rides) pulled over on a dirt road that bisected rice fields, green and fertile, with the glowing yellow-orange ball descending inch by inch, casting the surrounding landscape in transcendent light. We took pictures until the last sliver of sun disappeared from the horizon then zoomed and dipped back on dusty, sandy roads. Our black clothes were tan by the time we returned. Book way in advance -- this is a very popular tour.

7. Take a Tuk-Tuk to Downtown Siem Reap; This nimble mode of transportation - essentially a 4 person carriage pulled by motorcycle - congests every alley, lane and road in Siem Reap. It takes just a few minutes (and about $2) to get to.....

8. Pub Street and Siem Reap Night Market, an area with the vibe of New Orleans at Mardi Gras. There are plenty of restaurants and “spas”. We dined at The Red Piano, beginning with the lip-smacking cocktail, “Tomb Raider,” and then stuck our feet in one of the many “fish pedicure” tanks out on the thrumming streets. If you are ticklish or in any way squeamish about fish, don’t. You’ll find deals in the Night Market mostly knock-off Ray Bans ($5), hastily produced oil paintings ($15) and drawstring pants du jour (3 for $10).

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sis of flame-colored serenity in the midst of the squalor), barefoot kids will start pouring in from all directions. Enterprising women selling 20-pk bags of chips for $2 might soon approach you.

Buy as many as you can and give them out, too.

Seeing the way people live here, it is no surprise that life expectancy in Cambodia is 58.

9. Stay at the newly renovated Lotus Blanc, Siem Reap; I was not sponsored, paid, or asked to recommend this place in any way. As a tourist, I just had a great experience there and wanted to pass it on. This is not a Raffles or Four Seasons, FYI. But as a 4-star hotel with rates as low as $75/night (booking.com), and an extremely high and friendly standard of service, I was duly impressed. Staff are overeager to please, rooms are modern-chic and comfortable, and the pool is so phenomenal, you will want to plan your day around a dip or two.

At this point, however, I can’t recommend the restaurant for dinner. Grab a tuk-tuk outside and head into town for that.

10. Tonle Sap Lake; Take A Boat to the Floating Villages; This is an eye-opening look at the abject poverty and subsistence living in the primitive fishing villages of Cambodia. You’ll pass shacks on stilts (in the rainy season, the lake waters rise nearly to front doors), children paddling with babies in canoes, and livestock in floating pens. Be sure to take lots of fresh fruit or school supplies. When you stop at the Temple (an oa50

11. Drive 6 hours on Route 6 from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. This mostly paved highway cuts thru authentic rural Cambodia. You’ll see shacks with grass-grown driveways just big enough for a bicycle or scooter, sticky-rice in bamboo “snack” stands by the dozen. (Get one; it’s delish). Roadside stands also hawk urine-yellow petrol in glass bottles for the motorbike on its last fumes. You’ll also see (not necessarily in this order); straw-hat topped workers in the rice paddies, stubborn road-blocking cows, ox-driven carts laden with hay, kids on bikes dressed in white shirts black skirts/pants heading to or from school, marts, homes and land strewn with garbage, French Colonial towns gone to seed, open trucks stacked with mongo rice bags, and of course, the famous fried spiders.

12. Speaking of which, Eat A Spider (or watch someone else do it); there’s a stop along Route 6 Cambodia that features platters of fried tarantulas, crickets and birds. There are also bananas and mangos for the non insect eater.

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13. Stay at The Plantation, Phnom Penh; a sanctuary from the grime, crime and chaos of Phnom Penh. The staff is a bit aloof, but you’ll forgive them as you head to one of two pools, lie down on a cabana bed or drink a cocktail before heading upstairs to the great restaurant. Platform four-poster beds in contemporary zen-calm rooms complete the deception that you are actually staying in a wealthy resort town. Walk a few paces and it couldn’t be further from the truth. If you’re craving some site-seeing downtime, take advantage of it here.

14. S-21 aka The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh; Pol Pot, the Hitler of Cambodia, and his minions, the Khomer Rouge were responsible for the deaths of nearly three million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979. Once a peaceful High School, S-21, became a torture-interrogation center from which just a handful survived. Intellectuals, clergy, doctors, professors were rounded up and shackled, electrified, dismembered and beaten to death. Those who survived were taken to the killing fields for final extermination. S-21 is now Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, in memory of those tortured here. It is

a difficult place to visit, but, like other Holocaust Museums one must learn so that it never happens again.

15. The Killing Fields, 15 kilometers from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’s a monument unlike any in the world - crammed with skulls and other bones unearthed from just one of the hundreds of Cambodian Killing Fields. The government chose to leave most mass graves alone, so this is both cemetery and hallowed ground.

You can probably put together a whole trip based on this list, but the most economical and efficient way to do so is through a company like G-Adventures or Discovery Channel Adventures that can pull together a seamless itinerary with guides, hotel bookings and activities tailored to your every whim for much less than you’d expect.

Credit: Malerie Yolen-Cohen Huffingtonpost.com

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SBC

Street 02

Golden Mango Inn (150 meters) Dara Reang Sey Hotel (350 meters) Bus Station (800 meters) Roluos Group (12km) Phum Stoeng Trocheat (13km) Phnom Penh (314km) Reaksmey Star Travel/CTV Phsar Samaki Freedom Hotel

La Noria Hotel and Restaurant

Royal Residence

Ya-Tep Shrine

14 Street

Taphul Village Area

Sivatha Blvd

Taphul Road

Lucky Mall (Lucky Supermarket lucky Department, Store, Monument Toys...)

Khmer Inn Angkor

Cathelic Church Golden Orange Angkor Discover Inn

Royal Independence Preah Ang Chek Gardens Preah Ang Chorm Shrine

Victoria Angkor Angkor Shopping Center National Route No 6 Panida CAB Bank

Mysteres d’Angkor

Wat Po Lanka

Angkoriana Hotel Tonle Chaktomuk and Chaopraya Coffee Tourism Department

kor Ang

Angkor TK

Wat Preah An Kau Sai

Suki BBQ

of mple the te

Jasmine Lodge

Wat Preah An Kau Sai

River Village Manor Morokat Mart & Coffee Shop The Emerald Lotus Boutique

to Road

The Museum Mall (Monument Books) Angkor M National Museum Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor

La Villa Mona d’Angkor Shining Angkor Boutique

Dragon Royal 7 Makara ECU (Office)

Royal Yoga Madamsachiko: Angkor Cookies & Café Puka Puka

Not to scales

N W

Hidden Cambodia Adventure (workshop)

Not to Scale

Angkor Village Resort

Hidden Cambodia Adventure Tours(office)

Le Méridien

Old Market Bridge

E M van ar s ke tin g

Stre Wanderlust V & A Encore Angkor Neng Sinath Europe-Asia Tours/ et 10 Tattoo Machine Massage Sok San Red Piano Khmer Taste StreAmary Golden Guesthouse et 1 TNT India Gate Temple 1 Terrasse des Villa Elephants

Sawasdee Angkor Inn

Ta

Artisans d’Angkor Ancient Angkor Inn Tanei Questhouse Angkor Trek Tour

DAMNAK AREA

Golden Banana

Mandalay Inn Divine Lotus Inn Angkor Friendship Inn Angkor Spirit Palace

WAT

Wat Damnak

Pr o H hm ot el

Peace of Angkor Palm Garden Lodge

Siem Reap Hospital

Alliance Café

Passaggio Boutique Hotel

IKTT Five Star Villa Siem Reap Reverside (50 meters) Sayon’s House (300 meters)

Wats Up Golden Banana Boutique Resort

Green Village Palace

rt

po

Phnom Dei

Phokeethra Country Club (5km Past Baray) National Silk Center (16km from town) Dragon Rayal City - Puok Dragon Royal City - Kralanh

Wat Bakong Loley Prasat Preah KoPrasat Prei Mont

Prasat Banteay Samrae To Ph

nom

Prasat Touch Prei Prasat Kule n

/Kba

W

l Spe

an

N

Ecole d’Hotellerie at de Tourisme Paul Dubrule/ Le Jardin des Délices

S E Reaksmey Crystal

GSO Travel Senteur d’Angkor (workshop)

First Travel Reasmey Tep Pranom Diethelm Apsara Angkor New Market Angkor Total

Khiri Travel The Kool Hotel

Prasat Ta Ney

Prasat Dounso

Banteay Kdei 66 B

Prasat Ta Prum

Angkor Oasis Vietnam Airlines

Preah Enteak Kosei

Prasat Prey Khan Kraol Romeas Angkor Thom Bayon Nokor Krau

Prasat Banteay Thum

S

Tram Neak

Prasat Takaeo Thommanon Chao Say Tepda

Phimeanakas

W

Angkor Wat

66 A

SIEM REAP

Ta Prohm Ke Prasat Baksei Cham Krong Baphuon

To To

nle S

Phnom Bakheng

Prasat Reaob Kanda

ap L

ake

63

Prasat Prey

Cambodia Angkor Air

Prasat Patri

Prasat Kraom Prasat Ta Noreay Siem Reap Airport Western Mebon

Prasat Prel Wat Chedei

Prasat Kaoh Ho Western Baray Pralay

Abacus ACLEDA

Prasat Kouk Pou

Prasat Ak Yum

Prasat Phnom Rung

6

Angkor TK

To Po ipe t

Healthy Hand Massage The One Massage Bangkok Airways Angkor Home

66 A

Te m Ar p ea le

Dragon Royal Hotel

Earthwalkers

Prasat Toep

Kroi koPrasat Prey Neakpean

E

N

6

Kuk Talech

Prasat Banteay Prei

The Sothea

Angkor Palace Resort & Spa

67 Prasat Leak Neang

Prasat Kravan

Royal Angkor Resort Empress Angkor Angkor Miracle Resort & Spa

Prasat Kamnap

Prasat Prey Roup Prasat Ta Som Eastern Mebon Prasat Bat Chum

Pacific Hotel Royal Angkor Inn Hospital

Cambodian Cultural Village

Prasat Ou Koek

m Penh

Prasat Banteay Srey

1 km.

To Phno

250 m. 500 m.

Phnom Bok

Eastern Baray (dried up)

Air

Airport Road

National Route #6 between town center and the Siem Reap International Airport

47

Jan - mar, 2015

49

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Bokor Mountain

51

Cambodia’s Premier 5 Star Luxury Spa Resort Angkor Palace Resort & Spa in Siem Reap-Angkor

Locally known as The ‘Palace’, this is the only international ve-star resort designed and built by a Cambodian architect; its décor and furnishings reect the nest in Cambodian architecture, betting dignitaries and guests

from all over the world. Nestled invitingly within a spacious 11-hectare estate, the lush resort evokes the serenity of a secluded retreat dotted with lush tropical landscaping, waterfall and Cambodian sugar palm trees.

ASEAN Hotel Standard 2010-2011

No. 555, Phum Kruos, Khum Svay Dangkum, Siem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia Tel:(855) 63 760 511 Fax:(855) 63 760 590 / 63 966 335 info@angkorpalaceresort.com www.angkorpalaceresort.com