Cambodia Part IV- Sihanoukville

On the final leg of our journey, we traveled by road to Sihanoukville, a port town as well as a beach resort on the coast of Southern Cambodia. Named after King Norodom Sihanouk, Sihanoukville is known for its quieter, more laid-back beaches which have still not been taken over by hordes of tourists.  This seemed the perfect way to bring our holiday to a close since we wanted to spend some time relaxing and unwinding after all the hectic travelling.

We stayed at the Independence Hotel, a nice hotel attached to Independence beach. It isn’t the prettiest of beaches, but not too bad either. The hotel has its own shuttle service that takes you into town during the day and collects you from specified pick up points in town. The first evening we went into town and had our meal at a small bar (I forgot he name) that had some great pizza.

The next day, we went into town and took a tuk tuk to Otres beach, one of the better beaches of Sihanoukville. Otres beach is not very crowded, nor is it too commercialized and the waters are calm and incredibly blue. We planted ourselves on some beach chairs at a beach-side shack by the name of Chez Paou. We spent a great day on the beach, swimming and then cooling down with some nice cold beer and some good food. We stayed to watch the sun set and then made our way back into town in search of dinner.

The way down to Otres Beach.

Otres Beach.

The shack where we spent the day.

Sunset at the beach.

We settled for the Cool Banana, on Serendipity road, because the nearby Monkey Island bar was too crowded. I think the Cool Banana distinguishes itself from the highly acclaimed Monkey Island because of its more laid-back atmosphere. They show films during the evenings which I found much nicer than the loud music at Monkey Island because it allowed us to have a conversation without having to yell over the music. Aside from this, the food we had was delicious (I had a burger, which I think was one of the best I’ve ever had) and the staff were both helpful and courteous.

The next day we made our way back to Phnom Penh by road.  From there we caught a flight to Kuala Lumpur and then onwards to Delhi. I would have liked to spend an additional day at Sihanoukville, because I would have loved to visit Ream National Park, but sadly we just couldn’t fit in an extra day.

[All Images- Shalini Pereira]

Cambodia Part III- Phnom Penh

After spending 3 days in Siem Reap, we left for the capital, Phnom Penh. The journey by road took about five hours with stops along the way. As soon as we entered the city, we were struck by how much more traffic there was on the streets, although the practice of driving slowly, something we noticed in Siem Reap, seemed to be a trend here also. Phnom Penh, with its bustling streets is a stark contrast to Siem Reap. Like any big city, it is a little grimier and a little edgier. Despite this, the city is quite charming and its French Colonial past is visible in the architecture of many of its buildings as well as the names of its streets and boulevards.

Independence monument celebrates Cambodia’s independence from foreign rule.

Our first stop in Phnom Penh was the Royal Palace. The lush and immaculately maintained gardens of the Palace grounds offer a calm oasis far removed from the noisy streets beyond the palace walls. The Royal Palace is a good example of Khmer architecture, and is a striking feature in the cityscape of Phnom Penh.

Entry to the Palace.

The Royal Throne Room.

The highlight of the Palace visit was the Silver Pagoda, so named for its silver tiled floor.

One of the buildings in the Palace complex that stands out because of its colonial style architecture.

Monks looking around the Palace grounds. 

In the evening, after an early dinner, we took a walk along the riverfront down Sisiwath Quay. This picturesque, park-lined street overlooks the confluence of the Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac rivers and houses numerous pubs and restaurants offering a wide variety of food and drink. It has a great atmosphere, especially in the evenings and we stopped off at one of the bars, a place called ‘Paddy Rice Irish Pub’ for a late night drink and some great apple pie.

 Steps leading up to Wat Phnom.

 Inside Wat Phnom.

On our second day in the capital, we visited Wat Phnom, a small hill crowned by a pagoda. This place marks the legendary founding place of Phnom Penh. From here we made our way to the Russian Market. The market is a great place to pick up some curios, silks and carvings. It also sells jewellery as well as VCDs, DVDs and CDs at great prices.

 The Gallows at Tuol Sleng.

 The exterior of the classrooms.

A monk in quiet contemplation at Tuol Sleng.

After a quick lunch we visited the Tuol Sleng genocide museum. Originally a high school, it was converted into the S-21 prison and interrogation centre under the Khmer Rouge regime. The buildings, which were originally classrooms, are housed behind high walls reinforced with barbed wire. As soon as you enter the place you get an eerie sense of the terror that must have gripped the men, women and children who were held here. It is difficult not to be deeply horrified as you go around the museum looking at wall upon wall of black and white photographs of the prisoners that were detained here during that time. You can also see the cells where the prisoners were housed. During this 4 year reign of terror it is estimated that 1.5 to 2 million people died. I have to warn you that a visit to this place is quite disturbing, but you simply must visit this place to understand and get a sense of what this country has been through and appreciate how they are slowly recovering.

The next day we rose early and made our way to Sihanoukville, for what would be the most relaxing part of our trip. More about this leg of our journey coming soon.

A small addition-

While waiting to fly out of Phnom Penh Airport, I came across a book by the name of ‘First They Killed My Father- a daughter of Cambodia remembers’, which I later got an opportunity to read. The book is basically a memoir of a young girl, Loung Ung, who endured life under the Khmer Rouge regime. Loung is now settled in the U.S and is a national spokesperson for the campaign for a Landmine Free World. This is an amazing book, where the story is told from the perspective of a child and I would recommend it for to anyone who wants to know more about Cambodia’s turbulent past.

 [All images courtesy Shalini Pereira]

 

Cambodia, Siem Reap- Part II

After the architecture and history of Angkor Wat, which we had seen the previous day, we made our way to Tonle Sap Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia. Situated on the edge of this lake, and a short drive from Siem Reap, is the floating village of Chong Kneas. It is home to many ethnic Vietnamese and Cham communities.

These villages don’t stay in a fixed place, they move with the onset of the wet and dry seasons. People live in boat houses of varying sizes. Some of the houses have electricity, although most people use car batteries as a power source. Several houses had a floating pig pen or a floating garden attached to it. We came across a few floating schools, as well as a few floating churches. We learned from our guide that children on the lake must learn to swim before they can attend school. As part of the trip, we were taken to a crocodile farm and a fish farm.

Tonle Sap Lake.

A cluster of floating houses on Tonle Sap lake.

A young girl paddling in an aluminum basin.

While I found the crocodile farm and fish farm a bit too contrived and touristy, I did enjoy the overall experience of the lake excursion. I loved seeing this side of Cambodia, and the interesting ways in which people have adapted to this way of life. I saw kids below the age of 5 happily paddling their way about in aluminum basins. As we sat in our boats, children hopped from their boats onto ours with practiced ease in an attempt to sell us soft drinks. I would not say that a visit to Tonle Sap is a must, especially if you’re on a short trip. However if you have some time, it is an interesting experience, especially if you are someone who likes observing people as they go about their lives. Chong Kneas is only a short ride from Siem Reap, and is a nice half day trip if you need a break from the temples of Angkor.

After our boat ride on the lake, we made our way to Artisans d'Angkor. This crafts village was founded in 1998 and sponsored by the Cambodian Ministry of Education, the French Foreign Office and the EU with an objective of supporting and promoting Khmer art and culture. Selected youth from Cambodian villages attend this school for 7-8 months to learn about traditional art and crafts ranging from woodcarving, sandstone carving, screen printing, gilding, lacquering, and silk weaving. The village also has a small boutique which is an excellent place for souvenirs. The quality of the carvings I saw here was far superior to what I saw being sold in the Central Market in Phnom Penh. 

A student practicing wood carving.

One of the craftsmen at Artisans d'Angkor carving a statue.

The next day we left for the capital, Phnom Penh, by road. More about our time in Phnom Penh coming soon.

(All images courtesy Shalini Pereira)

Cambodia, Siem Reap- Part I

As lame as it sounds, I had wanted to visit Cambodia ever since I had watched the first Tomb Raider movie. After reading up on the country, its turbulent past and its rich architectural history, I simply had to see it. Years later I finally got the chance to go there. We took a flight out of Delhi international and arrived at Siem Reap via Kuala Lumpur.

As we touched down at Siem Reap airport and made our way inside the terminal, I was pleasantly surprised to see a beautiful and very sensitively designed building, surrounded by luscious greenery and very much in keeping with the country’s heritage. The interior of the terminal building did not disappoint either. It was modern, but it celebrated Cambodian culture through its use of natural materials and its display of art and sculpture.

Angkor Thom

The next morning, we made our way to the Bayon Temple in the centre of the Angkor Thom complex. The temple was built by Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century as his state temple. While it is a Buddhist temple, the influence of Hinduism can also be seen. The real highlight of this temple was the giant faces, each over 2m, carved into the towers of the temple. It is still debated as to whether these faces depict the Buddha or are carved in the likeness of Jayavarman himself.

Images of the Bayon Temple

Within the Angkor Thom complex

Ta Prohm

We next made our way to Ta Prohm, which was also built by King Jayavarman VII. It originally served as a Buddhist monastery. Shrouded by dense jungle, this complex has an almost mystical feel, although I have to admit that it looked a lot smaller than I had imagined. However, this did not take away from its magnificence. I was in awe of the way giant roots of fig and silk-cotton trees snaked their way through the stones of the structures seeming almost one with them. Sunlight filtering through the heavy foliage gave the place an almost ethereal quality. I only wished I could have come here earlier in the day, before it was so cramped with tourists angling to get the best shot. With fewer tourists bustling around, this would be a wonderful place for quiet contemplation.

Angkor Wat

After a quick lunch we headed for Angkor Wat. Our guide insisted the best time to go was around 3pm, when the light was at its best. (I know a lot of travellers insist that the best time to see the temple is at sunrise, but for that we would have had to be at the temple by 5am, and in our defence, we were on our honeymoon!)

The Angkor Wat temple complex, listed as a world heritage site by USESCO, was built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. It functioned first as a Hindu temple, dedicated to Vishnu, and then later, as a Buddhist temple. It is considered the world’s largest religious building.

The 190m wide moat encircling the complex

The grandeur of the temple and its sheer scale is breath-taking. This first hits you as you cross the huge moat (190m wide) to enter the temple complex. Within the grounds, you are struck by how perfectly the main temple building is reflected in the lake in front of it. Inside the temple, you pass through narrow passages having bas-reliefs on their walls which depict scenes from the Ramayana. You are struck by the skill, craftsmanship and technical skill that must have been required to build this temple complex almost 1000 years ago.

Phnom Bakheng

Finally, as we made our way away from Angkor Wat, I bid farewell to this magnificent example of Khmer architecture at its zenith. From here we made our way to Ba Kheng Hill. The temple Phnom Bakheng, built in the 9^th century is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. The temple itself sits atop a hill. It’s a 15 minute walk from the base of the hill to the base of the temple. You also have the option of going through the forest atop an elephant! Once at the temple base, we reach the top via steps so steep that you have to climb/crawl sideways. This is quite a hair-raising experience and is not for the faint hearted, especially on the way down! But once up, the climb is worth it because the view is simply magnificent. Sadly we arrived an hour too early for the sunset and had to miss it. Tired, but happy, we looked forward to the next day, where we would be getting a glimpse into the country’s culture.

[All images by Shalini Pereira except where mentioned]