(above) The main temple of Angkor Wat is most beautiful at dusk.
Nine hundred years ago, Angkor Wat was the most populated place on earth, with over one million people. London by contrast had a thousand people who were living in the Dark Ages. The dozens of temples At Angkor Wat were surrounded by an extensive system of canals that provided water, and were modeled on how the ancient Khmer kings saw themselves in the center of the world.
The history, the massive, beautiful complex and the Buddhist culture make this place exceptional. Cambodia is very safe now but the first time I went, another civil war had just started. On the plane from Myanmar, I found out an Englishman and his translator were kidnapped and killed by the Khmer Rouge, a mile from my hotel. I was able to hire a bodyguard. but this is not necessary today.
Two Buddhist monks relax in front of one of the many large, smiling faces carved in to Bayonne Temple.
Ta Proehm Temple is overgrown with huge Jing trees that look like they were dripped over the structures. Angkor Wat was only found one hundred years ago, after being abandoned for at least four hundred years and completely reclaimed by the forest.
The Choeng Ek Killing Fields Memorial, is in the Cambodian capitol of Phnom Penh and contains 25,000 skulls of the three million people killed by Pol Pot in the 1970's. The majority of the victims were killed with hammers or machetes and many bodies were found with arms still tied or with blindfolds. Most travelers to Angkor Wat have to fly through Phnom Penh for the one hour flight, and this is definitely worth seeing, along with the Tuol Sleng high school turned Khmer Rouge torture chamber.
Few people know that for less than $200, you can shoot a rocket launcher with the Cambodian Army. Click on the photo to enlarge it and you can see the rocket flying just above the tree line, on the right. The site at the regional army headquarters, is about an hour from the Phnom Penh airport. For $500, you can shoot a tank-round, if the tank is available. They have AK-47s ($15 for 20 rounds) and hand grenades ($20) available, if you prefer something a little smaller...
No comments:
Post a Comment