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Angkor Wat:
Angkor Wat, an ancient temple hidden in the
jungles of northern Cambodia, is the largest temple
complex in the world. Angkor Wat is the most famous
of the ruined Khmer temples and was built in the twelfth
century. The temple is as large as an ancient city,
covering 500 acres. |
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Angkor Wat Interior:
I gained a real appreciation for Angkor Wat
as I endlessly wandered around for hours. The complex
is much like a small city, with many passageways leading
to other temples. I could have spent days (I wish I
did) navigating them all. |
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Tour Guides:
In all of my travels I have yet to meet people
friendlier than the Cambodians. Wherever you go, impromptu
tour guides show up, such as these two girls at one
of the mountain temples. They showed us around the
complex, playfully darting around the large, clumsy
tourists. |
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Bridge Statues:
For centuries, beautiful statues have guarded
the bridges of Angkor. Always on the lookout for a
photo opportunity, we thought the statues could use
a little company after being neglected for all these
years. |
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Bridge Statues:
You may have noticed that some of the heads
on these statues don't match their bodies. This is
because of the lucrative trade of statue heads, particularly
in Thailand. To fight back, the original heads of these
statues have been removed by the Cambodian government
and have been replaced with replicas. |
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Water Girls:
These girls had a very effective way of selling
us water. They would chase us up and down the temples
(they could really climb those ruins!) until we were
all worn out and then would offer to sell us water.
For my friend Matt and I, their sales were effective! |
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Saffron-Robed
Monks:
Originally built as religious temples, the great
monuments in Angkor fell into disrepair after the city
was abandoned hundreds of years ago. Fortunately, after
the Khmer Rouge left the area in the late 1970s, monks
are once again taking care of these ancient relics. |
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Angkor Temple
Carvings:
There are thousands of carvings in the walls
of these ancient monuments, most of which tell stories
of Cambodian folklore. It is amazing that such intricate
carvings survived for so many years. |
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The Bayon:
Once the capital building in Angkor, the Bayon
is truly eerie, as there are hundreds of smiling faces
on every structure. The effect is as peaceful as it
is unique. |
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Trees at Ta
Prom:
(Left) The ancient city
of Angkor is situated deep in the jungles of northern
Cambodia. Mother Nature has been waging her own battle
against the monuments, as many are overgrown with
trees and vines.
Happy New Year:
(Right) I happened to be
in Cambodia over their traditional new year's celebrations,
where the kids joyously covered the tourists (and
themselves) with baby powder.
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Tonle Sap Boats:
Visiting Cambodia is like stepping back in time.
We traveled on the Tonle Sap river for 8 hours to reach
Angkor, and on the way we passed many water villages.
These humble, yet impressive villages are completely
self-contained, some even containing petrol stations
for the local boats. |
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Elephants:
I happened to be walking down the main street
in Phnom Penh when I saw a man and his elephant walking
by. Just another day in Cambodia's crazy capital... |
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Tonle Sap River:
Phnom Penh is situated at the confluence of
the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. The city itself
is situated along the Tonle Sap, where spectacular
views like this are common. |
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Angkor Wat at
Sunrise:
We arose before dawn to catch this mesmerizing
view of Angkor Wat. There were few tourists there and
the villagers had not yet begun to hawk their wares.
It was a moment of tranquil peace that a photograph
can never duplicate. |
The Killing Fields, Phnom Penh
It is hard to think of Cambodia today without thinking
of the Khmer Rouge and the killing fields. I never
really knew what the killing fields were until I
went to Asia (I've also learned that American public
schools don't teach topics where America is at fault),
but once I learned what happened I was fascinated
and saddened at the same time. While in Cambodia
I visited a former school that was turned into a
killing center in the mid-1970s and is now a museum.
I also visited one of the infamous killing fields
and met many people who had lost family members during
this massacre. On the way I talked to people whose
families were destroyed and even met former Khmer
Rouge commandos. It truly was a sobering experience.
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S21 Barbed Wire:
Until 1975, this building was a high school
in Phnom Penh. After the Khmer Rouge took over the
capital, however, this school was transformed into
a mass torture and execution center where over 14,000
innocent civilians were brutally murdered. |
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The Killing Fields:
Throughout the countryside there are mass graves
where two million Cambodians (of a total population
of 8 million) are buried. Most of the deceased were
beaten to death with rakes and shovels, in order to
save bullets. (The sign lists the number of bodies
in this single grave, 450) |
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Remains:
While walking around the mass graves, I looked
down and was shocked at what I saw. In this photo of
a random spot of ground, you can see a bone fragment,
a swatch of blue cloth, and a tooth. It is hard to
believe that something so gruesome could have ever
happened, especially so recently. |
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Senseless Murders:
Out of a population
of eight million, two million innocent Cambodians were
murdered for no sensible reason. The effects of this
systematic slaughter remain today, as Cambodia is one
of the most heavily mined countries on Earth and one
in every 250 people is an amputee, the highest ratio
on the planet. |
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| Do you have any questions
or comments about this page? Please let me know!
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Click here to
read an article I wrote about Cambodia (A Journey Through
The Heart of Cambodia - it was published!) (A
new window will open) or click
here to download it in Word 2000 format.
Time Visited: April 1999
Main Cities Visited: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Angkor
Modes of Transportation: Pickup, Taxi, Back of Pickup,
Boat, Roof of Boat, motorcycle
How I Ended Up There: I first read about Cambodia in "Southeast
Asia on a Shoestring" while traveling around the Philippines.
Despite the safety concerns, I desperately wanted to go there.
Luckily, I traveled with a few friends and we spend two weeks
in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Memorable Foods: "Happy Pizza", Angkor Beer (Slogan: "My
country, my beer"), Flavorful Cambodian Cuisine, Lychees, Jelly
Beans
What I Liked: Climbing and exploring the ancient ruins
of Angkor, Sitting on the porch of the FCC as chameleons climbed
the walls, watching life pass by on the Tonle Sap River.
What I Disliked: The immense hardships the people faced
on a daily basis, the way the country was destroyed - first by
the USA and then by their own people
Where I Stayed: hostels, guesthouses
Cambodia in Five Words: pride, destruction, inner strength,
ignored, atrocity
My Thoughts: No country captured my heart like
Cambodia. While most people have never heard of Cambodia,
those who have mostly associate it with death and
destruction. I found Cambodia to be the most "raw" of
all of the countries I visited. You will find no
McDonald's in Cambodia, nor will you find any Holiday
Inns. What you will find is a country with a proud
past, a struggling present, and an uncertain future.
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