Cambodia

My Cambodia travel summary:

Visited: November 1999

Duration of visit: 14 days

Capital city: Phnom Penh

Population: 12.1 million (1999)

Cambodia travel blog reading time: 16 minutes

• Constant floods and colorful Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.
• Exhibition of Khmer Rouge regime atrocities in Security Prison 21.
• Friendly people, playful children, and the natural beauty of women.
• Exploring Angkor Wat – the largest religious monument in the world.
• Epic drives on roads from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap and further to Thai border.
• The brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–79), which caused extreme social upheaval, killed three million people, and terrorized Cambodia until 1998.

Cambodia was part of the Asian Big Tour from Australia, through Southeast Asia and China to India. During this 15-months long trip, I visited most of the countries in the region and spent over two weeks travelling around Cambodia.

After disappointing experiences in Vietnam with aggressive people and limited solo travel options, I anticipated a different experience in Cambodia. Although the civil war ended 25 years earlier, its consequences and lasting effects on the devastated country were still evident.

When a nation tries to battle the poverty in search of security and new identity, tourism is of secondary importance. Some areas, especially in the north, remained dangerous and inaccessible, with few tourist attractions or landmarks besides Angkor Thom.

There were no local buses from Saigon to Phnom Penh, so I took a direct bus with some funny Japanese backpackers. The first part of my Cambodia travel adventure, including the border and emigration control, was smooth and straightforward.

After switching to a Cambodian minivan, we continued a bumpy, mostly dirt-road ride to Phnom Penh, arriving five hours later. The ride was quite an adventure. Despite the constant rain, children along the road warmly welcomed us in a polite and non-intrusive way. They were playing football, jumping in puddles, and enjoying the water with joyful energy despite the rain.

Our first stop involved crossing a river by ferry, where kids immediately surrounded us, joking politely and speaking basic English. One of the Japanese friends laughed with his mouth open when the kids playfully put a baked bug in it. His fun time was over, but everyone else burst out laughing for the rest of the trip.

Upon taking power in April 1975, the Khmer Rouge regime set the stage for one of the most radical changes in social order in world history. Their goal was to transform Cambodia into a Maoist agrarian cooperative with an exclusively peasant population. City dwellers were forced to move to the countryside, working twelve-plus hours daily tilling land, digging canals, and arranging irrigation. All offenders were punished by immediate execution.

Cambodia was completely isolated from the rest of the world, cut off politically, economically, and culturally for many years.

This regime persisted for four years, until the Vietnamese army liberated Cambodia from its oppressive rule. The damage was indescribable: 3 million of innocent victims, economic backwardness, lack of education and thousands of refugees scattered across the country.

After losing power in 1979, the Khmer Rouge retreated into the forests of western Cambodia near the Thai border. They continued attacking civilians, destroying villages, controlling wood sales, and setting land mines with Thai government support.

After Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot’s death in 1998, Cambodia was finally reborn, emerging as a free and peaceful country.

Phnom Penh is unlike any other Asian capital I’ve visited, with poor infrastructure and many rundown, basic houses. Most roads are in bad condition, yet there are surprisingly many cars, pick-ups, motorbikes, and gas stations everywhere.

I found the selection of goods impressive; the central market was well stocked with a variety of fruits and vegetables. People are friendly, slightly reserved, quiet and dressed properly in clean clothes. Taxi drivers and moto-taxis offer their service politely. If I show no interest, they move on, wishing me a good day.

One of the few outstanding buildings is the Royal Palace of Cambodia, which serves as the royal residence of the King of Cambodia. For 3.00 USD, I accessed the four main compounds inside, a highlight being their brightly colored roofs standing out remarkably.

• The Throne Hall, once used by the king and officials, now hosts religious ceremonies, royal events, and meetings with guests.
• The Khemarin Palace is used as an official residence of the King of Cambodia, separated and inaccessible to general public.
• The highlight for me was the Silver Pagoda, with its silver-tiled floor and the magnificent golden Buddha temple at its center.
• The Inner Court is the central plaza around which the palace buildings were gradually constructed over time.

Throughout the Khmer Rouge regime, numerous members of the Royal family were captured, transported by truck to an undisclosed location, and ultimately executed. Others were confined within the Royal Palace, isolated from the outside world, and forced to grow their own food for survival.

The monarchy was reinstated in 1993, and the country’s name was officially changed to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Around 93% of the Cambodian population practices Buddhism. There are an estimated 4,400 monastic temples distributed across the nation.

In Phnom Penh, Buddhist temples appeared every few hundred meters. One of my favorite things to do was observing monks in vibrant orange robes, standing out vividly among everyday citizens.

They stand out especially in the morning, as they walk the streets collecting donations from local residents. In groups of two or three together, they usually stop in front of a store or private house, wait a few seconds for the owners to bring contributions, before moving on. They walk barefoot, regardless of the weather.

In the National Museum of Cambodia, I met two young Buddhist monks who invited me to their modest home – a small room in a crumbling building. We talked about all kinds of topics for more than two hours. What fascinated me most was their reason for joining the temple and embracing Buddhism, along with the strict rules they follow.

“If we hadn’t become monks, we would have been conscripted into the army. Since we are peaceful, we are not ready to fight or carry weapons!” was their simple explanation.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, which exposes some of the atrocities of Khmer regime, is one of those places that should have not existed anywhere in the world. The location of this ex-interrogation and detention center was previously occupied by a secondary school, which was used as Security Prison 21 by the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 until its fall in 1979.

An estimated 20,000 people were imprisoned, cruelly tortured, maimed or killed.

Pictures, narratives, records, and prison cell remains reveal the regime’s inhumane and senseless behavior toward its own people. In my view, its irrational actions deeply harmed Cambodia and left lasting scars that affected the nation for decades.

At the start of the third millennium, access to Angkor was extremely challenging, as if reserved for only the most determined explorers. Aside from expensive and uninteresting flights for real backpackers, the only options are river boats and pick-up trucks.

After a short thought, I decided to travel by land. 290 kilometers from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap looked like a decent, slightly longer trip. At least on the map!

I always choose the one with more passengers, believing that it would be the first one to leave. Minutes turned into hours. After breakfast, I enjoyed a snack and chatted with fellow travelers, giving us time to get to know each other. It was not until nearly noon that we commenced our journey towards the former Khmer capital.

We passed several military and police checkpoints and even overtook a few ancient, barely functioning vehicles along the way. The first stretch of the perfect, surreal road felt ahead of its time, built for future cars and buses instead of bicycles. Japanese financial aid was invested smart.

The initial fiddling was soon over, as we reached a section that, judging by its appearance, was built back in the days when cars hadn’t existed yet. Even this poor road might have worked out if our pick-up truck’s tire hadn’t blown out while overtaking a tractor.

An hour later, we joined a convoy of trucks stuck in the soft mud following the monsoon downpour.

We moved slowly, pushing the drivers to their limits in extreme conditions. They used all their skills to avoid soft mud that could have trapped us for hours.

When we finally arrived at a hotel in Siem Reap, it was almost midnight. Feeling very tired, I decided to cancel the sunrise visit to Angkor Wat planned for the next morning.

Two architectural masterpieces in Southeast Asia stand out, almost incomparable to any similar formations from the past, near or far. After traveling across almost all of Asia, I can confirm that calling Bagan in Myanmar and Angkor Thom in Cambodia extraordinary is no exaggeration.  Visiting these sites was one of the highlights of my entire journey.

In northwestern Cambodia, one of Asia’s poorest regions, the unique remains of the famous Khmer Empire have been preserved.

The size and shape of Angkor has hardly any comparisons in human history. Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world.

More than thirty sanctuaries, along with markets and other structures, testify to the grandeur of the former Khmer Empire, which ruled these regions from the 9^th to the 15^th century with remarkable continuity.

Khmer architecture was inspired by Hindu images that appeared especially on wats – Buddhist temples and places of worship. These structures symbolize the mountain as the world’s center, with an eastern entrance and three temporary exits in other sky directions. A network of ditches and lakes transformed Angkor’s flat, overgrown landscape into vast, productive rice fields.

A few months before my visit, Angkor Park banned self-riding motorbikes, so hiring a moto or car taxi were the only options available.

Still in the dark, my moto taxi driver, Vimal, passed through the main checkpoint, paying the steep 20 USD entrance fee for a one-day ticket. A few minutes later, we stopped in front of the mystical palace of the Khmer rulers.

Angkor was built in the first half of the 12^th century, during the reign of King Suryauarman II. It served as the ruler’s funerary temple and was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, with whom he identified.

The sanctuary, surrounded by a wide moat, covers nearly a square kilometer, making it roughly the size of a small town. Water shafts and moats encase the principal buildings within the city, symbolizing the fierce ocean on one side and offering a protective barrier against enemy assaults on the other.

We waited for the first sun rays, when Wat S’s outline revealed its grandeur. Huge! Fantastic! Simply perfect!

A few kilometers of driving brought us to the Bayon area, known for its complex corridors and steep stairs. Its fifty-four Gothic towers, adorned with over two hundred grimly smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara, make it the second most significant Angkor monument. The magical faces look in all directions, visible only up close, while from a distance the temple appears like a pile of rubble.

The Bayon Temple is known for its elaborate passageways, steep staircases, and 54 Gothic towers. 216 somberly smiling faces of Avalokiteshvara adorn the towers, making it Angkor’s second most significant monument after Angkor Wat. I really admired the four-meter-high stone faces of Brahma, symbolizing inner peace, looking in every direction.

From inside I heard drum beats and simple singing. I looked around, but couldn’t spot any foreign visitors. Locals in trance, as if to make contact with their ancestors or gods, were performing some kind of ritual. Old women danced to a steady rhythm, husbands beat drums, and children giggled shyly nearby.

Incense drifted through the air as white-robed nuns increased the magic within Bayon’s ancient black walls.

The frowning faces carved into the stones seem more friendly, maybe even smiling.

“This is how it must have been once,” my guide whispered to me. Back then, Angkotjul housed 750,000 people devoted to their ruler and his vision of a city for the noblest deities.

In the afternoon, Vimala showed me how the Khmer Empire ruins appeared when French explorers rediscovered Angkor Thom in the 19^th century. They found ruins covered by thick jungle. Today, Ta Prohm temple is still overgrown with trees so visitors could see how nature had taken over long ago.

Long roots twist through the ruins, and new trees slowly push apart the stones, cracking the walls over time. The mighty trees with roots several meters high, are some of the most photogenic motifs.

There were too many stalls and few buyers, so vendors competed aggressively, creating a tense and sometimes disturbing atmosphere. In Cambodia, I wasn’t used to this kind of intensity, unlike in other Southeast Asian countries.

I still considered Cambodia as new to tourism; locals were honest and helpful, unlike in Vietnam or Indonesia.

While heading back to Angkor Wat in the late afternoon, I witnessed war victims gathering along the main avenue. Among them were men with deformed limbs, the blind, those who had suffered from minefields, as well as beggars and destitute children.

The real image of Cambodia after the senseless civil war is anything but gratifying. Landmines, poverty, large families, natural disasters and corruption sealed the fate of many descendants of the famous Khmers. A call “One-dollar Mister!” or just an outstretched palm at the feet of the almighty tourist is a cruel reality. I couldn’t help everyone, but some change was highly appreciated.

Angkor Wat is without a doubt the pinnacle of Angkor art, and with its size, architectural sophistication and location, the most enchanting at sunset.

Access along a half-kilometer avenue surrounded by sculptures of snakes led me past the former libraries and two swimming pools to the front of the central three-story complex. Dominating the sanctuary is a tall pyramid, which I climbed using steep steps. Four towers are situated at the corners, and the central fifth tower, soaring to 65 meters, enhances the uniqueness of this artistic masterpiece.

The central pyramid is surrounded by gallery walls, which are interspersed with elaborate reliefs depicting scenes from Hindu mythology, royal ceremonies, warrior campaigns, sky, heavens and the Earth. At the end of the Khmer Empire, in the mid-15^th century, Angkor Wat served as a Buddhist sanctuary.

Buddhist monks are often among the visitors of Angor temples. I met four young boys from a nearby monastery, where they practice Buddha’s teachings.

“At first, I became a monk to avoid conscription, but later I understood Buddhism’s meaning and have stayed faithful to it,” the bravest of them explained me in broken English.

Since many come from remote villages, where their parents encourage them to work in farming instead of studying at school, a common reason for becoming a monk is also the opportunity to get a proper education. After finishing their studies, monks often ask their superiors for permission to return to everyday life.

“I want to start a family and live normally, but until then, I will follow all my religion’s rules,” was a logical explanation.

During training time, they learn many values that they will never forget. Perhaps this is why most predominantly Buddhist Asian countries are safe, with very few pickpockets or thieves.

Monks’ bright orange and red robes are striking, but as a European, I also drew a lot of their attention. We took photos together and said goodbye after watching the sunset.

Darkness fell over mysterious Angkor. After a long day, I needed rest, preparing for my final tough test in Cambodia.

Roads around Phnom Penh have improved with international aid, but the western region, once full of guerrilla activity, remains disastrous in 2000.

From Siam Reap to Poipet on the Thailand border is only 140 kilometers, but the trip takes eight to twelve hours.

It depends mainly on the weather and driver’s ability to cope with unhuman conditions. Until a new road is built, traveling from Siem Reap to Poipet remains a major adventure, like a Camel Trophy expedition.

A pickup truck collected me at 6:00am, but we didn’t leave town until 7:00am. We were driving up and down Siem Reap for an hour to find the other ten missing passengers. Besides us, a rival vehicle was also following the same route, creating a struggle for every traveler heading west.

As soon as the driver’s assistant spotted someone going our way, he started persuading them and pulled them onto the trunk. After more than an hour, he gave up. Only half full, like a competitor on the same route, hoping for better luck along the way, he decided to leave for Poipet first.

There were four of us huddled in the cabin on uncomfortable seats, suitable for at most three small Cambodians. Two young Buddhist monks wrapped in bright orange robes were sitting in front with me. In the cargo area, farmers with red-and-white scarves squeezed between luggage, chickens and fruits.

After the first five kilometers of paved road, it turned into rough macadam. With every kilometer, holes grew deeper; water covered fields, driveways, and eventually the road itself. The pits grew up to one and a half meters deep, and our pickup sank into them several times.

Villagers living along the road repair only those sections that would otherwise be impassable even for bulldozers. They throw stones into small lagoons to guide vehicles along the hidden track.

The water is over one meter deep, and unskilled drivers can get stuck in the mud, needing a rope to be pulled out. The driver constantly offered a tip to road workers, otherwise they would simply block the road and don’t let anyone pass.

Fortunately, our cowboy was very skilled and always smiling. He passed the beginners and crossed large ponds effortlessly.

All other vehicles stopped, waiting for a tractor or bulldozer to pull them through the apparently impassable barriers.

The panorama along this road is typical of the monsoon period, when it rains for several weeks in a row. Simple wooden stilt houses prevent monsoon flooding, combining bedroom, kitchen, and living room all in one space. With many small streams, children bathe while playing their favorite game—swimming or jumping into the water.

The main activity of adults is agriculture on rice fields and fishing. They drag small fishes to the surface with bamboo sticks or nets. Along with beef and rice, fish is the main ingredient of monotonous meals. I almost didn’t notice fruits during this time of the year. Vegetables do not grow in the swampy area, bread is too expensive.

Families have many children who walk around completely naked until the age of six or seven. Innocent looks and curious faces quickly gathered around our truck, when the rear tire burst on a sharp rock.

Even though the main road runs right by their cottages, the locals rarely, if ever, see white people.

I offered the kids some fruit from my rucksack, but they stepped back in surprise and only approached me again after a few minutes. We shared a large pomelo, laughed, played, and talked in our own language.

During my Cambodia travel journey, unlike much of Asia where tourism has affected children’s authenticity, both children and adults remained honest and kind to foreigners.

We reached Poipet at 5:30pm. Despite feeling dusty, tired, and sore from back pain, I was truly happy with a day that showed me the real Cambodia. I completed the border formalities and boarded a modern bus with TV and air conditioning to travel to Bangkok.

But Thailand is a completely different story!

I didn’t expect much before my Cambodia travel adventure in 1999, which made the amazing experiences of my two-week journey even more powerful.

In my opinion, Cambodia has some of the most beautiful women in Asia, along with incredibly welcoming children and warm-hearted people.

The colorful Buddhist monks, Angkor’s temples, and adventurous rides are just a few reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

For me, it is hard to understand how the Khmer Rouge could commit such terrible crimes against people who seem so gentle and humble.

In 2000, the country had only just begun opening to tourism, with very basic infrastructure, few landmarks, limited places to visit, and things to do. I am convinced it will change completely once Westerners discover its economic and tourism potential.

Cambodia will be a completely different country in 20 or 30 years from now!