Destinations

CAMBODIA GUIDED TOURS

Overview

Cambodia's official name is Kingdom of Cambodia. It is located in Southeast Asia, in the Pacific Ocean. It borders Vietnam to the east, Laos to the northeast, and Thailand to the west and Northwest. The population in Cambodia is about 17 million.

The country has an area of 181,035 square kilometers. Its largest river is Tonle Sap, and the largest river is Mekong. Cambodia is a Buddhist country, and has several temples. Its Angkor Wat temple located in the northern province of  Krong Siem Reap, was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, and is a must-visit on most travellers' bucket list. Unfortunately, people of this country had to undergo extreme brutalities during the era of dictator Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime, from 1975 to 1979. The remnants and signs of this history, continue to attract many tourists. Cambodia became a colony of France in 1863. It gained independence on 9th of November, 1953, and Norodom Sihanouk was crowned King. The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has ruled the country since 1979. Our tours are customisable to a limited extent, as the tourism industry is not at a mature state, other than at Angkor Wat. But this is part of its charm. However, if you have specific requests, we will do our best to fulfill them.

The major cities in Cambodia are Phnom Penh, Battambang and Siem Reap.

Angkor Wat

Located in Krong  Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is the world's largest religious complex and spans 400 acres. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. In Khmer Language, Angkor means Capital City, and Wat means Temple Grounds, so the name means 'City of Temples'.  Originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to God Vishnu, it gradually became a Buddhist temple toward the end of the 12^th Century. The temple itself consists of three levels.

The complex is oriented toward the West, which in Hindu culture, symbolizes death.

A huge reservoir and moat surrounds Angkor complex. There is an 820 foot sandstone causeway leading up to the temple. Five gates lead to it - North, South, East, West the Victory Gate and 12 staircases, each of which has 41 steps. This odd number is considered to be lucky. The first floor symbolizes hell or the water, the second floor symbolizes the earth or soil, and the third, symbolizes heaven or the wind. Angkor Wat was built as a symbolic representation of Mount Meru. In Hindu Mythology it is believed that the gods Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu reside atop this mountain. There are numerous statues of Buddha and Boddhisatvas. It is believed that King Suryavarman II King of the Khmer Empire (1113 to 1150) built this temple as a burial place for himself. Five million tons of sandstone was used for the construction. The walls are adorned with bas reliefs which relate hundreds of stories, including scenes from the Ramayana, The Churning of the Ocean of Milk, and historical occurrences from the life of Suryavarman II. On the walls are carvings of over 1500 apsaras (heavenly maidens).

The image of Angkor Wat has appeared in the center of the national flag of Cambodia since 1875.  There are about 72 major temples found within the Angkor Wat area.

There is a dress code to enter, you need to be dressed either in trousers, a long skirt or shorts that reach up to the knees.

Buying the ticket at the entrance, with your photograph included, will gain you access into the many temples. As the ticket has your image on it, it is not transferrable.

Travel advice It is suggested that you should wear a sturdy pair of walking shoes, as you will have to do a great deal of climbing, stepping over uneven surfaces, and climbing steep steps. Recommend the use of sun block, and either a cap or an umbrella, as the sun can be mercilessly hot. It is also advisable that you should carry cold bottled water with you, as it is important to stay hydrated.

Operating Hours The complex is open and accessible every day of the year, but the cooler months are more popular, from November to March. You will, however find yourself jostling in the midst of very large crowds whilst sightseeing these marvelous sites.

 

Silver Pagoda

The Silver Pagoda is situated on the South Side of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. This was known as Wat Preah Keo Morakot, meaning Temple of the Emerald Crystal Buddha. Inside are a series of Buddha Statues, made of precious metals. The temple is so named as its floor is paved with five tones of silver. Inside is a solid Gold Buddha statue, decorated with diamonds. Directly in front of it is a silver and gold stupa, containing a relic of Buddha which was brought over from Sri Lanka.

The Pagoda was originally constructed in 1892 during the reign of King Norodom who was apparently inspired by Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew temple.

The Vihara houses many treasures, including gold and jeweled Buddha statues.

The most significant of these statues is the small, green crystal Buddha.

 

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Tuol Sleng means 'Hill of the Poisonous Trees.'

This genocide museum is located in Phnom Penh. The so called Security prison, code named S 21 is a former secondary school which was used by the Khmer regime as a prison between 1976 and 1979. There are five buildings, which were converted to a prison and interrogation center.  The windows of the higher floors were covered with iron bars, and electrified barbed wire, to prevent suicide and escapes.

In 1976 most of the victims were soldiers from the previous regime, academics, doctors, engineers, teachers, factory workers and monks. Later, even high ranking politicians were brought here, tortured and murdered. They arrived blindfolded in trucks, interrogated, and photographed. They had to give details of their lives up to the time of their arrests. Then they had to strip down to their underwear and their possessions were confiscated. Those taken to small cells were shackled to the floor. Those in larger rooms were shackled to a long bar with up to forty others. They slept on the floor without mattresses or blankets and were forbidden to talk to each other. Later, even some guards had allegations against them, and became prisoners.

There are a few rooms, with an iron bed placed in the center. This is the interrogation room. On the wall is a black and white photo of the prisoner who was tied to the bed. It is not clear, but there are signs of brutality in the photo, some even suggest that the prisoner's throat had been slashed after interrogation.

Innocent people were forced to confess to treason, and were forced to name people they knew, as fellow traitors. Then these other people would be arrested and tortured as well. You will pass a room with display boards of mug shots of prisoners when they arrived, photos of prisoners who died in detention, in a different section, black and white mug shots of the tormentors, and even some photos of important prisoners after they were executed. There were different units, and the guards had to obey orders too. Some were given the authority to torture prisoners, while others were not. There is a room at the end of the corridor, we saw a small cell, which our guide Chanda informed us, was used as a rape room.

On the higher floor, the women prisoner's common cells were constructed of wood, as they were less likely to attempt escape. There is a hole the wall, through which food and information could be passed.

There is also a children's section housed in another building.

Outside the museum, you will get the opportunity to meet two survivors Bou Meng and Chum Mey, 82 and 92 years old respectively. They were one of the hand full of people who survived the horrendous hellhole of Toul Sleng. Today sitting behind desks outside the genocide museum, the two men meet visitors and sell their respective memoirs to them.

 Bou Meng used to be a highly skilled painter who was used by the Khmer to produce hand painted portraits of Pol Pot, while Chum Mey, was a mechanic who used to fix machinery in the prison workshop.  The specialized skills of these two men, put their death sentences on hold.

There were five other adult survivors but they have since passed on.

 

Killing Fields (Choeung Ek)

After World War II, the Americans and French fought against communism in Vietnam and Korea. Cambodia became independent in 1953 after the fall of Ho Chi Minh City where the French Indochina was defeated.

Cambodia's Monarch Sihanouk stayed neutral during the Vietnam war. But in 1970, he was ousted by a French backed coup. Cambodia's civil war ended in 1975. And Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge. At first, people celebrated the end of the civil war. They held white flags and stood on the streets, cheering the soldiers. But only hours later, the Khmer officials were banging on their doors, telling them to evacuate to the countryside. Those who resisted were shot dead.

The Khmer Rouge marched the urban population to the countryside, in a bid to build an agrarian society. Only people who could work in the fields were useful to them. The others were considered a threat.

At the entrance of Killing Fields, there is a glass shrine housing 8000 human skulls.

 The Killing fields is a site of mass murder, where over three million people were killed during the Khmer regime between 1975 and 1979. These killings were genocide carried out by the state  sponsored Khmer Rouge headed by their ruthless Khmer leader Pol Pot. The new regime also started destroying the western influence. People were knelt, gagged and bound before being killed. Axes, knives, the sharp edges of sugar palm fronds and bamboo sticks were used for the executions, as the Khmer Rouge did not want to waste bullets.

Today at the Killing Fields, fragments of human bones are unearthed from the ground, during heavy rains. So are the clothes and dental remains of those executed. The Khmer rulers killed people who they thought were inappropriate for the new agrarian society that they wanted to create. Accordingly they killed educated people, such as doctors, lawyers, professors, teachers, as well as ethnic minorities such as Vietnamese, Chinese and Muslims, clergy, and even people who wore glasses. Children had their heads bashed against the trunks of Chankiri trees. Khmer music was played over loud speakers slung on the killing tree so that mourns and screams of the terrified children were suppressed. Children were killed so they would not grow up to avenge the deaths of their parents.

Among the methods of killing were decapitations, slashing of throats with the sharp edges of palm sugar fronds, stabbings or blows to the head. Many were made to dig their own graves, and then executed and pushed into the muddy pits. Many people died of starvation, overwork and diseases like tuberculosis, Malaria and dengue. People often pretended to be less educated than they were, in order to avoid being executed.

 

Rice Paper Making

Rice Paper making is one of the traditional crafts of Cambodia. This rice paper is made for making Spring rolls. In Battambang, a few families still make a living by producing rice paper by hand. The ground and dried rice is mixed with salt water, and flattened. Then it is make into a disc and steamed after which they are solidified by drying in the sun on bamboo mats, for up to two hours. The family we saw making rice paper, said that they make about 1500 per day.

You may taste the rice paper right after it is prepared!

Cambodia Sticky rice

This is a tasty type of rice, made by mixing glutinous rice, beans, coconut milk, grated coconut, and palm sugar which is cooked in a bamboo tube, over a fire for about one and a half hours.

It is known as Kralan, and is sold on the roadside in Cambodia.

Battambang Bamboo Train

This train, which is basically a bamboo platform with no roof, rattles down a train track at 50 kilometers, while you are precariously seated on it. As you journey along the tracks, you are able to enjoy glimpses of the beautiful countryside. If there is another train coming toward you, then the passengers on the way up have to disembark and stand on the verge, while their train is dismantled, the returning train which is given priority passes before the ongoing one resumes their journey. At a halfway point, passengers alight and are given the opportunity to browse by some souvenir shops located by the track, where you may purchase tee shirts, caps, 'elephant pants' etc.  Be prepared to encounter a few child touts as well. All in all, it is a fantastic, once in a lifetime experience.

Stilt Wooden Houses

You will see stilt wooden houses on the way side of the road, as you journey between Battambang and Siem Reap. These were built so that the annual floods would not affect the houses.

These traditional, Khmer rural houses are a charming sight. Wooden steps, ramps or staircases lead up to the top levels.

 

Bayon Temple

Bayon temple is a Cambodian Buddhist pyramidal temple which was built in the late 12^th or early 13^th century.  This temple has no moats of surrounding walls.  It is located in the city of Angkor Thom.  There is a dispute among scholars at to whom the carved faces etched into the many towers belong to. Some believe it is King Jayavarman VII. Others identify these as one of the many faces of Hindu god Shiva. Still others offer the most reasonable explanation, that these faces are the Boddhisatvas.

The temple was built by King Jayavarman VII.  

 

Ta Prohm Temple

This is also known as 'Jungle Temple.' It is one of the most mysterious temples as well as one of the most fascinating to visit in Siem Reap. It was featured in the movie Tomb Raider, starring actress Angelina Jolie.

The temple is dedicated to the mother of King Jayavarman VII.  The undisputed capital  in the Kingdom of Trees. Feature many Banyan and Kapok trees with roots that snake their way over walls, stones and towers.

Ta Prohm is one of the largest monuments in the Angkor Complex.  It has been left in its natural state by archeologists, however there are paths for tourists to explore through.

 

Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei means Citadel of Women, and it is possibly built by a woman. 

This is a 10^th century Hindu temple, dedicated to the Hindu gods Shiva and Parvati. The buildings are miniature in scale. It is built largely on red sandstone. This is the only temple at Angkor which was not commissioned by a monarch. It was instead said to be commissioned by courtiers named Vishnukumar and Yaknavaraha. This temple is located in Siem Reap in the Angkor area, located north east of the main group of temples.

Phnom Kulen Mountain

Phnom Kulen Mountain is a National Park located in Siem Reap. It was established in 1993.

During the Khmer period this was known as Mahendraparvata (The mountain of Great Indra).

It is located along with Kbal Spean river, which is a tributary of Siem Reap River. There is a waterfall in Phnom Kulen National Park, where you may take a dip in if you so wish!

Phnom Kulen reclining Buddha

The temple in Kulen Mountain, Siem Reap, houses a large, reclining Buddha statue.

The statue is carved directly out of Mountain stone.

 

Kbal Spean (The River of a Thousand Lingas)

This is an archeological site located on the southwest slopes of Kulen Mountains in Banteay Srei district in Siem Reap.

It is set deep in the jungle to the northeast of Angkor.

 

APOPO de-mining centre, Siem Reap

The APOPO center worked with the Cambodian Mine Action Center since 2014 to remove landmines and explosives in Cambodia. This targets the landmine affected villages in Cambodia.

Landmine detection giant African pouched rats use their keen sense of smell to detect TNT explosive devices. It is interesting to watch a demonstration of landmine detecting, by a giant rat at the APOPO center. You may get a chance of holding a rat. We were told they do not bite. However, you are required to wash your hands prior to this, in order to remove all traces of lotion and the like.

 There is a gift shop at the center, where you may purchase souvenirs.

Amok Trey

This is a Cambodian steamed fish curry, cooked coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar and kaffir lime. It has a mousse like consistency, and is served in a banana leaf.

Beer

There are many varieties of beers in Cambodia with which to wash down the delicious food, among the most popular are Angkor Beer, Cambodia beer and Ganzberg.

 

Restaurants:

Haven Restaurant, Chocolate Road, Siem Reap: This is a restaurant that helps underprivileged adults by offering them training in the hospitality sector, which opens new life prospects for them.

By having a meal at Haven restaurant, you are helping the training program and the trainees. This restaurant is the brainchild of Sara Walliman and her husband Paul, who are from Switzerland.

 

Mali's Norodom Blvd, Siem Reap. This has a pond, a space for apsara dance performances, and a lovely garden.

 

Coconut Lyly, Battambang: This is a Khmer restaurant and a cooking school in Battambang. It is a small, charming restaurant which is family owned and operated. Lyly is the young man who owns the place and he is assisted by his wife.