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CAMBODIA
: THE HIDDEN KINGDOM DISCOVERED
The
diverse sights and cultures of the Kingdom of Cambodia can be
divided into three main areas : Phnom Penh, the South Coast
and Siem Reap/Angkor.
PHNOM
PENH
Cambodia’s
capital is a vibrant, bustling city nestled majestically on
the banks where two mighty rivers, the Mekong and the Tonle
Sap, converge and then split apart again - at a place known
to the Khmers as Chaktomuk, meaning four faces. The area surrounding
the Royal Palace has magnificent Khmer towers, which share the
wide boulevard with candy-colored French villas overlooking
the barks of Tonle Sap.
Silver
Pagoda
The Silver
Pagoda (or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha), formerly a wooden
building, was built in 1962 in concrete and marble. The Pagoda,
comprising 5,000 silver tiles, is famous for its 90 kg solid gold
Buddha made in 1907, and an emerald Buddha, said to be made of baccarat
crystal in the 17th century.
National
Museum
Built in
1917 in traditional Khmer architecture and inaugurated in 1920 by
King Sisowat, the museum was designed by George Groslier and the
Ecole des Arts Cambodiene. It houses we world’s best collection
of Khmer archeological, religious and artistic and artifacts from
the 4th to the 13th centuries. The museum
houses more than 5,000 works of art, and is the repository of the
Kingdom’s cultural wealth.
Wat Phnom (Hill Temple)
Located
on a Man-made hill, 27 meters high, in the middle of Phnom Penh
, Wat Phnom is a revered place of worship for all Khmer and is the
namesake of the capital. The pagoda was built in 1373 to house four
Buddha statues said to have been deposited by the waters of the
Mekong river. During Cambodia’s New Year (Mid-April). Wat Phnom
is crowded with people playing traditional games under large shaded
trees.
Toul
Sieng Museum (Formally Toul Svay Prey School)
Known as
the Museum of Genocidal Crimes, it was used by the Khmer Rouge as
a detainment and torture center in the late 1970s. Today the building
houses exhibits and photographs illustrating the atrocities committed
by the Khmer Rouge.
The
Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
Situated
15 kilometers south-west of Phnom Penh, it was the place where more
than 17,000 civilians were killed and buried in mass graves. In
the center of the area is a 17-story glass stupa, built in 1989
to house 8,000 skulls exhumed from the mass graves.(Please
note that Toul Sieng Museum and the Killing Fields exhibits are
of a disturbing nature and are not suitable for children.)
Independence Monument
Built
in 1958 as a memorial to Cambodia’s war dead after the gaining of
independence from France in 1953, the monument consists of five
levels decorated with 100 snake-heads.
The
Markets
The Central
Market (New Market) is one of the largest and busiest markets in
Phnom Penh. Located in the heart of the capital, the market was
built in 1937 by French architects.
The Toul Tom
Pong Market (The Russian Market) is the city’s best source of objet
d’art. Items for sale include miniature Buddhas, various ritual
objects and old Indochinese coins. There are also quite a few gold-smiths
and silversmiths inside the market.
The Olympic Market.
A great deal of wholesaling is done at the Olympic Market, near
the Olympic Stadium. The market was upgraded and reopened in 1994
as a three-floor covered market
The
Resorts
Mo Ha
Liep Resort Center (the Children’s Park). Along National Route 1,
about 10 kilometers to the west of Phnom Penh is a large park where
70 kinds of fruit-tree have been planted. The trees are labeled
in English and Khmer. The park that has a large swimming pool, and
Cambodian food is served daily.Koki
Beach is situated about 18 kilometers from the city on the Bassac
river. Actually a take, Koki Beach, in a ideal location for picnicking
and the weekly sojourn of Cambodian people to this spot reflects
the Khmer love of relaxing by water.
Mekong
Island
Full day
or one hour. A day trip to Mekong island is excellent way to observe
the daily lives and traditions of the country’s villagers. This
ten-hectare island has a park which has been planned as an authentic
showcase for the cultural, zoological and agricultural richness
of Cambodia. The trip to Mekong island includes a visit to the park,
lunch and a dance show.
Udong
(Victorious)
An ancient
capital of the Khmer Empire, located some 40 kilometers north of
Phnom Penh, Udong consists of two parallel ridges, both of which
offer views of the Cambodian countryside and its innumerable sugar
palm trees. It is here that a number of sovereigns, including King
Norodom, were crowned. Udong is a beautiful site where both Phnom
Penh citizens and foreigners picnic on weekends.
Phnom
Chisor
The main temple
at the summit of Phnom Chisor stands at the eastern side of the
eastern side of the hilltop in a flat area about 80 by 100 meters.
Constructed in the 11th century of laetrile and brick
with carved lintels of sandstone, the complex is surrounded by the
partially ruined walls of two-and-a-half meter-wide gallery with
inward-facing windows.
Tonle
Bati / Ta Prohm Temple
Not far south
of Phnom Penh is a 12th century temple, Ta Prohm, built
by Jayavarman VII (1181-1201). Consecrated to the Buddha and to
Brahma, the temple is noted for its refined bas-reliefs. Nearby
is a smaller temple, Yeay Paeu, which also has remarkable stone
carvings. Near Ta Prom is a small lake with a beach and food stalls,
where Phnom Penh residents relax on weekends.
(Please
note : each option above can be arranged for a half-day tour)
THE
SOUTH COAST
Kompot
The pretty riverine
town of Kompot is five kilometers from the sea. There are plans
to develop infrastructure for tourism here. The province is Cambodia’s
biggest durian producing region.
Kompong Som (Sihanouk
Ville)
Kompong
Som, Cambodia’s only maritime port, is 232 kilometres from Phnom
Penh via one of the best roads in the country, National Route
4, Kompong Som is not only a sea-port but also an area famous
for attractive tropical beaches. Local fishermen will take to
the islands where coral reefs, teeming with iridescent fish, are
perfect for snorkeling, diving and fishing. The city’s scenic
location, facing ten tropical islands, is ideal. The resort was
established in 1964 and can be visited all the year round to appreciate
cool breezes and clear blue skies.
Bokor Hill Station
The
mountain-top hill-station of the Bokor (elevation 1,080 metres)
Bokor Hill Station is set in the Elephant Mountains, and is famous
for its pleasant climate, clear streams, forested vistas and stunning
panoramas of the sea. The best time of year to visit is between
November and May.
SIEM
REAP / ANGKOR
Siem Reap
The
town of Siem Reap, whose population is rebounding towards the
pre-war total of 10,000, is only a few kilometres from the temples
of Angkor and serves as a base for visit to the monuments. Siem
Reap province is famous for the more than one hundred monuments
dating from the 9th to 13th centuries, among which the most beautiful
are the temple of Angkor.
The Major Sites of Angkor
In
order to truly understand Cambodia, one must visit one of the
greatest archeological sites in the world the spiritual heart
and identity of the Khmer people - the Angkor complex.
Angkor
Wat
is the cultural home of Khmer (Cambodian) people and one of the
ancient wonders of the world. This network of ruins called Wats
(temples) dating back to the 17th century is the center of some
of the most important structures, statues, and carvings produced
in the name of the Buddhist and Hindu religions. The “Lost City
of Angkor” was re-discovered by western archaeologists in the
late 19th century. Barays are the man-made lakes adjacent to the
temples, which feed a complex network of irrigation channels.
It was this sophisticated system of agricultural hydraulics that
enabled the Khmers to produce two to three rice harvests a year.
Angkor
Thom
The fortified city of Angkor Thom (Great City), some 10 square
kilometers in extent, was built by Angkor’s greatest builder,
Jayavarman VII (reigned 1181-1201), who came to power just after
the disastrous ransacking of the previous Khmer capital by the
Champa invaders. It is enclosed by a square wall eight meters
high and 12 kilometers in length, and is encircled by a moat 100
meters wide, it was said to have been inhabited by fierce crocodiles.
The city has five monumental gates, one each in the north, west
and south walls and two in the east wall. The gates, 20 meters
in height, are decorated either side the passageway with stone
elephants and crowned by four gargantuan faces of the Bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara facing the cardinal directions.
The
Temple of Bayon, is located
in the city’s geographic center. The 54-tower temple is an awesome
sight. At first glance, the complex seems a shapeless mass of
stone. Further scrutiny reveals a face, enigmatic and silent,
watching with half-closed eyes.
Preah
Kahn is a Buddhist temple built by King Jayavarman
VII to honor his dead father, Preah Khan is located in the town
where the king defeated the Chams. The temples have a two-tiered
structure that was supported by round stone columns (which are
unusual at Angkor) and a wooden stairway used to access the upper
floor. Because of its unusual round columns, it is believed the
temple was modeled after a wooden building long since decomposed
in the jungles climate.
Phnom
Bakheng
served as the temple mountain of the first city of Angkor. The
capital built by Yasovarman (reigned 889 to 910) offers a panoramic
view of Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat and surrounding areas. The view
is best just before sunset.
Ta
Prohm
was built in the late 12th century by Jayavarman VII as a shrine
for his mother and as a monastery. 18 high priests and 2,740 ordinary
priests officiated here. The magnificent roots of a tree pushing
between the huge stone blocks of the temple have been left intentionally,
at the suggestion of French art conservators Bernard Groslier
and George Coedes, who devoted years to the preservation of the
treasures at Angkor.
Cambodia’s
deep rooted past can only be witnessed in person as to the magnificent
culture and character of it’s people. Come with us and Discover
Cambodia.
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