20_ by Evans Marketing Business Adviser

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Explore the World Heritage Angkor Temples and immerse yourself in the Khmer empire. The Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa, inspired by 20th century colonial architecture and design, provides a sense of serenity with the nostalgic comfort and elegant refinement of the French Art de Vivre. In total harmony with its natural surroundings, the resort is situated in the heart of Siem Reap, opposite the Royal Park. Located within close proximity to the Angkor Temples, the quaint old market town of Siem Reap. and 7 km (4 miles) from the International Airport. Transport yourself into the past in our vintage Citroen limousines for personalized airport transfers, a trip around the town, or a visit to the Temples.

VICTORIA ANGKOR RESORT & SPA Central Park, P.O. Box 93145 Siem Reap Town, Kingdom of Cambodia Tel : +855 63 760 428 Fax : +855 63 760 428 resa.angkor@victoriahotels.asia www.victoriahotels.asia

PUBLISHER’S NOTE Dear Readers, It’s hard to imagine anything that’s harder, more fun, and ultimately more satisfying, than completing the first four year of a new venture still standing. This issue of Cambodia Insight is our 20th quarterly publication. It’s been, as the Navy promises, not 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. 4

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

OCT - DEC, 2014

CONTENTS

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

06 An Island in Cambodia to Call

Your Own

08 Biking in Cambodia: Extreme to Easy

10 Elvis of the Kingdom Gets New

Star Role

14 Phnom Penhâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fast-fading

Architectural Treasures

16 Arnold Palmer Joins Cambodian

Golf Boom

Charles R. Evans Dave Courtright Don Finck Kanyapat Evans Savuth Sao Chinda Sovan Atchariya Priabnan Sokum Tim Bunleab Hong Eric Larbouillat Peter Richards

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

22 Bon Om Tuk Water Festival of

Cambodia

26 36 Hours in Siem Reap, Cambodia 32 Cambodia: The Perfect Trip 38 Cambodia Uncovered 42 Tuk-Tuks, Temples, and Trauma

in Cambodia

Evans Marketing Business Adviser Co., Ltd., 331 Tep Vont St., Tapul Village, Svay Dangkum Commune, Siem Reap - Angkor, 17000 Kingdom of Cambodia Tel: +855 (0) 63.969.200/201 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. 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.

OCT - DEC, 2014

An island in Cambodia to call your own

A patio for one of the over-the-water luxury villas on Song Saa, a pair of islands in Cambodia. Photo Credit:Markus Gortz

SONG SAA ISLAND, Cambodia — Approaching this modest outcropping of sand, rocks and tropical foliage off Cambodia’s coast, a local resident might assume the thatched-roof huts on the shore belong to yet another remote fishing village. But the thatch is decorative, and the huts actually are luxury villas owned by investors from a dozen countries.

Cambodia’s luxury real estate market is far less developed than neighboring Thailand’s, he added, reselling villas here will probably be easier.

Villa resorts on private islands are increasingly common across the Asia-Pacific region, especially in the Maldives. But Song Saa, a $22 million project that opened in 2012, is Cambodia’s first.

All of the planned 27 villas are completed, and 20 have been purchased since sales began in December 2009. The remaining seven — a mix of one and two bedroom villas — are on sale for $600,000 to $2 million. (Most investment contracts in Cambodia are written in U.S. dollars.)

Owners are entitled to spend 30 days per year in their villas. At all other times the property manager, Song Saa Hotels and Resorts, rents them for $1,336 to $5,153 per night. Some villas purchased before construction yield a guaranteed 10 percent return for the first three years, and the guaranteed yield for the other properties is 8 percent for five years from the date of purchase. Rory Hunter, the company’s chairman, said the villas are a promising investment partly because they are considerably less expensive than similar-quality ones in the Maldives. And because 6

“As the country grows and tourism grows and becomes more developed, the value of those properties should only increase,” Mr. Hunter said.

By contrast, at Soneva Fushi, a villa resort in the Maldives, two-bedroom villas are selling for $4 million, said Edward Gibbons of Brocon Investment, Mr. Hunter’s land-holding company, based in Phnom Penh. Song Saa lies 29 kilometers, or 18 miles, from the mainland and consists of two islands, one of which is uninhabited. Together they cover a total area of just seven hectares, or 17 acres.

OCT - DEC, 2014

Villa at Song Saa Island

Some guests arrive via a 35-minute ride in a private speedboat from Sihanoukville, a port city of about 235,000 that lies about 180 kilometers from the capital, Phnom Penh. Others come by helicopter and land on nearby Koh Rong Island. Mr. Hunter and his wife, Melita, spotted Song Saa seven years ago on a tour of the Koh Rong archipelago. And in 2007, he said, his investment company signed a 99-year lease for the island. (Cambodia’s 2001 land law allowed foreign investors to control land through leases and concessions.) He said they initially approached international luxury brands, including Aman Resorts and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, about managing the villas, but later opted to create their own company. The resort, which is powered by generators and has its own sewage system and water supply, lies on the fringe of a marine protected area in a pristine corner of the archipelago. One curving boardwalk connects the two islands, and another leads to an over-water bar and restaurant serving contemporary Cambodian cuisine.

Villa at Song Saa Island

The villas, which are sold furnished, include elegant nautical décor, like wall displays made from boat hulls, and the staff strives to create an experience that offers luxury in an informal setting. Mr. Hunter said he and his wife, the island’s creative director, aimed to make the atmosphere sophisticated but not ostentatious. “People are interested because of the numbers, but what we’ve found is that by and large our investors then fall in love with the idea,” Mr. Hunter said. Leases for the villas fall under Brocon Investment’s 99-year master lease. Matthew Rendall, managing partner at the Phnom Penh law firm Sciaroni & Associates, said the arrangement was legally secure, and that it was highly unlikely the Cambodian government would ever breach Brocon’s master lease. The central risk for investors, he said, is that Mr. Hunter’s hotel management company is not an established international brand. Credit: Mike Ives

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Approaching the South Gate of Angkor Thom

Biking in Cambodia: extreme to easy We had just emerged from the jungle when my left crank fell off. A cyclist really does not want this to happen, even in the best of times. The crank is the arm which connects the pedal to the bottom bracket of the bike. No crank means no go. But this was not the best of times. We were in the middle of nowhere, Cambodia’s Srepok Wilderness Area in Mondulkiri province, to be precise. The wildlife ranger station was 40km back through the leopard-populated forest. And the nearest town was almost twice as far – up a hilly road – in the other direction. When things go wrong while mountain biking in Cambodia, help can really be a long way away. Moire O’Sullivan knows this feeling as well. Her recent four-day trip to the Cardamom Mountains turned into a litany of mishaps – from impassable rivers and unrideable tracks to broken bikes and – ultimately – bodies. Her four-person guided tour survived trips over the handlebars, kinked chains and gear cables so clogged with mud they had to be replaced. They dangled themselves and their bikes from zip-wires to cross fast-flowing water and, with the rainy season arriving early, battled the leeches to string up tarpaulins and hammocks between trees in the forest. The undulating, cratered terrain 8

proved too much for the suspension on one of the bikes, causing one rider to pull out. And another had to be evacuated after cutting his foot to the bone while crossing a waterfall. But a hair-raising experience in the Cardamom Mountains is a more extreme option for those who want to see Cambodia under their own steam. The country is mostly flat, so is ideal for novice and leisurely cyclists. It is possible to ride fifteen minutes from the bustle of Phnom Penh and find yourself pedalling through small villages, surrounded by shimmering rice paddies. Local children rush from their homes to shout hello at the passing riders, often adding “What is your name?” as they laugh and wave. Meeting the recent demand in pedalling tourists, several companies now offer half- or full-day trips around Phnom Penh, often using ferries or vans to spare riders doing battle with the traffic on the main roads. “Cycle tours have grown up very quickly ......

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Continue to page 17.....

OCT - DEC, 2014

Elvis of the Kingdom gets new star role ask them for instance, ‘hey, do you know who Elvis Presley is? Can you sing us a song?’ “Firstly, he may not even know who Elvis Presley is and, secondly, to be able to sing one of his songs is just remarkable.”

A documentary about the life of 1960s Cambodian singer Sinn Sisamouth will explore his global legacy, Will Jackson reports. It was in a rice field in rural Cambodia, a couple of hours drive south of Phnom Penh, that US filmmaker Chris Parkhurst began to truly understand the legacy of Sinn Sisamouth. While shooting for their up-coming documentary Elvis of Cambodia last year, Parkhurst and his crew turned their cameras on a random eight-year-old boy and asked him if he had ever heard of the singer. “[The boy] was like ‘yeah, yeah of course’ and started singing one of [Sisamouth’s] songs,” Parkhurst said. “I don’t know anywhere in the States where you can just walk up to an eight-year-old kid and 10

Parkhurst, who has previously worked on documentaries and advertisements in Cambodia, and his wife Stephanie Vincenti had been intending to make Elvis of Cambodia a straight-forward biopic of Sisamouth but after getting a sense of the remarkable impact that the singer continued to have on Cambodian society, they decided to change the focus. “When we first started to shoot we didn’t really realize the genuine love and affection for Sinn Sisamouth and his music,” said Vincenti via Skype from their home in Portland, Oregon. “We knew he was popular, and we knew he had a lot of songs and was famous, but we didn’t know how much people loved him. The more we talked to people we realized we couldn’t just tell the story of his life, we had to show his impact and legacy and what he’s left behind.” Born in Stung Treng in 1932, Sisamouth is regarded as one of the greatest singers of Cambodia’s cultural golden age having written and recorded scores of hit songs between the 1950s and 1975, from romantic ballads to rock and pop songs. OCT - DEC, 2014

Parkhurst said while Sisamouth was a prolific songwriter – reputedly penning as many as 1500 songs – he was best known for his voice. “Certainly his voice, that’s the first thing that anybody points to, they truly believe that his voice is unparalleled and that nobody will ever have a voice as sweet as his,” he said. Sisamouth was about 43 when he died in unclear circumstances sometime during the Democratic Kampuchea period. It’s presumed he was executed like many other singers and artists. He was survived by three children and his first wife. Parkhurst said Cambodia’s “golden age” artists – like Sisamouth and fellow singers Ros Sereysothea and Pen Ron who were also killed by the Khmer Rouge – still loomed large on the country’s cultural landscape. “I’m fascinated with the idea that [the Khmer Rouge] could kill the singer but they couldn’t kill the music,” he said. “And in many ways Sisamouth’s music and his pop stardom is bigger today and more important to Khmers world-wide than it ever has been. “So we’re sort of telling that story through a handful of people, both in Cambodia and Khmer Americans, who are really living their lives in a way that’s honoring the spirit of Sinn Sisamouth.”

Parkhurst said one of the central figures in the documentary would be Saron Khut, a Cambodian American who fundraised $2,500. from the Cambodian diaspora and delivered it in person to Sinn Sisamouth’s widow Khav Thorng Nhot, who still lives in Stung Treng in north-eastern Cambodia. One of the central characters in the documentary, Cambodian American Saron Khut. “As a young Cambodian growing up in America, Lok Sinn Sisamouth music was my window to Cambodia,” Khut wrote in an email. “His music took me back to a country that I knew very little of. “His songs painted all the beautiful pictures of Cambodia and its culture. I was educated through his songs. I learned Khmer words and history from his lyrics.” He said he felt it was important to give the money to Sisamouth’s family because it was the right thing to do. “It is sad to see the surviving families of artists such as Ros Sereysothea and Sinn Sisamouth

Rous Sereysothea and Sin Sisamouth live a life of poverty while their music is being used and sold all around the world,” he said. Since 1982 record companies have been selling bootleg copies of “golden era” classics but the songwriters families haven’t received any royalties because of weak copyright laws and enforcement in Cambodia and a lack of documentation proving who actually wrote the songs. For the past 10 years, Sisamouth’s son Sinn Chanchhaya has been fighting on behalf of his family for control of the rights to his father’s songs. However, Chanchhaya, who runs the Sinn Sisamouth AssociOCT - DEC, 2014

ation, said that money was not the family’s only concern. He said the free-for-all on Sisamouth’s songs meant that there was no quality control being maintained. As record companies added new backing tracks and had new vocalists sing the songs, their meaning was being destroyed. “Many of my father’s songs are romantic and gentle and now they change the songs and make them impolite,” he said. “It’s like a cook has already made the food and added the spices and then they come along 11

and put more spices in and it’s not tasty anymore.”

work should not pass into the public domain for another 20 years.

He said his worst fear was that the younger generation wouldn’t know who was responsible for the songs.

Parkhurst said there was still another nine months of principle photography to do on Elvis of Cambodia before editing could begin and the couple planned to shoot between three and six months of that while living in Phnom Penh later in 2013.

He added that if he was successful in establishing his family’s claim to Sisamouth’s songs it would pave the way for other families of dead singers to get royalties too. Chanchhaya said a recent breakthrough may have brought the family a step closer to gaining control of Sisamouth’s legacy. He said a drummer and Sisamouth fan had come forward with a huge cache of records he had managed to hide from the Khmer Rouge. Chanchhaya last week submitted photographs of the records – which credited Sisamouth as songwriter – to the Ministry of Commerce as proof of the family’s claim to 180 songs. “We have registered already and now wait for the government,” he said. Minister of Commerce Sun Chanthol has promised to examine and process the material with the aim of protecting Sisamouth’s work under the Kingdom’s intellectual property law. In Cambodia copyright is valid for the creator’s lifetime plus 50 years which means Sisamouth’s

“As with any documentary, you start with an idea and that idea evolves along the way and you have to let that story tell itself so we’re still very much figuring out the story as we go along, who the major characters and players will be,” he said. “We know Saron Khut is going to be a subject and of course Chanchhaya will be as well but we’ve got quite a few other people who have recently come down the pipeline.” Asked what they wanted to achieve with the film, Parkhurst said he felt that Cambodians wanted to see some positive stories about Cambodia that didn’t just focus on the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge regime. “I personally want to make this film because I know that Cambodians would be extremely happy to have this film told, a story of Sinn Sisamouth and how Khmers today are living in ways that honour his spirit and music,” he said.

OCT - DEC, 2014

CREDIT: Phnom Penh Post

Angkor Wat Temple OCT - DEC, 2014

Phnom Penh’s fast-fading

The Gift of Napoleon III building, in front of the Royal Offices inside the Royal Palace Compound in Phnom Penh.

If the charm of a city is to be found in its architecture, then Phnom Penh is less alluring than it used to be. Its yellow-washed, green-shuttered, colonial-era buildings and angular, post-independence “new Khmer” architecture were both, rightly, renowned. They contributed to the low-rise elegance of the city, and even today’s travel guides and websites refer to Phnom Penh’s past as the “pearl of Asia”. But as land owners increasingly prize financial yield over urban heritage, the architecture is being lost.

paired. And when a well-connected property developer took control of the site, it demolished the theatre in 2008. Now all that remains is wasteland, surrounded by a blue, corrugated metal fence. Another of Vann Molyvann’s constructions was the National Sports Complex popularly known as the Olympic Stadium. It is still standing, but obscured by newly-built shophouses and even a mall, which rob the design of the impact it made when open space surrounded it.

Top Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann’s striking 1960s National Theatre was among the most notable casualties. Its triangular form resembled a ship, entirely fitting for its location near the banks of the River Bassac.

Colonial-era buildings are just as likely to suffer. There is a vacant lot where an elegant municipal tourism building once stood on the riverfront, and National Bank employees park their motorbikes on the site of another demolished colonial classic.

The theatre pre-dated the much larger, similarly-inspired, Sydney Opera House. But a fire in 1994 caused substantial damage, and despite a series of plans and promises it was never re-

Architect Yam Sokly reckoned a third of the buildings in central Phnom Penh have come down over the past decade and a half – mostly in the past five years. He said that without prop-

OCT - DEC, 2014

architectural treasures erly-enforced conservation laws, that trend is likely to continue. “The main problem is basic knowledge, the understanding and appreciation of urban heritage. Some of these buildings are not even 50 years old, which makes them too new for some people to accept them as heritage.” Sokly is involved in an effort to change that. He leads groups as part of Khmer Architecture Tours. The company offers tourists – and residents – a different perspective of Phnom Penh, one which may open their eyes to the treasures in their midst.

Just like Phnom Penh’s classic buildings, the cyclo is an endangered species – a three-wheeled, pedal-powered beast with a comfortable seat for a passenger or two at the front, while the driver perches on high at the rear. Once the main form of public transport in Phnom Penh, the cyclo is getting gradually pushed out by cars, motorbikes and tuk-tuks. Tourism offers the best hope to their drivers – typically middle-aged farmers from the provinces coming in to the city to earn money between rice harvests. Leaning back in the cyclo, moving at a stately pace, makes it easy to appreciate the aesthetic attractions of the city. On a typical tour, Sokly calls the convoy to a halt outside the most interesting buildings, so he can add some context. There is the Post Office, a yellow-washed beauty surrounded by the finest collection of colonial-era buildings in Phnom Penh. Some are dilapidated but others have been spectacularly restored, including the former Bank of Indochina building, which now houses a fine-dining restaurant with an excellent view across the square.

Royal University of Phnom Penh

The original idea was beautiful in its simplicity – a downloadable map with buildings of interest marked on them. People were free to work out their own itinerary for walking, cycling or driving around the architectural attractions.

Then there is Central Market (as it is known to tourists; its real name is Psar Thmey, or New Market) – also recently restored – an enormous, yellow, Art Deco UFO which has landed in the middle of the city. By Guy De Launey

But it soon became clear that there was a demand for more information. So Khmer Architecture Tours started to offer guided itineraries, led by qualified architect. There are currently various options, from 1960s public housing projects to tours of the Olympic Stadium and university buildings. But for a uniquely Cambodian experience, the prize goes to the cyclo tours of the city centre.

OCT - DEC, 2014

Arnold Palmer joins Cambodian golf boom

Phnom Penh – Golfing great Arnold Palmer confirmed his company will build a 36-hole golf course in Cambodia, an official from Cambodia’s Sokha Hotels said recently. Arnold Palmer Design Company had been retained to build the course at the new 1-billion-dollar resort development by the Sokha group at the former French colonial Bokor Hill Station Resort, project manager Svay Vuthy said. ‘This was the company’s plan so we signed him. He is the best in the US and we want the best golf course in Cambodia,’ Vuthy said. ‘The plan is for the course to cover 200 hectares with 36 holes, but we will start by opening an 18hole course so we can assess and observe the conditions. Construction is due to begin next year.’

Cambodia Golf & Country Club

the country enjoys peace and economic stability. Palmer, 78, is among the great golfers of all time, winning seven major championships during his career, which began in the 1950s, and being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is perhaps the only world leader to list his golf scores on his per- His successful design company has designed 300 sonal website, and the Cambodian elite, as in most golf courses to date, according to his website, and prides itself on being in tune with the enviof Asia, is golf crazy. ronment – an attractive trait for Bokor, which lies There is even a Korean-managed public putting in a national park, around 200 kilometres from range in the centre of the Cambodian Senate’s the capital. grounds. Vuthy did not disclose the total cost of the course. Cambodia is also aggressively chasing the highCredit: Golfincambodia.com end tourist dollar, and golf courses have mushroomed across the country in the past five years as 16

OCT - DEC, 2014

From page 8 : Biking in Cambodia.......... over the past two years,” said Prum Raksmey, the owner of Phnom Penh’s Offroad Cyclery, which offers bikes for sale and rent as well as organized tours. Smey, as he is known, is something of a legend in the Cambodian cycling community. He has pioneered bicycle tourism in Cambodia for the best part of a decade and been heavily involved in organizing races and supporting Cambodian competitors in international events. There is a twinkle in his eye as he describes the Cardamom Mountains as a “hard adventure”, but Smey said there are other options. “You can do leisure rides, family trips, a soft adventure or up to 14 days’ cycling through Cambodia. You can combine it with journeys through Thailand and Vietnam. But for a short ride I like to go to Kirirom National Park – it’s a wonderful track, 960 metres elevation, with a pine tree jungle providing shade for the riders.” December is perhaps the best month to visit Kirirom. The temperature is relatively cool,

and the annual Mountain Bike Challenge gives riders from across Southeast Asia the chance to test their skills on a track which has just the right mixture of technical challenges, taxing climbs and rapid descents in a picturesque setting. Cooler winter months are also a good time to cycle around the ancient temples of Angkor, whether that means a leisurely exploration or entry in the annual December bike race for a more rapid “grand tour” of the monuments. To meet locals, join one of the groups which set out from Phnom Penh every weekend. The pace of the rides ranges from leisurely to competitive, and increasing numbers of young Cambodians are taking part, attracted to the shiny new GT, Giant and Cannondale bikes which are now available in several shops around the city. A machine like that would probably never have suffered a detached crank, like the vintage – and self-maintained – mountain bike which came to grief in Mondulkiri. But then we would have missed out on the fun of reattaching it armed with nothing more than the pliers on a Swiss Army knife.

OCT - DEC, 2014

Credit: Guy De Launey

Ta Prohm Temple

OCT - DEC, 2014

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, in the exclusive Charles de Gaulle Avenue, at 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 itself (about two kilometers from downtown). The facade keeps the harmony of the Angkorian unique 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 with its multimedia presentations is ready to introduce the visitor into the magic of the Angkor world. The Museum is placed in 20 thousand square meters (65,616 sq. feet) surrounded with the Cambodian traditional gardens and the exclusivity of the northern area of Siem Riep City.

The Museum

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

OCT - DEC, 2014

Gallery 6 : Ancient Costume

OCT - DEC, 2014

Bon Om Tuk Water Festival of Cambodia

Boat Racing

on Om Tuk (Cambodia’s Water Festival) is the country’s biggest celebration and even regarded by some as the greatest festival in SE Asia. This three-day water festival, which takes place in the capital Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, is of great significance to Cambodians as it celebrates the end of the rainy season and the start of a new fishing season. The festival takes place every October or November (depending when the full moon arrives) and sees literally millions of people descend on the two cities from all over Cambodia and beyond, with an estimated three million people often joining in the celebrations.. Both cities stage boat races, unique carnivals and festive ceremonies to mark the natural phenomenon of the Tonle Sap River reversing its flow from upstream to downstream. This extraordinary event takes places due to the shift in current

as the rainy season draws to a close, with all the water which flowed upstream in the preceding months into a swelling Tonle Sap Lake reversing direction and flowing back towards the mighty Mekong River. Most of the year, the lake empties into the Mekong. Yet when the rainy season begins in June, the river rises to reverse the flow towards the lake. With the rainy season coming to an end in November, the Mekong begins to drop once again, allowing the reversal of the current and emptying Tonle Sap’s excess waters back into the Mekong. The yearly flooding of the Mekong provides fertility to the land, an abundance of freshwater fish and livelihood for many people all over the country. The water festival, therefore, is a thanksgiving celebration for both the life and sustenance which the river provides. The occasion is so significant that even Buddhist monks congreOCT - DEC, 2014

gate by the river to view the boat races. The canoe-like-boats can be as long as 20 metres and represent different provinces and peoples from all over Cambodia. In fact, villages from throughout the country can spend almost all year preparing their boat for the occasion. They are elaborately and brightly decorated, with huge eyes on the prows so as to keep evil spirits at bay. Upon the full moon’s arrival, thousands of people gather on the banks of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers to enjoy the annual boat races. In Phnom Penh they race past the Royal Palace along a kilometre-long course. The government officials even sponsor the boats so as to create unity with the people. Each boat is expertly steered by a team of between 30 and 40 skilled oarsmen and women. After all the races have finished and the sun has set, brightly

decorated boats with neon lights and banners drift down the river in procession while fireworks light up the night sky. The boat racing tradition dates back to the era of ancient Khmer kingdoms. Carvings of Khmer naval forces heading out to battle are on the Bayon temple’s walls. Due to the importance of the water in ancient battle, Bonn Om Tuk is also believed to commemorate King Jayvarman Vll and his naval successes during the Twelth century. Therefore, the racing and boat procession represents the ancient methods of exercising the naval forces on the water so as to prepare them to defend their nation. Water festivities were also staged during the reign of King Jayvarman Vll to ensure the happiness of the river divinities and bring the land bountiful harvests. Three other ceremonies also take place in addition to the boat Getting the boats to the river

races. The first, Loy Pratip, is the evening fluvial parade which features illuminated boats beautifully lighting up the waterways. All of the boats participating in the parade are sponsored by government institutions. Next on the agenda is Sampeas Preah Khe, where locals salute the moon. It has long-since been a belief of the Cambodians that the full moon is a good sign for the upcoming harvest, which is why locals consider it important to thank it and pray that the harvest ahead is bountiful. Finally, at midnight, those still celebrating gather at temples throughout the city to eat ambok, a flattened rice holiday dish consisting of rice fried in husks, dished up with coconut and bananas. Although ambok is eaten at this specific event, it can also be bought throughout the three-day water festival period. A special ceremony staged within the temple’s grounds is the traditional lighting of 24 candles, each of which represents a Cambodian province. As each candle burns, the melting wax drips onto the banana leaves. Many believe that the shapes OCT - DEC, 2014

Racing at Siem Reap

formed on the leaves by the wax will predict each province’s level of rainfall and, thus, forecasting the success of the harvest in each city. During the three days, Phnom Penh develops a carnival atmosphere. In addition to the river banks being lined with joyous spectators, there are live concerts, food stands everywhere, fair rides, games of chance, night time fireworks and people dancing all around. The city is certainly the best to be for truly celebrating Bon Om Tuk. The other option, Siem Reap, is not as lively but does offer an alternative. The city organizes its own boat races and has historical significance as it was the site of King Jayvarman Vll’s original boat races. It also offers the incredible backdrop of Angkor Wat. The celebrations may not be on the same scale as the capital, but there are enough boat races, fireworks and celebrations to keep people entertained. Credit: 1stopcambodia.net

OCT - DEC, 2014

36 Hours in Siem Reap, Cambodia

The ruins of the ninth-century Phnom Bakheng temple in the Angkor Archaeological Park

captivating as the temples of Angkor may be, Cambodia’s scorching sun, gritty air and potholed roads inevitably take their toll on even the hardiest travelers. Perhaps it’s by necessity, then, that Siem Reap, the town that lodges and feeds Angkor’s million annual visitors, has evolved into a chic haven of rest and relaxation. An international group of chefs has set up the country’s finest tables there, and bartenders in the vibrant night life are versed in sophisticated cocktails. Contemporary art has also found itself a home, with a gallery scene intent on nurturing local artists. It’s as though Siem Reap is finally picking up where the Angkorian kings left off some 600 years ago, resurrecting itself as the center of Khmer taste and culture.

1. 5 p.m. Friday ANGKOR ART With Angkor Wat’s inspiring beauty just five miles away, it’s not hard to see why Siem Reap 26

AngkorWat Wat Angkor

is at the heart of Cambodia’s flourishing art scene. Galleries are popping up in renovated shop houses, and hotels now exhibit the work of young Khmers and regional expats. Art Venues, a free brochure available in upmarket hotels, maps out walking tours to the town’s best spots. McDermott Gallery (FCC Complex, Pokamor Avenue; 855-12-274-274; www.mcdermottgallery.com), known for its emotive, dreamlike photographs of Angkor, takes Asia’s cultural heritage as its curatorial focus. At the Arts Lounge inside the fashionable Hotel Park Hyatt (Sivatha Boulevard; 855-063 211 234; www. siemreap.park.hyatt.com), contemporary works fill

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the minimalist space, where well-heeled guests sip designer cocktails like the Oolong Kiwi Sling, made with tea and vodka.

Bathing in Flowers

7 p.m. SWINGING CURRIES Cambodian cooking doesn’t get the attention it deserves, especially compared with the fare of its food-trendy neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam. Though the basic ingredients are similar — lemongrass, garlic, ginger, fish sauce — Khmer

5 a.m. Saturday VIEW FROM ON HIGH

cooking is subtler and lighter, employing less chili, pungent herbs and coconut milk. For an innovative lesson on local flavors, sample the extensive menu at The Dining Room, a dimly lighted Art Deco-themed restaurant at the Park Hyatt. Dishes might include Mekong River prawn with garlic, thyme, and butter, and honey glazed baby pork ribs with a Kampot pepper sauce. To heighten the experience, dine on one of The Dining Room’s hanging cushioned daybeds, which swing alongside a flame-lighted pool.

It might be brutal, but it’s worth getting up this early to experience the famous Buddhist temples of Angkor Archaeological Park (admission, $20), the 155-square-mile area that counts Angkor Wat among its more than 100 temples. Less crowded at this hour is the ninth-century Phnom Bakheng, a five-tiered, rectangular temple built on a hill. The few lotus-shaped towers that remain are testament to the 108 that once stood. You’ll have to work for the view: it’s a 15-minute hike up to the sandstone terrace, which overlooks an endless expanse of jungle and mist-shrouded hills. It’s a mesmerizing spot from which to watch the sun paint the sky in blues and oranges. Bayon Temple

3. 9 p.m.

FLOWER BATH Prolong the post-dinner buzz with a pre-slumber rubdown at Frangipani Spa (617/615 Hup Guan Street; 855-12-982-062; www.frangipanisiemreap.com). With modern art on the walls and fresh orchids in vases, the spa feels like the plush digs of a fashionable friend’s home. Sink into the low sofa as you sip tamarind juice while your feet are bathed in a frangipani-filled tub, the prep to a glorious 60-minute massage (from $22).

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5. 11 a.m.

MINING FOR HISTORY It’s on an idyllic country road lined with stilt houses and lush, neon-green rice fields, but the Cambodia Landmine Museum (20 miles northeast of Siem Reap on the road to Banteay Srei; 855-12-598-951; www.cambodialandminemuseum.org) is a jarring reminder of the country’s three decades of war. Established by a former Khmer Rouge child soldier named Aki Ra, the museum provides a detailed account of Cambodia’s political and social upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge insurgency, which ended only 10 years ago. Efforts to clear unexploded ordnance and millions of land mines have been made since the 1990s, yet it’s estimated that fewer than half have been cleared. Mr. Aki Ra has deactivated about 50,000 of them; many are on view.

801; www.senteursdangkor.com) sells spices, coffee and bath products, wrapped in palm-leaf packages. For flirty frocks and custom-made quilts, try Samatoa (Pithnou Street; 855-63-9653-10; www.samatoa.com), a fair-trade label that specializes in silk. The hand-painted cards and cute canvas bags at Rajana (Pub Street; 855-12-481-894; www.rajanacrafts.org) are produced by Cambodians down on their luck.

8. 7 p.m.

COMMUNIST KITCHEN There’s no need to reserve a table at Restaurant Pyongyang (4 Airport Road; 855-63-760260) — it seats over 400. Besides, it would be anti-Communist. Every evening, between servings of fantastic bulgogi ($8.70) and bibimbap ($6), pretty North Korean waitresses in short red dresses put on elaborate song and dance routines. Though the tile floors and faux-wood paneling aren’t exactly impressive, the cultural pageantry is. With a karaoke screen displaying waterfalls and snow-capped mountains, the girls perform peppy propaganda tunes.

10 p.m. RED LANTERN DISTRICT Landmine Museum

12:30 p.m. COLONIAL COOKING Cambodia’s heat and intensity demand long, replenishing lunches. Only a Frenchman could dream up Chez Sophéa (across from Angkor Wat; 855-12-858-003), an open-air restaurant with wooden tables and white linens that serves rillettes de canard, charcoal-grilled steaks and crème de chocolat — all next door to the temples. The owner, Matthieu Ravaux, lives on the premises, so you’re technically eating in his dining room. Set menu for $18.

With a name like Pub Street, you won’t have any trouble finding Siem Reap’s prime nightlife drag. But if beer girls, big-screen TVs and $3 pitchers aren’t your style, head a block north to Miss Wong (the Lane; 855-92-428-332) for a taste of vintage Shanghai. The cherry-red lantern that dangles from the doorway beckons passers-by. Slip into one of the intimate leather booths for an Indochine Martini, a mixture of vodka, ginger cognac and fresh pineapple juice ($4.50). For dance beats and late-night snacks, take the party two blocks to trendy Linga Bar (the Passage; 855-12-246-912; www.lingabar. com), a mixed lounge with killer mojitos.

10.

After a lunch-induced nap, it’s time to put your dollars to good use at some of Siem Reap’s community-friendly shops. In the center of town, Senteurs d’Angkor (Pithnou Street; 855-63-964-

Early morning is social hour for Khmers, with men filling outdoor cafes to sip iced coffee and women gathering at local markets to shop and

4 p.m. FAIR-TRADE SHOPPING

7:30 a.m. Sunday BARGAIN BREAKFAST

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eat breakfast. At Psar Chaa, or Old Market, the butchers and produce sellers will be in full force, peddling dried fish, fruit stacked in neat pyramids, and freshly pounded kroeung (an herbal paste used in many dishes). Pull up a plastic stool at one of the food counters and order a bowl of bai sac chruuk — superthin pieces of grilled pork served with white rice and a tangy cucumber and ginger salad (about $1).

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11 a.m. SLEEPING BEAUTY

Phsar Chas or Old Market

Until a few years ago, tough road conditions meant that only the bravest travelers ventured to Beng Mealea (45 miles from Siem Reap on the road to Koh Ker), a sprawling sandstone temple that has been nearly consumed by the jungle. But a new route replaced the single-plank bridges and motorbike-only track, cutting the travel time from a half-day to just under an hour by car. Built in the 12th century, this forgotten sanctuary is nearly as big as Angkor Wat but gets a fraction of the visitors. The destruction is breathtaking: towers reduced to tall mounds of rubble, thick webs of tree roots snaking through the walls, and faceless carvings, their heads cut out and sold. Still, the place has seen worse: until 2003, the surrounding grounds were littered with land mines. Now it’s ripe for a fresh start. THE BASICS Flights to Siem Reap from the United States require a plane change. A recent online search found an Asiana Airlines flight from Kennedy Airport to Siem Reap, via Seoul, starting at $1,200 for travel in January. From Siem Reap Airport, it’s a $5 taxi ride into town. The Khmer-chic rooms at La Résidence d’Angkor (River Road; 855-63-963-390; www.residencedangkor.com) have hardwood floors, silk and bamboo accents and giant whirlpool tubs. Rooms start at $175.

Beng Mealea Temple

With its minimalist aesthetic, neutral palette and saltwater pool, the seven-room Viroth’s Hotel (0658 Wat Bo Village; 855-63-761-720; www.viroth-hotel.com) provides a welcome respite from temple overload. Rooms from $80.

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Credit: Naomi Lindt

Private Touring Small Group Tours Unique Travel Experiences

Multi Day Packages Different Destinations Community Connections

H/P : +855 (0) 17.906.721 Tel : +855 (0) 63.969.200

OCT - DEC, 2014

Cambodia: The perfect trip

The Royal Palace

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Marvel at the palaces, markets and bars of the capital, Phnom Penh, before heading north to Siem Reap for excursions to a floating village on Tonlé Sap Lake and the extravagant, inspirational temples of Angkor. From there, it is south to the untouched jungles of the Cardamom Mountains, finishing with a homestay on a rural family farm. Phnom Penh: Best for culture Phnom Penh is eerily quiet. A sole remork – the usually ubiquitous motorised rickshaw – rolls languorously past the Royal Palace to a deserted Tonlé Sap riverfront. Here, among the shuttered-up shops facing the palm-lined promenade, food stalls sell noodle soup and beef skewers to infrequent customers. OCT - DEC, 2014

Phnom Penh

Tonle Sap Lake The peace doesn’t last. As the Khmer festival that emptied the city ends, Phnom Penhois who’d been drawn to rural family gatherings in their tens of thousands flood back to the capital and the beguiling chaos resumes. After a troubled history, which reached its nadir with the Khmer Rouge’s enforced eviction of the city in the ’70s, the ‘Pearl of Asia’ is thriving, with a flourishing café culture and a glut of world-class fusion restaurants. Tonlé Sap: Best for lake life In the village of Me Chrey, the streets are made of water and the wooden houses float. The village’s 500 families are among the thousands who have settled on the surface of the freshwater Tonlé Sap, Cambodia’s ‘Great Lake’, where, not surprisingly,

life revolves around the water. As dawn breaks, Me Chrey is already abuzz. Toddlers paddle small aluminium tubs down the main street, fruit and vegetable sellers in bright floral clothing and conical hats navigate boats between houses, and householders check for breaches in ‘fish banks’ – submerged reed baskets where fish are kept until market day. Shouted greetings and lively chatter are punctuated by the occasional snort of a pig from a floating pen. Further out on the water, a family retrieves traps and nets laid out in wide, intricate arrangements. It’s an itinerant existence. The floating houses, which are tied to one another, are moved by the villagers four times a year to follow the migrating fish stocks. The lake’s wildly fluctuating dimensions also a play a part. In the rainy season, Tonlé Sap swells to more than 6,000 square miles, raising the floating houses by around eight metres. Dry season sees the potential spots to anchor reduced significantly.

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Tourism on the rise

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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 36 OCT - DEC, 2014

OCT - DEC, 2014

Cambodia uncovered

The ‘new Vietnam’, the ‘mustsee’ of Southeast Asia, Indochina’s ‘finest jewel’ – call it what you will, Cambodia is big news. The ancient temples of Angkor near Siem Reap have always drawn big crowds, but now the rest of Cambodia, including its capital Phnom Penh, is making its mark.

SELL: A move up market Healing from the dark days of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime during the 1970s, this land of temples, French-colonial towns, rice paddies and beautiful islands has everything going for it. Picture Khmer stilt houses, floating villages, orange-clad monks and white-sand beaches – this is Cambodia. Add to that friendly locals keen to share their country’s history and culture and it’s hard to resist. Born out of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of the neighboring region 1,000 years ago, Cambodia has history and culture by the bucket load. It’s not 38

surprising tourism is now its second-largest income source with 3.6 million international tourists in 2012, a 24% increase on 2011 and a figure that is reflected in UK bookings. “We’ve had an excellent year in southeast Asia with bookings at an all-time high,” says Tim Greening, director at KE Adventure Travel. “Burma’s a big reason, but for the first time, Cambodia is selling well. We’ve always had people adding Angkor Wat from Thailand or Vietnam, but now Cambodia is becoming the prime destination.” One of the biggest changes has been Cambodia’s move from a backpacking destination to one with wider appeal, according to Dragoman Travel. “There’s been significant growth in its offering of more luxurious accommodation, and a large expansion in the small-group adventures market,” says marketing manager Lorna Archibald. With more flights connecting Cambodia within southeast Asia and several leading airlines OCT - DEC, 2014

making UK connections easier, such as Qatar Airways’ new service to Phnom Penh, Cambodia is easy to visit on a multi-country Indochina tour. Alternatively, there is a wide choice of escorted tours, self-guided tailor-made holidays or trips along the Mekong River. Although a year-round destination, travelling between mid-November and February when evenings are cooler is common. Off-peak between June and October’s rainy season is rewarding too, with fewer tourists, greener scenery and Angkor’s temple moats filled with water.

SEE: Angkor, then what? Siem Reap: The base for most visitors to the Khmer temples of Angkor is Siem Reap, which is a destination in itself – its night markets are second only to Phnom Penh’s, and it has excellent restaurants and a growing cafe culture. The temples of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom and more are a few miles

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 OCT - DEC, 2014

away. The best guides steer you to lesser-visited ones for uncrowded sunrise and sunset experiences. To avoid temple fatigue, a boat trip to Tonlé Sap lake’s floating villages is a popular day trip. Phnom Penh: One of SE Asia’s most underrated capitals, its markets, riverside restaurants, rooftop bars and Mekong River setting make it a must. Historic sights such as the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda and an excellent National Museum are worth visiting, while the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek (Killing Fields) are sobering, but important experiences to understand Cambodia’s recent history. Battambang: This laid-back French-colonial town on the Sangkae River is perfect for a change of pace. Culturally rich, it has some of Cambodia’s best-preserved architecture, beautiful wats and is easy to explore on foot or by bike. Experiences include the Battambang Circus and riding the bamboo train outside town. Sihanoukville and the islands: Coastal town Sihanoukville is renowned for budget beach liv-

Chi Pat EcoTourism

ing, but an increasing number of five-star resorts and fourstar boutique hotels are opening, such as Sokha Beach Resort and Moha Mohori. But it’s the islands such as Koh Rong and Ream National Park’s Koh Thmei and Koh Seh that amaze. For off-the-scale luxury, privately-owned Song Saa Island offers everything from private pools to its own reef. Kep and Kampot: Along Cambodia’s eastern coastline is a region of mountains, waterfalls and national parks, home to riverside town Kampot with its old French quarter, and revived colonial seaside resort Kep with

Battambang Bamboo Train

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its boutique hotels and local speciality, crab. Koh Tonsay has beautiful beaches and the nearby national park has good trails. Elsewhere: The Cardamom Mountains in western Cambodia offer walking trails, wildlife and waterfalls amid tropical forest, as well as community-based ecotourism village Chi Pat. The NE Ratanakiri province is home to rare Irrawaddy dolphins.

STAY: Who to book with First-timers, active travellers, foodies – it’s all covered. Intrepid Travel’s Classic Cambodia (six days from £635 excluding

flights) combines Angkorian temples with Phnom Penh’s historical spots, while Hayes & Jarvis’s nine-night Cambodia Discovery (from £2,099) and Gold Medal’s seven-day Cambodia Discovery (from £630 land-only), also cover main attractions. Gold Medal also offers day tours such as Angkor Wat from £43. Travel Indochina’s extensive Cambodia itineraries include a seven-day Highlights of Cambodia cultural tour (£785 excluding flights) with special sunrise access at Angkor Wat. For food-lovers, Western & Oriental’s seven day Culinary Cambodia (starting at £2,089) includes a cooking class, lunch at a Phnom Penh restaurant that trains disadvantaged children and home cooked food with a Khmer family. Going local is integral to G Adventures’ 10 day/eight night Cambodia on a Shoestring Tour (£499 excluding flights and most of the meals,) which visits one of its projects, the New Hope vocational restaurant in Siem Reap, which trains disadvantaged women.

£3,395) to Bangkok, Battambang, Phnom Penh and Kep, is excellent for those who have already visited Angkor. Regent Holidays’ 14-day Cambodia in Depth also delves deeper.

Cardamom Mountain Waterfall

best-selling 16-day Backroads of Cambodia (from £1,720) is an easy-graded trail from Angkor Wat to the Cardamom Mountains and the operator is introducing a walking tour to Koh Rong in 2014. Biking through rural Cambodia is also offered on Exodus’ 16-day Cycle Indochina and Angkor (from £2,049) and Explore’s new 15-day Cambodia by Bike (from £1,798). For comprehensive coverage, consider Intrepid’s Best of Cambodia (14 days from £820 excluding flights), Imaginative

For nature lovers, Mountain Kingdoms’ 16-day Cardamom Mountains Trek (from £1,325 excluding flights; £2,555 with) explores this wildlife haven in southwest Cambodia while Explore’s 13-day Heart of Cambodia tour (from £1,897) includes a cruise searching for Irrawaddy dolphins.

Traveller’s new 14-day Best of Cambodia (from £660 excluding flights) and Wendy Wu Tours’ 16-day Around Cambodia (from £2,390) which includes Battambang, Kep and Kampot.

For cyclists, Cambodia’s terrain is ideal. KE Adventure Travel’s

Cox & Kings’ Cambodia in Style, a 14-day private tour (from

Irrawaddy Dolphins

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For family and youth travel, The Adventure Company’s Indochina Family Adventure (17 days from £2,192 per adult/£2,082 per child) uses internal flights to minimise travel time and books hotels with pools. Explore’s Edge brand targets 18-30s with its 10day Cambodia on a Shoestring (from £499 excluding flights). Top multi-country itineraries include Intrepid Travel’s 18-day Best of Vietnam & Cambodia (from £1,295 excluding flights) and Dragoman’s 18-day Indochina Explorer tour (from £925 plus kitty/flights) to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Intrepid Travel also sells short-break add-ons, such as Secrets of Angkor (three days from £210), which includes a Buddhist monastery visit. For cruise travellers, AmaWaterways’ seven-night Vietnam, Cambodia & the Riches of the Mekong sails from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap (from £1,124 cruise-only) and Western & Oriental’s eight-day The Lost Civilization: Saigon to Siem Reap (from £1025) is on board boutique ship Jayavarman. Aqua Expeditions is also expanding into Indochina in 2014 with a luxury vessel sailing from Siem Reap to Vietnam via Phnom Penh. Credit: Meera Dattani

Tuk-Tuks, Temples and Trauma in Cambodia

Ta Prohm Temple

Cambodia is fast becoming an essential stop for backpackers With picture-perfect beaches at Sihanoukville, backpacker-friendly prices in Phnom Penh and timeworn temples at Siem Reap there’s little wonder why. 3.5 million globetrotters flocked to Cambodia last year. That’s a whopping 24% rise on the year before. They come from far and wide, increasingly to volunteer on community projects but always to marvel at its beautiful and ancient sights. This is all quite new. Cambodia’s beauty was hidden from tourists for decades after the notorious dictator Pol Pot expelled all foreigners in 1975, keeping away from the refugees and landmines until the 1990s. Now Cambodia is moving onwards and upwards, its doors wide open with welcoming smiles. My visit was a bizarre combination of genocide tourism, cultural quirks and many temples. Phnom Penh’s healing scars Cambodia’s capital city echoes a trauma from when, quite suddenly in April 1975, its entire population was marched into the countryside to work as impoverished peasants. When the survivors returned four years later, Phnom Penh was devastated. Thirty years on it’s still poverty-stricken and one of the least popular cities in Southeast Asia. But the tourist industry is growing in leaps and bounds. 42

Riding around the city on tuk-tuks is a boundless joy. Wind and dust in your hair, you’ll zoom past beautiful and distinct Khmer architecture, glittering temples and orange-clad monks with yellow umbrellas. The golden and uniquely Khmer Royal Palace, built in the 1860s, sits on the Tonle Sap and Mekong river junction and truly is architecture for kings. Don’t expect to be dazzled everywhere though. Limbless and child beggars are the tragically common consequence of Cambodia’s landmines, and abject poverty remains abundant. Even some of Phnom Penh’s entertainment rose out of the Khmer Rouge years. At a shooting range on the city’s outskirts a few dollars can buy anyone target practice with an AK47 and, for a few more, an RPG. Remains of the Khmer Rouge The city’s quirky charms aside, the real remnants of the Khmer Rouge are impossible to miss. Its surviving leaders’ war crime trials are still going on, and a trip to Phnom Penh makes the slaughter of a third of the country’s residents within those few short years seem incredibly recent. The unambiguously named Killing Fields lie just outside the city at Choeung Ek, one of many sites containing the remains of the murdered millions. The memorial stupaneeds little in the way of explanation, bearing shelves upon shelves of five thousand human skulls. A walk through the

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old orchard and I came across a set of human teeth etched into the dusty ground. Many whose final resting place is here came directly from a torture centre named Tuol Sleng, a former high school in Phnom Penh where just twelve of 17,000 inmates survived. Now a genocide museum, tour guides frequently have their own horror story to tell. Mine recalled several lost family members, and will never know how or where they died. She works there to remember them. Khmer Glory at Siem Reap Cambodia’s star attractions – definitely more cheerful – are the ancient temple ruins to the north of Phnom Penh, in the sparse rural area around Siem Reap. From the alternate Wonder of the World at Angkor Wat, enormous and with its square moat, to the vines and twisting trees at the ruins of Ta Prohm (think Angelia Jolie inTomb Raider), you’ll need a few days at least to fully explore the thousand or so ruins in the Siem Reap area. They’re the survivors of the Khmer Empire with its sprawling metropolis at Angkor, once home to around one million people, a figure London did not reach until the nineteenth century. The Khmers ruled for 500 years over what is now Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and the fringes of Vietnam and Myanmar between the ninth and thirteenth centuries – and their ancient capital is still unrivalled as containing the largest religious moment in the world.

the snakes slithering through the undergrowth. A viable option avoiding both is taking the hotair balloon high above Siem Reap, and looking for miles across the ancient and rural landscape. If you find the town too touristy, stay at a hotel further out for a bigger room at a better price. Tuk-tuks are (always) the best travel option so hire one for the whole day to take you around the temple areas. Don’t miss… The floating villages at Tonle Sap lake. Unusual and primitive, though many tourists complain about getting ripped off for boat trips. Tasty fried spiders. Actually I skipped these, and have never looked back. Buddhist temples, known as wats. Beautiful and golden inside and out. Bamboo Island, just off Sihanoukville, for beach huts and sandy paradise. Credit: Gapyear.com

Fried Spiders

Watch out for the biting monkeys, though. Those guys won’t take no for an answer if there’s food around, and remember to watch your step for 44

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Camb dia Insight

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Angkor Hospital Angkor Rivieara Hotel/Gingkgo Spa ANZ Royal Bank Charming Cambodia for Children Adidas Tours Common Grounds UCB Selantra Pich Reamker Asian Trails Central Boutique Frangipani Spa Street 22 Good Nah Hotel de la Paix Angkor ng Street Vo Tep Terre Cambodge Le Café The Villa Siem Reap Senhoa Nail Spa Ivy Samdach City River Hotel Phsar Guesthouse The Emerald Lotus Kandal Street 23 Boutique Hotel (Center Viroth’s Hotel MPA Naga Guesthouse Market) Bopha Angkor Soria Moria it Stands King AngkorVilla SBC Phnom Penh Fresh Fru Street 24 Sorya Transport Hong Kong Restaurant Canadia PROVINCIAL Shadow of Angkor II Happy 2 thHerb Pizza HOSPITAL Tany Family Lodge Wat Preah nou Street 25 Intra Co. Stre Prom Rath et Happy Special Pizza Relax Massage Khmer Butterflies Gardent Vattanac Bank Home Cocktail Happy Angkor Pizza Street 26 Blue 7 Massage Dead Fish Tower Bodia Spa Tell Restaurant U-Care Maharajah Singing Tree 7 Girls Khmer Massage Be VIP Khmer Massage Tourex Asia Café Little Traditional Brickhouse Bar Happy Angkor Pizza Pumpkin Banana Leaf India Kokoon/Blue Movie Mall Angkor Candles Angkor Trade Center Temple Club/Balcony Traditonal Curry CAB Bank Angkor Street 27 Island Massage Viva Khmer (Pizza Co., Swensens) Rajana Cambodian Walla 2 Night ViVa Khmer Family Champey Senteurs Shadow of Angkor BBG Market d’Angkor Le Grand Red Piano Rehab Craft Chamkar Amok Mekong Guilts Les Orientalistes Body Tune Massage McDermott Gallery Neak Garden Village Sao Mao Aha Krorhorm Kampuccino Guesthouse Molly Malone’s Cherry Blossom Boutique Baca Villa Sala Bai

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Angkor Wat in Miniature (Artist Dy Proeung) Borann I’Auberge des Temples

Not to Scale Mom’s Guesthouse

MC Dermott Gallery Red Gallery Visaya Spa FCC Angkor

Street 03

Not to Scale

Yaklom Lodge & Sawasdee Food Garden

Park and Promenade

SBC

Old French Quarter

Obriot Gallery

14 Street

Taphul Village Area

Sivatha Blvd

Taphul Road

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

Khmer Inn Angkor

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

Mysteres d’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

Caltex

Jasmine Lodge

Wat Po Lanka

Angkoriana Hotel Tonle Chaktomuk and Chaopraya Coffee Tourism Department

kor Ang

Angkor TK

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

Wat Preah An Kau Sai

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

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

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

l Spe

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

Tram Neak

Prasat Takaeo Thommanon Chao Say Tepda

Phimeanakas

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

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

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

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

OCT - DEC, 2014

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