Campuchia – Travel to the land of “Beauty behind the RUINS”

As I spoke to him I realized that Cambodia (Campuchia) is a place of ruins yet a powerful place that leaves an everlasting impression on a traveler’s psyche. As he spoke it felt like he lived those moments again. As the plane hit the soil of Cambodia from Thailand; he checked into the Two Dragon Guest House at Siem Reap.

Day 2: Beng Melea: 

Beng Melea - Ruins

It is located at a distance of 68km from Siem Reap. A place that captures the heart of a true explorer; “beauty lies in ruins and I discovered it here”, is what he has to say about this place. The temple is amidst Mother Nature and is completely consumed by foliages and rubble.It is blissful to see the trees fighting with each other to guard the beauty of this place. There are several beautiful carvings, piles of finely chiseled stones and Apsara care-takers in the temple.  As he justified the $5 at Beng Melea, his next destination – “The War Museum” gave him a shout.

War Museum:  has a unique collection of arms used during the Cambodia – Vietnam War. He says that it is disheartening to see what human kind has done to that place. The place allows visitors to see arms including war tanks, explosives, missiles and land mines. He also says that some of these war machines have even seen action in World War II.  An amazing day with a deadly combination of war and peace finally came to an end after a sumptuous dinner Lok Lak (Cambodia’s local delicacy) at the guest house.

Day 3: Angkor Wat:

Waking up early in the morning to visit a splendid and the largest religious monument in the world was an amazing feeling by itself. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu after breaking the Shaiva tradition by the Khmer king Suryavarman. He says that the temple unveils the history of Cambodia and is a photographer’s paradise. The temple is situated in front of a water body which captures the reflection of the temple. One common thing he spotted in both the temples was the statues of lions and a five headed serpent as guards of the temple. This temple is admired for its magnificent architecture based on the Hindu mythology and is the state temple. He says he can never forget the chilled palm juice sold for 1$ outside the temple which quenched his thirst.

Day 4: Quad Biking:
Today was another adventurous day calling him; he says this was completely his thing which he enjoyed to the fullest. The trail was amidst a farmland and he says that he took multiple laps as there were not many people. The cost is 65$ and the guides click photographs and e-mails it to us. After the amazing work-out he headed to explore the pub street and the old market before he hit the bed that evening.

Day 5: Bayon:

Another celebrated Khmer temple built by a Buddhist king located at 27km from Siem Reap. There are cluster of temples and the key attraction of this place are the smiling stone faces on many towers. With the sweltering sun right on top, completely exhausted he says that he stood wondered how these stones stood smiling. He says that there are multiple temples with different architecture and is a place worth exploring.

Day 6: Kabl Spean:

A pure blend of serenity and adventure is Kabl Spean, located to the northeast of Siem Reap. He says that the sight of water body there is a true healer as he headed towards the Landmine museum.  A private museum owned by a person called Aki Ra, he has been specially trained by the Germans to diffuse the landmines. Aki Ra used the traditional way of demining and has disarmed a lot of these mines alone and has helped a lot of people in Cambodia.  As he spoke he says that every single day has been a combination of agony and ecstasy.

Day 7: Shopping day; he went around buying souvenirs for his loved ones. Durian fruit candies are must to include in the shopping list he adds. His next destination was the capital city; Phnom Penh. He says the bus from Siem Reap to the capital city is a luxury in itself. It is an overnight journey and Phnom Penh is located at a distance of 319.9 km from Siem reap. The buses are AC sleeper coaches with an in-built toilet facility and Wi-Fi connection.

Day 8: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Monument of Cambodia welcomes the visitors to reveal the horror side of it. A school building that had turned into Security Prison and now a museum. He says he had chill running down the spine as he read the clauses of punishment hanging on the wall at the entrance.

Another bitter truth awaited him at the beautiful Choeung Ek Monument of Cambodia. It is marked by a Buddhist Stupa now which then had thousands of graves. It is also called as the Killing Field. Multiple lists of people hung on the wall depicting the cruelty of mankind.

Day 9: Filling his heart with extremes, generous people who have survived the most difficult times, beauty in ruins, under-developed country with an amazing bus facility; he says that this place left him stunned.  With a lot of memories, a couple of new friends and a life-time experience dreamer signed- off from Cambodia.

•   Number of days travelled: 9 days and 10 nights
•   Climate : Generally humid
•   Currency : US$ (widely accepted) , Cambodian Riel
•   Language : Khmer / English (very less)
•   Mode of travel: Flight (International), Bus and tuk-tuk – In Cambodia
•   Places to eat: Cambodian Barbeque restaurant / Indian restaurants - on Pub Street/ Food Street at Siem Reap
•   Famous delicacy: Amok / Lok – Lak / Mondulkiri - strong coffee / Sugarcane Juice with orange / Palm Juice
•   Other Attractions:  Phare Circus / Apsara dance show (dance form of Cambodia) / Phnom Kulen
•  Do’s:

1. ·         English has to be spoken really slow
2. ·         Can visit schools and distribute books and pens to kids

Don’ts 

1.   Do not encourage kids with money or do not buy anything from them
2.   Do not buy the Buddha monuments as the government has made it illegal
3.   Do not part from your belongings – safety is a concern at times