Cambodia – Read Now and Download Mobi

On the Road

NICK RAY Coordinating Author

This photo was taken at Prasat Preah Vihear (Click here), the king of the mountain temples, and has to be one of my favourite views in Cambodia – the extensive plains of lowland Cambodia melting into the infinite horizon. Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia means almost no tourists are visiting at this time. A motorcycle adventure from the Cambodian side remains a real adventure, although a risky one with the two armies facing off over barbed wire. Preah Vihear was where the Khmer Rouge made their last stand, so you still need to be careful of land mines, but equally dangerous are the ferocious winds that whip across the ridge. Careful how close you stand to the edge.

DANIEL ROBINSON

This enormous jackfruit, for sale on an upturned roadside basket, made my mouth water as I anticipated its sweet, spongy, fragrant flesh. The local kids – this was on the car-less Mekong island of Koh Paen (Click here) – were as captivated by me as I was by the monster fruit.

GREG BLOOM

The notorious 57km ‘road’ from Koh Nhek to Lumphat is a convoluted maze of rutted single tracks bisecting the backcountry of Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri. Here I’m standing at the point where the trail empties into the Srepok River in Lumphat (Click here), having just survived the four-hour trip on the back of a moto. From there, it was on to Ban Lung for a well-deserved frosty beverage.

For full author biographies Click here.

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Cambodia Highlights

For a relatively small country, Cambodia packs in the highlights, offering everything from ancient jungle temples to sophisticated designer restaurants, from isolated and windswept national parks to a pristine coastline peppered with tropical islands.

Angkor is a tour de force of temples, but even Phnom Penh is no slouch with its iconic Silver Pagoda. Provincial destinations provide charming escapes, including the chance to ride the bamboo train in Battambang or chow down on crab in Kep.

Wherever you go, the welcome is warm and the smiles are wide, as the Cambodian people are some of the friendliest in the region.

BAYON, ANGKOR

Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? More than 200 carved stone faces, thought to be portraits of the Khmer King Jayavarman VII, gaze down from the lofty towers of Bayon (Click here), giving visitors a distinct inferiority complex.

Laurakb, Traveller

THE PEOPLE OF CAMBODIA

Cycling around Cambodia gave us the opportunity to visit the main attractions as well as smaller towns and villages. Wherever we went, one thing remained constant: the Cambodian people love to chat! We were greeted with smiles and a chorus of hellos wherever we went, and the high standard of English among the young enabled more in-depth discussions. Although some were shy at first, we found that stumbling through a sentence in Khmer (Click here) soon broke the ice, and before long the conversation was flowing.

Claire Dann and Tabitha Langford, Travellers

TA PROHM

The temple of Ta Prohm (Click here), in the middle of the jungle at Angkor, is one of the most awe-inspiring places I have ever been in. Walk through the ruined temples, half devoured by the giant roots of the trees, and pull a Lara Croft if you can!

Crisonthemove, Traveller

ROYAL PALACE & SILVER PAGODA

Angkor Wat is impressive, but head to the Royal Palace (Click here) in the nation’s capital for a truly rich experience! The Silver Pagoda’s temple floor, covered with gleaming silver tiles, seems out of place in the weathered Cambodian landscape. The Royal Palace grounds are equally remarkable. Cambodia is a land of extremes, and this is the lush, royal end of it.

moontorch, Traveller

BATTAMBANG

I had an awesome day exploring the countryside around Battambang (Click here) on the back of a motorbike. We hired moto drivers for the day who took us to visit local villages – we saw the muscle-straining way that rice noodles are made, watched chillies drying in the sun and smelled the unforgettable stench of giant vats of maturing fish paste. Caked in dust by the end of the day, we then climbed aboard the ingenious bamboo train for the ride back to Battambang.

Sasha Baskett, Lonely Planet Staff

BOKOR HILL STATION

Walk among the ruins of the ghostly Bokor Hill Station (Click here), an old colonial retreat built by the French in the 1920s and later occupied by Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese forces in the war. The eerie hotel has been likened to the one in The Shining, but this one has bullet holes in the walls.

cheryn, Traveller

BAMBOO TRAIN

Take one engine and an axle, place on railway tracks and balance fence panel on top – welcome to Cambodia’s bamboo train (Click here). Take your seat and hold on tight, relying on your 10-year-old driver to suss whether there’s a train coming in the opposite direction. Short prayer optional.

providores, Traveller

CRAB IN KEP

The seaside town of Kep (Click here) is slowly waking up from its post-war slumber and is fast becoming a fresh-seafood mecca. Picking our own sea creatures and having them prepared before our eyes made this a real highlight. We joined the banter and bought crab from the women keeping the crustaceans fresh in floating baskets – the competition is fierce and it’s a lot of fun. We were spoilt for choice, but the omnipresent crab with Kampot pepper is surely not to be missed. We left Kep licking our lips.

Annelies Mertens, Lonely Planet Staff

MASSAGE IN SIEM REAP

After sweltering among the temples, we opted for a soothing massage with Siem Reap’s blind masseurs (Click here). Have you ever conversed with someone where neither of you spoke the same language and they couldn’t interpret your visual clues? Despite comic misunderstandings, we finally donned loose pyjamas and lay down. An elderly woman, with an astonishing amount of strength in her small hands, began pummelling me. It may not have been the soothing experience I was looking for, but I was inspired on so many levels – ability despite disability; determination in spite of circumstance.

Jennifer Garrett, Lonely Planet Staff

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Contents

On the Road

Cambodia Highlights

Destination Cambodia

Getting Started

Events Calendar

Itineraries

History

The Culture

Food & Drink

Environment

Colours of Cambodia

Phnom Penh

Siem Reap

Temples of Angkor

South Coast

Northwestern Cambodia

Eastern Cambodia

Directory

Transport

Health

Language

Glossary

The Authors

Behind the Scenes

Map Legend

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Destination Cambodia

There’s a magic about Cambodia that casts a spell on many who visit this charming yet confounding kingdom. Ascend to the realm of the gods at the mother of all temples, Angkor Wat, a spectacular fusion of symbolism, symmetry and spirituality. Descend into the hell of Tuol Sleng and come face to face with the Khmer Rouge and its killing machine. Welcome to the conundrum that is Cambodia: a country with a history both inspiring and depressing, an intoxicating place where the future is waiting to be shaped.

The years of fear and loathing are finally over and Angkor is once more the symbol of the nation, drawing pilgrims from across the globe. Peace has come to this beautiful yet blighted land after three decades of war, and the Cambodian people have opened their arms to the world. Tourism has well and truly taken off, yet a journey here remains an adventure as much as a holiday.

Contemporary Cambodia is the successor state to the mighty Khmer empire, which, during the Angkorian period, ruled much of what is now Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The remains of this empire can be seen at the fabled temples of Angkor, monuments unrivalled in scale and grandeur in Southeast Asia. The traveller’s first glimpse of Angkor Wat, the ultimate expression of Khmer genius, is simply staggering and is matched by only a few select spots on earth, such as Machu Picchu or Petra.

FAST FACTS

Population: 14.5 million

Life expectancy: 62 years

Infant mortality: 55 per 1000 births

GDP: US$11.25 billion (2008)

Adult literacy rate: 76.3%

Number of tourists per year: 2 million and rising

Number of monks in Cambodia: 60,000

Annual freshwater fish catch: 290,000 to 430,000 tonnes per year

Bombs dropped on Cambodia: 539,000 tonnes

Number of psychiatrists in Cambodia: 26

Just as Angkor is more than its wat, so too is Cambodia more than its temples. The chaotic yet charismatic capital of Phnom Penh is a hub of political intrigue, economic vitality and intellectual debate. All too often overlooked by hit-and-run tourists ticking off Angkor on a regional tour, the revitalised city is finally earning plaudits in its own right thanks to a gorgeous riverside location, a cultural renaissance, and a dining and drinking scene to rival the best in the region.

Siem Reap and Phnom Penh may be the heavyweights, but to some extent they are a bubble, a world away from the Cambodia of the countryside. This is the place to experience the rhythm of rural life and timeless landscapes of dazzling rice paddies and swaying sugar palms. Spend some time in the srok (provinces), as Cambodians call them, enjoying a dar leng (walkabout) to discover the true flavour of the country.

The South Coast is fringed by tropical islands, with just a handful of beach huts in sight. The next Ko Samui or Gili Trawangan awaits discovery and, for now, visitors can play Robinson Crusoe, but probably not for much longer. Inland from the coast lie the Cardamom Mountains, part of a vast tropical wilderness that provides a home to elusive wildlife and is the gateway to emerging ecotourism adventures. The mighty Mekong River cuts through the country and is home to some of the region’s last remaining freshwater dolphins; cyclists and dirt bikers can follow the river’s length as it meanders through traditional communities. The northeast is a world unto itself, its wild and mountainous landscapes a home for Cambodia’s ethnic minorities and an abundance of natural attractions, including thundering waterfalls and pristine crater lakes.

‘Ascend to the realm of the gods at the mother of all temples, Angkor Wat, a spectacular fusion of symbolism, symmetry and spirituality’

Despite this beautiful backdrop, life is no picnic for the average Cambodian. Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in Asia and it’s a tough existence for much of the population, as they battle it out against the whims of nature and, sometimes, their politicians. According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP; www.undp.org), Cambodia remains in worse shape than Congo and the Solomon Islands, just scraping in ahead of Myanmar, while Transparency International (www.transparency.org), the anticorruption watchdog, rates the country a lowly 158 out of the 180 countries ranked. Income remains desperately low for many Khmers, with annual salaries in the hundreds rather than thousands of dollars, and public servants, such as teachers, unable to eke out a living on their meagre wages.

Cambodia’s pristine environment may be a big draw, but much of it is currently under threat. Ancient forests are being razed to make way for plantations, rivers are being sized up for major hydroelectric power plants and the south coast is being explored by leading oil companies. All this helped add up to an ever-stronger economy, at least until the global financial crisis swept through town, but it’s unlikely to encourage the ecotourism that is just starting to develop.

Cambodia is like the teen starlet who has just been discovered by an adoring public: everyone wants something from her but not everyone wants what is in her best interests. The government, long shunned by international big business, is keen to benefit from all these new-found opportunities. Contracts are being signed off like autographs and there are concerns for the long-term development of the country. The Chinese have come to the table to play for big stakes and pledged US$1.1 billion in assistance in late 2009, considerably more than all the other donors put together, and with no burdensome strings attached. Good governance? Beijing preaches a different faith to that of Brussels.

‘Despite having the eighth wonder of the world in its backyard, Cambodia’s greatest treasure is its people’

Tourism has brought many benefits to Cambodia: it provides opportunity and employment for a new generation of Khmers, has helped spark a rebirth of the traditional arts, and has given the country a renewed sense of pride and optimism as it recovers from the dark decades of war and genocide. However, not all tourism has been good for the country and there is the dark side of sex tourism, human exploitation and a gambling culture. Cambodia is in a great position to learn from the mistakes of other countries in the region and follow a sustainable road to tourism development. However, it may be that the government is more focused on the short-term gain that megabucks investments can provide. Can Cambodia be all things to all visitors? So far, so good, but a new era is about to begin and the beaches are the next battleground.

There are two faces to Cambodia: one shiny and happy, the other dark and complex. For every illegal eviction of city dwellers or land grab by a general, there will be a new NGO school offering better education, or a new clean-water initiative to improve the lives of the average villager. Such is the yin and yang of Cambodia, a country that inspires and confounds. The more layers you unravel, the more it makes you want to cry, but these are spontaneous tears, sometimes of sorrow, sometimes of joy.

Despite having the eighth wonder of the world in its backyard, Cambodia’s greatest treasure is its people. The Khmers have been to hell and back, struggling through years of bloodshed, poverty and political instability. Thanks to an unbreakable spirit and infectious optimism, they have prevailed with their smiles intact. No visitor comes away from Cambodia without a measure of admiration and affection for the inhabitants of this enigmatic kingdom.

Cambodia: beaches as beautiful as Thailand but without the tourist tide; wilds as remote as Laos but even less explored; cuisine as subtle as Vietnam but yet to be discovered; and temples that leave Myanmar (Burma) and Indonesia in the shade. This is the heart of Southeast Asia, with everything the region has to offer packed into one bite-sized country. If you were only planning to spend a week in Cambodia, it’s time to think again.

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Getting Started

   WHEN TO GO
   COSTS & MONEY
   TRAVELLING RESPONSIBLY
   TRAVEL LITERATURE
   INTERNET RESOURCES

A journey to Cambodia offers a window on the soul of Southeast Asia. The magnificent temples of Angkor are unrivalled, and beyond the rich legacy of the ancient Khmer empire lie the buzzing capital of Phnom Penh, countless kilometres of unspoilt tropical beaches, the mighty Mekong River, a vibrant culture and some of the friendliest people in the region. It’s not the most ‘sophisticated’ destination in the world (though for many this makes it all the more charming), so be sure to pack some patience and humour. Cambodia is full of surprises, so gear up for the adventure.

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WHEN TO GO

Cambodia can be visited at any time of the year. The ideal months are December and January, when humidity levels are relatively low, there is little rainfall and a cooling breeze whips across the land, but this is also peak season when the majority of visitors descend on the country.

See Climate Charts (Click here) for more information.

From early February, temperatures keep rising until the killer month, April, when the mercury often exceeds 40°C (104°F). Some time in May or June, the southwestern monsoon brings rain and high humidity, cooking up a sweat for all but the hardiest of visitors. The wet season, which lasts until October, isn’t such a bad time to visit, as the rain tends to come in short, sharp downpours. Angkor is surrounded by lush foliage and the moats are full of water at this time of year. If you are planning to visit remote areas, however, the wet season makes for tough travel.

Some visitors like to coordinate their trip with one of the annual festivals, such as Bon Om Tuk or Khmer New Year (Click here).

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COSTS & MONEY

The cost of travelling in Cambodia covers the whole spectrum, from very cheap to outrageously expensive, depending on taste and comfort. Penny-pinchers can survive on as little as US$15 per day, while budget travellers with an eye on enjoyment can live it up on US$30 a day. Midrange travellers can turn on the style with US$75 to US$150 a day, staying in smart places, dining well and travelling in comfort. At the top end, you’ll need US$200 a day or more to live a life of luxury.

Accommodation starts from as little as US$2 to US$5 in popular destinations. Spending US$10 to US$20 will add amenities such as air-conditioning, satellite TV, fridge and hot water. Stepping up to US$50, you enter the world of three-star standards and charming boutique resorts. Forking out US$100 or more brings a five-star fling. Don’t be afraid to negotiate for a discount if it is low season or traffic is down.

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT…

Actually, bring as little as possible. Cambodia has virtually everything you find at home and it’s usually available at lower prices. All the soaps and smellies are plentiful, and clothing, shoes and backpacks are available at a fraction of the price in the West. Tampons are available in all major towns and cities, but not in more remote areas.

A Swiss Army knife or equivalent comes in handy, but you don’t need 27 separate functions. A torch (flashlight), compass, a flash drive and extra camera memory are also useful.

Other handy items include earplugs to block the ever-present noise, a universal plug adaptor, a rain cover for your backpack and insect repellent to keep the bugs at bay. Finally, the secret of successful packing: plastic bags. Not only do they keep things separate and clean, but also dry. That means a lot at the end of a long, wet day.

While Cambodian cuisine may not be as well known as that of neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam, it can certainly compete with the best of them. Snack on the street or chow down in the market, with meals starting at just 2000r or so, or indulge in a banquet for a few bucks. Local Khmer restaurants are a step up in comfort, and a meal will cost around US$2. Next are the sophisticated Khmer, Asian and international restaurants. Meals start from about US$4 at the cheaper places, rising to US$10 and up at the smarter ones, and US$50 or more is possible if you go wild with the wine list.

Domestic flights link Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Fast boats link several popular destinations in Cambodia and the journey can be more scenic than by road. There is now a healthy selection of bus companies connecting towns and cities throughout Cambodia and prices are rock bottom. On the rougher roads, share taxis and pick-ups take the strain. Train travel is no longer possible, as passenger services have been suspended, but that could be seen as a blessing in disguise given that trains crawl along at an average speed of 20km/h. For ultimate flexibility, rent a car or 4WD and travel with a guide. See the Transport chapter (Click here) for more information.

Visitors to Angkor (which is surely everybody coming to Cambodia) will have to factor in the cost of entrance fees, which are US$20 for one day, US$40 for three days and US$60 for one week. An additional expense is transport to get to, from and around the ruins; from US$2 for a bicycle, about US$8 for a moto (small motorcycle with driver), US$10 to US$15 for a remork-moto (motorcycle with carriage, aka tuk tuk) and US$25 to US$50 for a car.

Small budget, big budget, it doesn’t really matter; Cambodia is the place to be. Soak it up in the style that suits.

HOW MUCH?

Hotel room with air-con US$10-20

Restaurant meal US$4-15

Internet access per hour US$0.40-2.00

Cambodia Daily
news-paper 1200r

Krama (checked scarf) US$1-2

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TRAVELLING RESPONSIBLY

Since our inception in 1973, Lonely Planet has encouraged readers to tread lightly, travel responsibly and experience the magic of independent travel. International travel is growing at a dizzying rate and we still firmly believe in the benefits it can bring but, as always, we encourage you to consider the impact your visit will have on both the global environment and the local economies, cultures and ecosystems.

Cambodia has been to hell and back and there are many ways that you can put a little back into the country. Staying a bit longer, travelling further, and spreading the wealth around (by getting off the beaten path) is obvious advice, but even for those on a short stay, it is possible to engage with locals in markets and spend money in restaurants and outlets that assist disadvantaged Cambodians. See the boxed text, Click here, in the Food and Drink chapter, as well as the Eating and Shopping sections in the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap chapters, and other town entries, for more ideas.

The following websites have more information on sustainable tourism and tips on responsible travel:

• Cambodia Community-Based Ecotourism Network (www.ccben.org) The official website promoting community-based ecotourism in Cambodia. Browse here for more on projects and initiatives across the country.
• ChildSafe (www.childsafe-cambodia.org) Learn about the ChildSafe campaign, which aims to stop child-sex tourism and protect vulnerable children from all forms of exploitation.
• ConCERT (www.concertcambodia.org) Siem Reap–based organisation ‘connecting communities, environment and responsible tourism’.
• Heritage Watch (www.heritagewatch.org) The home of the heritage-friendly tourism campaign to raise interest in remote heritage sites and their protection.
• Mekong Discovery Trail (www.mekongdiscoverytrail.org) The official website for the Mekong Discovery Trail, promoting community-based tourism initiatives on the upper Mekong.
• Responsible Travel (www.responsible-travel.org) A no-nonsense website with commonsense advice on how to travel with a conscience.
• Sam Veasna Center for Wildlife Conservation (www.samveasna.org) The best source of information on sustainable visits to Cambodia’s world-class bird sanctuaries.
• Stay Another Day (www.stay-another-day.org) A great website dedicated to tempting tourists into staying another day in Cambodia, packed with ideas on day trips, project visits and alternative things to see and do.

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TRAVEL LITERATURE

The classic Cambodian read is Norman Lewis’ A Dragon Apparent: Travels in Cambodia, Laos & Vietnam (1951), an account of his 1950 foray into an Indochina that would soon disappear. In the course of his travels, Lewis circumnavigated Tonlé Sap Lake, with a pause at Angkor. The book has been reissued as part of The Norman Lewis Omnibus (1995).

Written by authors who know and love their countries, To Asia with Love: A Connoisseur’s Guide to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam (2004), an anthology edited by Kim Fay, is a delightful introduction to Cambodia and the Mekong region for those looking for some inspiration and adventure. A new To Cambodia with Love is still on the cards and should finally be out some time during the lifetime of this book.

Travels in Siam, Cambodia, Laos and Annam (1864) by Henri Mouhot has been reprinted in English by White Lotus and gives the inside story of the man credited with ‘rediscovering’ Angkor.

Jon Swain’s River of Time (1995) takes the reader back to an old Indochina, partly lost to the madness of war, and includes firsthand accounts of the French embassy stand-off in the first days of the Khmer Rouge takeover.

Tim Page’s Derailed in Uncle Ho’s Victory Garden (1995) covers this legendary photographer’s quest for the truth behind the disappearance of photojournalist Sean Flynn (son of Errol) in Cambodia in 1970, and his mission to secure a monument to fallen correspondents on all sides of the Indochina conflict.

An excellent account of life on the Mother River is The River’s Tale: A Year on the Mekong (2001) by Edward Gargan. A war-protester-turned-foreign-correspondent, Gargan sees for himself how Cambodia and its neighbours have brought themselves back from the brink.

The Indochina Chronicles (2005) by Phil Karber is a lively travelogue taking in adventures and misadventures in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Amit Gilboa’s Off the Rails in Phnom Penh – Guns, Girls and Ganja (1998) deals with such murky subjects as prostitution and drugs. It feels like he got too close to his subject at times and it’s not really a side of Cambodia of which most Khmers are proud.

The ultimate spoof guidebook, Phaic Tăn: Sunstroke on a Shoestring (2004) is a pastiche of Southeast Asian countries that pokes fun at all of us. No one is spared: not the locals, not the travellers – not even hallowed guidebook authors.

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INTERNET RESOURCES

• Andy Brouwer’s Cambodia Tales (www.andybrouwer.co.uk) Gateway to all things Cambodian, this site includes comprehensive links to other sites and regular travel articles from veteran Cambodia adventurers. Includes a popular blog.
• Angkor Wat Portal (www.angkor.com) When it comes to links, this site has them, spreading its cyber-tentacles into all sorts of interesting areas.
• Biking Southeast Asia with Mr Pumpy (www.mrpumpy.net) The definitive but dated website for cyclists passing through Cambodia is written with candour and humour by Mr Pumpy’s best friend Felix Hude.
• Expat Advisory (www.expat-advisory.com) News and events site aimed at expats in Asia, with up-to-date information on happenings in Phnom Penh.
• Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) Offers information on travelling to and within Cambodia, the Thorn Tree travel forum and up-to-date travel news.
• Ministry of Tourism (www.mot.gov.kh) The official Cambodian tourism website is dated, but there are some useful links for hotels, restaurants and travel agents.
• Tales of Asia (www.talesofasia.com) This popular website has detailed information on overland travel in Cambodia, including the Bangkok–Siem Reap overland run.
• Things Asian (www.thingsasian.com) Bubbling with information on the culture of the Mekong region, this site has everything including architecture, literature and fashion.

ANCIENT TEMPLES

Cambodia is the temple capital of Asia. The kingdom is littered with the lavish legacy of the god-kings. Choose from majestic mountain-top temples, forbidding and forgotten jungle fortresses, incredible carved riverbeds and pre-Angkorian brick cities.

1. Angkor Wat (Click here), the mother of all temples
2. Banteay Chhmar (Click here), the forgotten complex of the far northwest
3. Banteay Srei (Click here), the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art
4. Bayon (Click here), with its 216 enigmatic faces
5. Beng Mealea (Click here), Angkor-sized but swallowed by jungle
6. Kbal Spean (Click here), the River of a Thousand Lingas
7. Koh Ker (Click here), an usurper capital of huge proportions
8. Prasat Preah Vihear (Click here), the most spectacular of the mountain temples
9. Sambor Prei Kuk (Click here), the first temple city in the region
10. Ta Prohm (Click here), left as explorers first saw it – nature run riot

THE CAMBODIAN TRAGEDY IN WORDS

In stark contrast to the glories of the Angkor empire is the dark void into which the country plunged in the 1970s. A brutal civil war raged for five years, delivering the Khmer Rouge to power. This regime turned the clocks to Year Zero in what was to become one of the world’s most radical and bloody revolutions. Read your way into these tumultuous events to understand how it all happened.

1. Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon and the Destruction of Cambodia by William Shawcross (1979)
2. Brother Enemy by Nayan Chanda (1985)
3. History of Cambodia by David Chandler (1994)
4. Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness by Milton Osbourne (1994)
5. The Pol Pot Regime by Ben Kiernan (1996)
6. Voices from S-21 by David Chandler (1999)
7. First They Killed My Father by Luong Ung (2001)
8. The Gate by Francois Bizot (2003)
9. Pol Pot: The History of a Nightmare by Phillip Short (2004)
10. The Lost Executioner by Nic Dunlop (2005)

ADVENTURES

If you are looking for adventures in Asia, then you have come to the right place. The roads may be rough, but the stories will be smooth and stay with you forever.

1. Make the overland pilgrimage to Prasat Preah Vihear (Click here)
2. Beachcomb on the beautiful island of Koh Kong (Click here)
3. Disappear for a week into the wildlife-rich forests of Virachey National Park (Click here)
4. Paddle a dugout through the flooded forest of Kompong Pluk (Click here)
5. Go underground at Kampot Province’s cave pagodas (Click here and Click here)
6. Ride the bamboo train in Battambang, Cambodia’s local express (Click here)
7. Camp out in the jungle at the temple of Preah Khan (Click here)
8. See some of Asia’s rarest large waterbirds at Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary (Click here)
9. Mountain bike through traditional villages on the Mekong Discovery Trail (Click here)
10. Penetrate the vast rainforests of the remote Cardamoms like an explorer of old (Click here)

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Events Calendar

   JANUARY–APRIL
   MAY–AUGUST
   SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER

Why not plan your trip to coincide with one of Cambodia’s major festivals? Holidays and festivals take place according to the lunar calendar, so dates vary from year to year. Check the internet for the exact dates.

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JANUARY–APRIL

CHAUL CHNAM CHEN (CHINESE NEW YEAR)  late Jan–mid-Feb

The Chinese inhabitants of Cambodia celebrate their New Year somewhere between late January and mid-February – for the Vietnamese, this is Tet. As many of Phnom Penh’s businesses are run by Chinese, commerce grinds to a halt around this time and there are dragon dances all over town. Many Vietnamese living in Cambodia return to their homeland for a week or more.

CHAUL CHNAM KHMER (KHMER NEW YEAR)  mid-Apr

This is a three-day celebration of the Khmer New Year, and is like Christmas, New Year and birthdays all rolled into one. Cambodians make offerings at wats, clean out their homes, and exchange gifts. It is a lively time to visit the country as the Khmers go wild with water and talcum powder, leaving a lot of bemused tourists looking like plaster-cast figures. Large crowds congregate at Wat Phnom in the capital, but females should watch out for the over-eager attention of young gangs of males. Throngs of Khmers flock to Angkor, and it’s absolute madness at most temples, so avoid the celebration if you want a quiet, reflective Angkor experience. That said, it is nowhere near as excessive as in Thailand or Laos, so it might seem quiet by comparison.

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MAY–AUGUST

CHAT PREAH NENGKAL (ROYAL PLOUGHING CEREMONY)  early May

Led by the royal family, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony is a ritual agricultural festival held to mark the traditional beginning of the rice-growing season. It takes place in front of the National Museum (Click here), near the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, and the royal oxen are said to have a nose for whether it will be a good harvest or a bad one.

VISAKHA PUJA (BUDDHA DAY)  May/Jun

Celebrating Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and parinibbana (passing away), activities are centred on wats. The festival falls on the eighth day of the fourth moon and is best observed at Angkor Wat, where you can see candle-lit processions of monks.

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SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER

P’CHUM BEN (FESTIVAL OF THE DEAD)  Sep/Oct

This festival is a kind of All Souls’ Day, when respects are paid to the dead through offerings made at wats. Offerings include paper money, flowers, candles and incense, as well as food and drink, all passed through the medium of the monks. P’chum Ben lasts for several days and devout Buddhists are expected to visit seven wats during the festival.

BON OM TUK (WATER FESTIVAL)  Oct/Nov

Celebrating the epic victory of Jayavarman VII over the Chams, who occupied Angkor in 1177, this festival also marks the remarkable natural phenomenon of the reversal of the current of the Tonlé Sap River. It is one of the most important festivals in the Khmer calendar and is a wonderful, if chaotic, time to be in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Boat races are held on the Tonlé Sap and Siem Reap Rivers, with each boat colourfully decorated and holding 40 rowers. As many as two million people flood the capital for the fun and frolics − which also include live concerts, food stands, fair rides and fireworks − so be sure to book ahead for accommodation.

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Itineraries

CLASSIC ROUTES
   CAMBODIA SNAPSHOT  Two Weeks
   THE BIG ONE  One Month
ROADS LESS TRAVELLED
   THE LOST TEMPLES OF THE NORTHWEST
   RUN TO THE HILLS
TAILORED TRIP
   UNTAMED CARDAMOMS & UNEXPLORED COAST

CLASSIC ROUTES

CAMBODIA SNAPSHOT  Two Weeks

Whether you start in Siem Reap and travel south, or head north to Angkor, this is the ultimate journey, via temples, beaches and the capital.

Hit Phnom Penh for sights such as the impressive National Museum, with its excellent Angkorian sculpture collection, and the stunning Silver Pagoda. There is superb shopping at the Psar Tuol Tom Pong, and a night shift that never sleeps.

Take a fast boat to Phnom Da, then go south to the colonial-era town of Kampot. From here, visit Bokor Hill Station, the seaside town of Kep and the cave pagodas at Phnom Chhnork and Phnom Sorsia.

Go west to Sihanoukville, Cambodia’s beach capital, to sample the seafood, dive the nearby waters or just soak up the sun. Backtrack via Phnom Penh to Kompong Thom and get a taste of what’s to come by visiting the pre-Angkorian brick temples of Sambor Prei Kuk.

Finish the trip at Angkor, a mind-blowing experience with which few sights compare. See Angkor Wat, perfection in stone; Bayon, weirdness in stone; and Ta Prohm, nature triumphing over stone – before venturing further afield to Kbal Spean or jungle-clad Beng Mealea.

This trip can take two weeks at a steady pace or three weeks at a slow pace. Public transport serves most of this route. Rent a motorbike for side trips to Kep and Sambor Prei Kuk, and try out a remork-moto (tuk tuk) at Angkor. More money, less time? Rent a car and set the pace.

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THE BIG ONE  One Month

Cambodia is a small country and even though the roads are sometimes bad and travel can be slow, most of the big hitters can be visited in a month.

Setting out from Phnom Penh, take in the beauty of the northeast, following the Run to the Hills itinerary (Click here). Choose between Ratanakiri Province and Mondulkiri Province to ensure maximum time elsewhere. The gentle hills of Mondulkiri are better for budget travellers as traversing overland is easy, while Ratanakiri makes sense for those planning an overland journey between Cambodia and Laos. Tough choice…can’t decide? Flip a coin, if you can find one in this coinless country.

Head to the South Coast, taking the route outlined in the Cambodia Snapshot itinerary (opposite). Take your time and consider a few nights in Kep or on one of the nearby islands, and a boat trip from Sihanoukville to explore the up-and-coming islands off the coast. On your way back to the capital, check out Kirirom National Park, home to pine trees, black bears, and some spectacular views of the Cardamom Mountains.

Then it’s time to turn northwest and head to charming Battambang, one of Cambodia’s best preserved colonial-era towns and a base from which to discover rural life and ride the bamboo train. Take the proverbial slow boat to Siem Reap, passing through stunning scenery along the snaking Sangker River, and turn your attention to the temples of Angkor.

Visit all the greatest hits in and around Angkor, but set aside some extra time to venture further to the rival capital of Koh Ker, which is cloaked in thick jungle, or Prasat Preah Vihear, where it is all about location, location, location – a mountain temple perched precariously atop a cliff-face on the Thai border.

Overlanders can run this route in reverse, setting out from Siem Reap and exiting Cambodia by river into Vietnam or Laos. Entering from Laos, divert east to Ratanakiri before heading south. Getting about is generally easy, as there are buses on the big roads, taxis on the small roads and buzzing boats on the many rivers.

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ROADS LESS TRAVELLED

THE LOST TEMPLES OF THE NORTHWEST

The magnificent temples of Angkor are renowned for their splendour, but these represent no more than the capital of what was an unrivalled empire spanning Southeast Asia. In the steaming jungles of Cambodia, forgotten to the world for centuries, lie several stunning religious monuments that make the perfect excuse to extend your adventure.

The beauty of this tough trip on rough roads is that it is the alternative way to link Cambodia’s vibrant capital, Phnom Penh, with Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor. Starting in Phnom Penh, head north through Kompong Thom and on to the pre-Angkorian capital of Sambor Prei Kuk, Asia’s first temple city. Bid farewell to civilisation from here and make the tough journey (dry season only) northwest to the vast jungle temple of Preah Khan, one of the largest structures from the Angkorian era.

Continue on to Koh Ker, an usurper capital from the 10th century, with a wealth of monuments spread throughout the forest.

Most breathtaking of the temples is Prasat Preah Vihear. The height of Angkorian architectural audacity, its foundation stones stretch to the edge of a precipitous cliff. Breathe in the views – they are simply astounding. From here, it is an easy run to Siem Reap via the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Anlong Veng, where you can visit Pol Pot’s cremation site. In Siem Reap, finish with the compulsory temples of Angkor or continue to the beautiful Banteay Chhmar if you still have the energy reserves.

This is a tough trip with little in the way of public transport. It should not be attempted in the wet season and takes at least a week. Seasoned motorbike riders can do it on a dirt bike. For less pain, a 4WD is the way to go. The trip is possible using a combination of pick-up truck and moto (small motorcycle with driver), but you’ll need massage therapy afterwards.

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RUN TO THE HILLS

Northeast Cambodia is a world unto itself, a landscape of rolling hills and secret waterfalls, and home to a patchwork of ethnic minorities, a few of whom still use elephants to get around. It’s not only the sights and sounds that are different up here – the temperature is also notably cooler.

Leaving the capital Phnom Penh, pass through the bustling Mekong town of Kompong Cham before heading east to Sen Monorom, the charming capital of Mondulkiri Province. Spend a few days here to bathe at Bou Sraa Waterfall, one of Cambodia’s biggest; learn about elephant behaviour; and explore Bunong villages before heading back to the Mekong at Kratie. This attractive little town is the base for an encounter with one of the rarest mammals on earth, the elusive Irrawaddy river dolphin, which lives in ever-dwindling numbers upstream from here.

Push north up the Mekong to Stung Treng Province, site of several budding ecotourism excursions and home to another dolphin pool near the Lao border. To the east lies Ban Lung, provincial capital of Ratanakiri Province and base for an adventure to remember. From here plunge into Cambodia’s most beautiful natural swimming pool at Boeng Yeak Lom; visit ethnic minority villages around Voen Sai (Click here) and Andong Meas; forge a river adventure along the Tonlé San around Ta Veng; or trek deep into the forests of Virachey National Park.

Adventurers and motorbikers can link Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri Provinces directly via the village of Koh Nhek. Sen Monorom to Koh Nhek is a breeze, but the roads all but disappear from there and a moto driver as a guide is almost essential.

On main roads, this trip is easy to manage using share taxis or pick-ups, but until the roads are finished it’s a frightening prospect in the wet season. Motorbikers can link Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri Provinces on one of Cambodia’s more devilish roads – not for amateurs. Finishing up in Ratanakiri, overlanders can carry on into Laos.

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TAILORED TRIP

UNTAMED CARDAMOMS & UNEXPLORED COAST

Visitors can get a sense of the diverse ecosystems of the Cardamom Mountains – from the pine-forested highlands down through dense rainforest to the mangrove-fringed shoreline and pristine beaches – along the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor in Cambodia’s far southwestern corner. Starting out from the one-time smugglers’ port of Krong Koh Kong, travel by moto or boat to the Tatai River, where you can stay in ecologically sustainable accommodation. Drive inland to the Thma Bang ranger station, in the Central Cardamoms Protected Forest, to explore the Areng River habitats of the endangered dragonfish (Asian arowana) and Siamese crocodile (Click here). Krong Koh Kong is also a good base for an excursion by open skiff through the pristine mangrove forests of Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary and on to Koh Kong Island, the western side of which has seven unspoilt beaches, some with hidden lagoons. The northwest coast of Botum Sakor National Park is just across the channel from the island, but the superb beaches further south are easier to get to from Koh Sdach, an island that is accessible on the Sihanoukville–Koh Sdach ferry and is not far from some excellent snorkelling grounds. To visit the park’s mangrove-lined east coast – including Ta Op stream and its monkeys – hire a boat in Andoung Tuek, where you can also cruise upriver to the village of Chi Phat. Once notorious for its poachers, it is now the site of a pioneering community-based ecotourism project. Ecolodges situated around the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor include Rainbow Lodge (Click here) and Four Rivers Floating Ecolodge (Click here), both on the Tatai River.

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History

   THE ORIGIN OF THE KHMERS
   THE EARLY CAMBODIAN KINGDOMS
   THE RISE OF THE ANGKOR EMPIRE
   DECLINE & FALL OF ANGKOR
   THE FRENCH IN CAMBODIA
   THE SIHANOUK YEARS
   DESCENT INTO CIVIL WAR
   THE KHMER ROUGE REVOLUTION
   ENTER THE VIETNAMESE
   THE UN COMES TO TOWN
   THE SLOW BIRTH OF PEACE
   CONTEMPORARY CAMBODIA
   TIMELINE

‘The good, the bad and the ugly’ is a simple way to sum up Cambodian history. Things were good in the early years, culminating in the vast Angkor empire, unrivalled in the region during four centuries of dominance. Then the bad set in, from the 13th century, as ascendant neighbours steadily chipped away at Cambodian territory. In the 20th century it turned downright ugly, as a brutal civil war culminated in the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge (1975–79), from which Cambodia is still recovering.

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THE ORIGIN OF THE KHMERS

Cambodia came into being, so the legend says, through the union of a princess and a foreigner. The foreigner was an Indian Brahman named Kaundinya and the princess was the daughter of a naga king who ruled over a watery land. One day, as Kaundinya sailed by, the princess paddled out in a boat to greet him. Kaundinya shot an arrow from his magic bow into her boat, causing the fearful princess to agree to marriage. In need of a dowry, her father drank up the waters of his land and presented them to Kaundinya to rule over. The new kingdom was named Kambuja.

For the full flavour of Cambodian history, from the humble beginnings in the prehistoric period through the glories of Angkor and right up to the present day, grab a copy of The History of Cambodia by David Chandler (1994).

Like many legends, this one is historically opaque, but it does say something about the cultural forces that brought Cambodia into existence, in particular its relationship with its great subcontinental neighbour, India. Cambodia’s religious, royal and written traditions stemmed from India and began to coalesce as a cultural entity in their own right between the 1st and 5th centuries AD.

Very little is known about prehistoric Cambodia. Much of the southeast was a vast, shallow gulf that was progressively silted up by the mouths of the Mekong, leaving pancake-flat, mineral-rich land ideal for farming. Evidence of cave-dwellers has been found in the northwest of Cambodia. Carbon dating on ceramic pots found in the area shows that they were made around 4200 BC, but it is hard to say whether there is a direct relationship between these cave-dwelling pot makers and contemporary Khmers. Examinations of bones dating back to around 1500 BC, however, suggest that the people living in Cambodia at that time resembled the Cambodians of today. Early Chinese records report that the Cambodians were ‘ugly’ and ‘dark’ and went about naked. A healthy dose of scepticism may be required, however, when reading the reports of imperial China concerning its ‘barbarian’ neighbours.

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THE EARLY CAMBODIAN KINGDOMS

Cambodian might didn’t begin and end with Angkor. There were a number of powerful kingdoms present in this area before the 9th century.

From the 1st century, the Indianisation of Cambodia occurred through trading settlements that sprang up on the coastline of what is now southern Vietnam, but was then inhabited by the Khmers. These settlements were important ports of call for boats following the trading route from the Bay of Bengal to the southern provinces of China. The largest of these nascent kingdoms was known as Funan by the Chinese, and may have existed across an area between Ba Phnom in Prey Veng Province, a site only worth visiting for the archaeologically obsessed today, and Oc-Eo in Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam. Funan would have been a contemporary of Champasak in southern Laos (then known as Kuruksetra) and other lesser fiefdoms in the region.

Cambodia’s Funan-period trading port of Oc-Eo, now located in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, was a major commercial crossroads between Asia and Europe, and archaeologists there have unearthed Roman coins and Chinese ceramics.

Funan is a Chinese name, and may be a transliteration of the ancient Khmer word bnam (mountain). Although very little is known about Funan, much has been made of its importance as an early Southeast Asian centre of power.

It is most likely that between the 1st and 8th centuries Cambodia was a collection of small states, each with its own elites who strategically intermarried and often went to war with one another. Funan was no doubt one of these states, and as a major sea port would have been pivotal in the transmission of Indian culture into the interior of Cambodia.

The little that historians do know about Funan has mostly been gleaned from Chinese sources. These report that Funan-period Cambodia (1st to 6th centuries AD) embraced the worship of the Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu and, at the same time, Buddhism. The linga (phallic totem) appears to have been the focus of ritual and an emblem of kingly might, a feature that was to evolve further in the Angkorian cult of the god-king. The people practised primitive irrigation, which enabled successful cultivation of rice, and traded raw commodities such as spices with China and India.

Founded by King Isanavarman I in the early 7th century, Sambor Prei Kuk was originally known as Isanapura and was the first major temple city to be constructed in Southeast Asia.

From the 6th century, Cambodia’s population gradually concentrated along the Mekong and Tonlé Sap Rivers, where the majority remains today. The move may have been related to the development of wet-rice agriculture. From the 6th to 8th centuries it was likely that Cambodia was a collection of competing kingdoms, ruled by autocratic kings who legitimised their absolute rule through hierarchical caste concepts borrowed from India.

This era is generally referred to as the Chenla period. Again, like Funan, it is a Chinese term and there is little to support the idea that Chenla was a unified kingdom that held sway over all of Cambodia. Indeed, the Chinese themselves referred to ‘water Chenla’ and ‘land Chenla’. Water Chenla was located around Angkor Borei and the temple mount of Phnom Da, near the present-day provincial capital of Takeo, and land Chenla in the upper reaches of the Mekong River and east of Tonlé Sap Lake, around Sambor Prei Kuk, an essential stop on a chronological jaunt through Cambodia’s history.

The ancient Khmers were like the Romans of Southeast Asia, building a network of long highways across the region to connect their regional cities.

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THE RISE OF THE ANGKOR EMPIRE

Gradually the Cambodian region was becoming more cohesive. Before long the fractured kingdoms of Cambodia would merge to become a sprawling Asian empire.

A popular place of pilgrimage for Khmers today, the sacred mountain of Phnom Kulen (Click here), northeast of Angkor, is home to an inscription that tells of Jayavarman II (r 802–50) proclaiming himself a ‘universal monarch’, or devaraja (god-king) in 802. It is believed that he may have resided in the Buddhist Shailendras’ court in Java as a young man. Upon his return to Cambodia, he instigated an uprising against Javanese control over the southern lands of Cambodia. Jayavarman II then set out to bring the country under his control through alliances and conquests, becoming the first monarch to rule most of what we call Cambodia today.

India wasn’t the only power to have a major cultural impact on Cambodia. The island of Java was also influential, colonising part of ‘water Chenla’ in the 8th century.

Jayavarman II was the first of a long succession of kings who presided over the rise and fall of the greatest empire mainland Southeast Asia has ever seen, one that was to bequeath the stunning legacy of Angkor. The key to the meteoric rise of Angkor was a mastery of water and an elaborate hydraulic system that allowed the ancient Khmers to tame the elements. The first records of the massive irrigation works that supported the population of Angkor date to the reign of Indravarman I (r 877–89) who built the baray (reservoir) of Indratataka. His rule also marks the flourishing of Angkorian art, with the building of temples in the Roluos area, notably Bakong (Click here).

By the turn of the 11th century, the kingdom of Angkor was losing control of its territories. Suryavarman I (r 1002–49), a usurper, moved into the power vacuum and, like Jayavarman II two centuries before, reunified the kingdom through war and alliances, stretching the frontiers of the empire. A pattern was beginning to emerge, and is repeated throughout the Angkorian period: dislocation and turmoil, followed by reunification and further expansion under a powerful king. Architecturally, the most productive periods occurred after times of turmoil, indicating that newly incumbent monarchs felt the need to celebrate, even legitimise, their rule with massive building projects.

By 1066, Angkor was again riven by conflict, becoming the focus of rival bids for power. It was not until the accession of Suryavarman II (r 1112–52) that the kingdom was again unified. Suryavarman II embarked on another phase of expansion, waging costly wars in Vietnam and the region of central Vietnam known as Champa. Suryavarman II is immortalised as the king who, in his devotion to the Hindu deity Vishnu, commissioned the majestic temple of Angkor Wat (Click here). For an insight into events in this epoch, see the bas-reliefs on the southwest corridor of Angkor Wat, which depict the reign of Suryavarman II.

Chinese emissary Chou Ta Kuan lived in Angkor for a year in 1296, and his observations have been republished as The Customs of Cambodia (2000), a fascinating insight into life during the height of the empire.

Suryavarman II had brought Champa to heel and reduced it to vassal status, but the Chams struck back in 1177 with a naval expedition up the Mekong and into Tonlé Sap Lake. They took the city of Angkor by surprise and put King Dharanindravarman II to death. The following year a cousin of Suryavarman II rallied the Khmer troops and defeated the Chams in yet another naval battle. The new leader was crowned Jayavarman VII in 1181.

A devout follower of Mahayana Buddhism, Jayavarman VII (r 1181–1219) built the city of Angkor Thom (Click here) and many other massive monuments. Indeed, many of the temples visited around Angkor today were constructed during Jayavarman VII’s reign. However, Jayavarman VII is a figure of many contradictions. The bas-reliefs of the Bayon (Click here) depict him presiding over battles of terrible ferocity, while statues of the king depict a meditative, otherworldly aspect. His program of temple construction and other public works was carried out in great haste, no doubt bringing enormous hardship to the labourers who provided the muscle, and thus accelerating the decline of the empire. He was partly driven by a desire to legitimise his rule, as there may have been other contenders closer to the royal bloodline, and partly by the need to introduce a new religion to a population predominantly Hindu in faith. However, in many ways he was also Cambodia’s first progressive leader, proclaiming the population equal, abolishing castes and embarking on a program of school, hospital and road building.

For more on the Angkorian period, Click here.

One of the definitive guides to Angkor is A Guide to the Angkor Monuments by Maurice Glaize, first published in the 1940s and now out of print. Download it free at www.theangkorguide.com.

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DECLINE & FALL OF ANGKOR

Angkor was the epicentre of an incredible empire that held sway over much of the Mekong region, but, like all empires, the sun was to eventually set.

A number of scholars have argued that decline was already on the horizon at the time Angkor Wat was built, when the Angkorian empire was at the height of its remarkable productivity. There are indications that the irrigation network was overworked and slowly starting to silt up due to the massive deforestation that had taken place in the heavily populated areas to the north and east of Angkor. Massive construction projects such as Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom no doubt put an enormous strain on the royal coffers and on thousands of slaves and common people who subsidised them in hard labour and taxes. Following the reign of Jayavarman VII, temple construction effectively ground to a halt, in large part because Jayavarman VII’s public works quarried local sandstone into oblivion and had left the population exhausted.

Another challenge for the later kings was religious conflict and internecine rivalries. The state religion changed back and forth several times during the twilight years of the empire, and kings spent more time engaged in iconoclasm, defacing the temples of their predecessors, than building monuments to their own achievements. From time to time this activity boiled over into civil war.

Recent analysis of fossilised tree remains in the Mekong region suggests that Angkor was affected by severe droughts and floods in the 14th and 15th centuries during an earlier period of global warming and this probably contributed to the failure of the complex irrigation system.

Angkor was losing control over the peripheries of its empire. At the same time, the Thais were ascendant, having migrated south from Yunnan to escape Kublai Khan and his Mongol hordes. The Thais, first from Sukothai, later Ayuthaya, grew in strength and made repeated incursions into Angkor before finally sacking the city in 1431 and making off with thousands of intellectuals, artisans and dancers from the royal court. During this period, perhaps drawn by the opportunities for sea trade with China and fearful of the increasingly bellicose Thais, the Khmer elite began to migrate to the Phnom Penh area. The capital shifted several times over the centuries but eventually settled in present-day Phnom Penh.

The commercial metropolis that is now Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in Vietnam was, in 1600, a small Cambodian village called Prey Nokor.

From 1600 until the arrival of the French in 1863, Cambodia was ruled by a series of weak kings beset by dynastic rivalries. In the face of such intrigue, they sought the protection – granted, of course, at a price – of either Thailand or Vietnam. In the 17th century, the Nguyen lords of southern Vietnam came to the rescue of the Cambodian king in return for settlement rights in the Mekong Delta region. The Khmers still refer to this region as Kampuchea Krom (Lower Cambodia), even though it is well and truly populated by the Vietnamese today.

In the west, the Thais controlled the provinces of Battambang and Siem Reap from 1794 and held much influence over the Cambodian royal family. Indeed, one king was crowned in Bangkok and placed on the throne at Udong (Click here) with the help of the Thai army. That Cambodia survived through the 18th century as a distinct entity is due to the preoccupations of its neighbours: while the Thais were expending their energy and resources in fighting the Burmese, the Vietnamese were wholly absorbed by internal strife. The pattern continued for more than two centuries, the carcass of Cambodia pulled back and forth between two powerful tigers.

Cambodia’s turbulent past is uncovered in a series of articles, oral histories and photos in an excellent website called Beauty and Darkness: Cambodia, the Odyssey of the Khmer People. Find it at www.mekong.net/cambodia.

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THE FRENCH IN CAMBODIA

The era of yo-yoing between Thai and Vietnamese masters came to a close in 1863, when French gunboats intimidated King Norodom I (r 1860–1904) into signing a treaty of protectorate. Ironically, it really was a protectorate, as Cambodia was in danger of going the way of Champa and vanishing from the map. French control of Cambodia developed as a sideshow to their interests in Vietnam, uncannily similar to the American experience a century later, and initially involved little direct interference in Cambodia’s affairs. The French presence also helped keep Norodom on the throne despite the ambitions of his rebellious half-brothers.

The French did very little to encourage education in Cambodia and, by the end of WWII, after 70 years of colonial rule, there were no universities and only one high school in the whole country.

By the 1870s French officials in Cambodia began pressing for greater control over internal affairs. In 1884 Norodom was forced into signing a treaty that turned his country into a virtual colony, sparking a two-year rebellion that constituted the only major uprising in Cambodia before WWII. The rebellion only ended when the king was persuaded to call upon the rebel fighters to lay down their weapons in exchange for a return to the status quo.

During the following decades, senior Cambodian officials opened the door to direct French control over the day-to-day administration of the country, as they saw certain advantages in acquiescing to French power. The French maintained Norodom’s court in a splendour unseen since the heyday of Angkor, helping to enhance the symbolic position of the monarchy. In 1907 the French were able to pressure Thailand into returning the northwest provinces of Battambang, Siem Reap and Sisophon in return for concessions of Lao territory to the Thais. This meant Angkor came under Cambodian control for the first time in more than a century.

King Norodom I was succeeded by King Sisowath (r 1904–27), who was succeeded by King Monivong (r 1927–41). Upon King Monivong’s death, the French governor-general of Japanese-occupied Indochina, Admiral Jean Decoux, placed 19-year-old Prince Norodom Sihanouk on the Cambodian throne. The French authorities assumed young Sihanouk would prove pliable, but this eventually proved to be a major miscalculation (see the boxed text, opposite).

During WWII, Japanese forces occupied much of Asia, and Cambodia was no exception. However, with many in France collaborating with the occupying Germans, the Japanese were happy to let their new Vichy France allies control affairs in Cambodia. The price was conceding to Thailand (a Japanese ally of sorts) much of Battambang and Siem Reap Provinces once again, areas that weren’t returned until 1947. However, with the fall of Paris in 1944 and French policy in disarray, the Japanese were forced to take direct control of the territory by early 1945. After WWII, the French returned, making Cambodia an autonomous state within the French Union, but retaining de facto control. The immediate postwar years were marked by strife among the country’s various political factions, a situation made more unstable by the Franco-Vietminh War then raging in Vietnam and Laos, which spilled over into Cambodia. The Vietnamese, as they were also to do 20 years later in the war against Lon Nol and the Americans, trained and fought with bands of Khmer Issarak (Free Khmer) against the French authorities.

During the 1960s, Cambodia was an oasis of peace while wars raged in neighbouring Vietnam and Laos. By 1970 that had all changed. For the full story, read Sideshow: Kissinger, Nixon and the Destruction of Cambodia by William Shawcross (1979).

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THE SIHANOUK YEARS

The post-independence period was one of peace and great prosperity. It was Cambodia’s golden time, a time of creativity and optimism. Phnom Penh grew in size and stature, the temples of Angkor were the leading tourist destination in Southeast Asia and Sihanouk played host to a succession of influential leaders from across the globe. However, dark clouds were circling, as the American war in Vietnam became a black hole, sucking in neighbouring countries.

In late 1952 King Sihanouk dissolved the fledgling parliament, declared martial law and embarked on his ‘royal crusade’: his travelling campaign to drum up international support for his country’s independence. Independence was proclaimed on 9 November 1953 and recognised by the Geneva Conference of May 1954, which ended French control of Indochina. In 1955, Sihanouk abdicated, afraid of being marginalised amid the pomp of royal ceremony. The ‘royal crusader’ became ‘citizen Sihanouk’. He vowed never again to return to the throne. Meanwhile his father became king. It was a masterstroke that offered Sihanouk both royal authority and supreme political power. His newly established party, Sangkum Reastr Niyum (People’s Socialist Community), won every seat in parliament in the September 1955 elections and Sihanouk was to dominate Cambodian politics for the next 15 years.

SIHANOUK: THE LAST OF THE GOD-KINGS

Norodom Sihanouk has been a towering presence in the topsy-turvy world of Cambodian politics. A larger-than-life character of many enthusiasms and shifting political positions, his amatory exploits dominated his early life. Later he became the prince who stage-managed the close of French colonialism, led Cambodia during its golden years, was imprisoned by the Khmer Rouge and, from privileged exile, finally returned triumphant as king. He is many things to many people, a political chameleon, but whatever else he may be, he has proved himself a survivor.

Sihanouk, born in 1922, was not an obvious contender for the throne, as he was from the Norodom branch of the royal family. He was crowned in 1941, at just 19, with his education incomplete. In 1955 Sihanouk abdicated and turned his attention to politics, his party winning every seat in parliament that year. By the mid-1960s Sihanouk had been calling the shots in Cambodia for a decade. During this period, after innumerable love affairs, he finally settled on Monique Izzi, the daughter of a Franco-Italian father and a Cambodian mother, as his consort.

The conventional wisdom was that ‘Sihanouk is Cambodia’, his leadership the key to national success. However, as the country was inexorably drawn into the American war in Vietnam and government troops battled with a leftist insurgency in the countryside, Sihanouk was increasingly seen as a liability. With the economy in tatters, his obsessive involvement in the Cambodian film industry (Click here) and his public announcements proclaiming Cambodia ‘an oasis of peace’ suggested a man who had not only abdicated from the throne but also from reality.

On 18 March 1970 the National Assembly voted to remove Sihanouk from office. Sihanouk went into exile in Beijing and joined the communists. Following the Khmer Rouge victory on 17 April 1975, Sihanouk returned to Cambodia as head of the new state of Democratic Kampuchea. He resigned after less than a year and was confined to the Royal Palace as a prisoner of the Khmer Rouge. He remained there until early 1979 when, on the eve of the Vietnamese invasion, he was flown back to Beijing. It was to be more than a decade before Sihanouk finally returned to Cambodia.

Sihanouk never quite gave up wanting to be everything for Cambodia: international statesman, general, president, film director, and man of the people. On 24 September 1993, after 38 years in politics, he settled once more for the role of king. His second stint as king was a frustrating time; reigning rather than ruling, he had to take a back seat to the politicians. He pulled Cambodia through a political impasse on several occasions, but eventually enough was enough and he abdicated on 7 October 2004. Many reasons for his abdication were cited (old age, failing health), but most observers agree it was a calculated political decision to ensure the future of the monarchy, as the politicians were stalling on choosing a successor. His son King Sihamoni ascended to the throne and Cambodia came through another crisis. However, Sihanouk’s place in history is assured, the last in a long line of Angkor’s god-kings.

Although he feared the Vietnamese communists, Sihanouk considered South Vietnam and Thailand, both allies of the mistrusted USA, the greatest threats to Cambodia’s security, even survival. In an attempt to fend off these many dangers, he declared Cambodia neutral and refused to accept further US aid, which had accounted for a substantial chunk of the country’s military budget. He also nationalised many industries, including the rice trade. In 1965 Sihanouk, convinced that the USA had been plotting against him and his family, broke diplomatic relations with Washington and veered towards the North Vietnamese and China. In addition, he agreed to let the communists use Cambodian territory in their battle against South Vietnam and the USA. Sihanouk was taking sides, a dangerous position in a volatile region.

Pol Pot travelled up the Ho Chi Minh trail to visit Beijing in 1966 at the height of the Cultural Revolution there. He was obviously inspired by what he saw, as the Khmer Rouge went even further than the Red Guards in severing links with the past.

These moves and his socialist economic policies alienated conservative elements in Cambodian society, including the army brass and the urban elite. At the same time, left-wing Cambodians, many of them educated abroad, deeply resented his domestic policies, which stifled political debate. Compounding Sihanouk’s problems was the fact that all classes were fed up with the pervasive corruption in government ranks, some of it uncomfortably close to the royal family. Although most peasants revered Sihanouk as a semi-divine figure, in 1967 a rural-based rebellion broke out in Samlot, Battambang, leading him to conclude that the greatest threat to his regime came from the left. Bowing to pressure from the army, he implemented a policy of harsh repression against left-wingers.

By 1969 the conflict between the army and leftist rebels had become more serious, as the Vietnamese sought sanctuary deeper in Cambodia. Sihanouk’s political position had also decidedly deteriorated – due in no small part to his obsession with film-making, which was leading him to neglect affairs of state. In March 1970, while Sihanouk was on a trip to France, General Lon Nol and Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak, Sihanouk’s cousin, deposed him as chief of state, apparently with tacit US consent. Sihanouk took up residence in Beijing, where he set up a government-in-exile in alliance with an indigenous Cambodian revolutionary movement that Sihanouk had nicknamed the Khmer Rouge. This was a definitive moment in contemporary Cambodian history, as the Khmer Rouge exploited its partnership with Sihanouk to draw new recruits into their small organisation. Talk to many former Khmer Rouge fighters and they all say that they ‘went to the hills’ (a euphemism for joining the Khmer Rouge) to fight for their king and knew nothing of Mao or Marxism.

Lon Nol’s military press attaché was known for his colourful, even imaginative media briefings that painted a rosy picture of the increasingly desperate situation on the ground. With a name like Major Am Rong, few could take him seriously.

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DESCENT INTO CIVIL WAR

The lines were drawn for a bloody era of civil war. Sihanouk was condemned to death in absentia, an excessive move on the part of the new government that effectively ruled out any hint of compromise for the next five years. Lon Nol gave communist Vietnamese forces an ultimatum to withdraw their forces within one week, which amounted to a virtual declaration of war, as no Vietnamese fighters wanted to return to the homeland to face the Americans.

In Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), a renegade colonel, played by Marlon Brando, goes AWOL in Cambodia. Martin Sheen plays a young soldier sent to bring him back, and the ensuing encounter makes for one of the most powerful indictments of war ever made.

On 30 April 1970, US and South Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia in an effort to flush out thousands of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops who were using Cambodian bases in their war to overthrow the South Vietnamese government. As a result of the invasion, the Vietnamese communists withdrew deeper into Cambodia, further destabilising the Lon Nol government. Cambodia’s tiny army never stood a chance and within the space of a few months, Vietnamese forces and their Khmer Rouge allies overran almost half the country. The ultimate humiliation came in July 1970 when the Vietnamese occupied the temples of Angkor.

In 1969 the USA had begun a secret program of bombing suspected communist base camps in Cambodia. For the next four years, until bombing was halted by the US Congress in August 1973, huge areas of the eastern half of the country were carpet-bombed by US B-52s, killing what is believed to be many thousands of civilians and turning hundreds of thousands more into refugees. Undoubtedly, the bombing campaign helped the Khmer Rouge in their recruitment drive, as more and more peasants were losing family members to the aerial assaults. While the final, heaviest bombing in the first half of 1973 may have saved Phnom Penh from a premature fall, its ferocity also helped to harden the attitude of many Khmer Rouge cadres and may have contributed to the later brutality that characterised their rule.

During the US bombing campaign, more bombs were dropped on Cambodia than were used by all sides during WWII.

Savage fighting engulfed the country, bringing misery to millions of Cambodians; many fled rural areas for the relative safety of Phnom Penh and provincial capitals. Between 1970 and 1975, several hundred thousand people died in the fighting. During these years, the Khmer Rouge came to play a dominant role in trying to overthrow the Lon Nol regime, strengthened by the support of the Vietnamese, although the Khmer Rouge leadership would vehemently deny this from 1975 onwards.

The leadership of the Khmer Rouge, including Paris-educated Pol Pot and Ieng Sary, had fled into the countryside in the 1960s to escape the summary justice then being meted out to suspected leftists by Sihanouk’s security forces. They consolidated control over the movement and began to move against opponents before they took Phnom Penh. Many of the Vietnamese-trained Cambodian communists who had been based in Hanoi since the 1954 Geneva Accords returned down the Ho Chi Minh trail to join their ‘allies’ in the Khmer Rouge in 1973. Many were dead by 1975, executed on orders of the anti-Vietnamese Pol Pot faction. Likewise, many moderate Sihanouk supporters who had joined the Khmer Rouge as a show of loyalty to their fallen leader rather than a show of ideology to the radicals were victims of purges before the regime took power. This set a precedent for internal purges and mass executions that were to eventually bring the downfall of the Khmer Rouge.

The Killing Fields (1985) is the definitive film on the Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia. It tells the story of American journalist Sidney Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Dith Pran during and after the war.

It didn’t take long for the Lon Nol government to become very unpopular as a result of unprecedented greed and corruption in its ranks. As the USA bankrolled the war, government and military personnel found lucrative means to make a fortune, such as inventing ‘phantom soldiers’ and pocketing their pay, or selling weapons to the enemy. Lon Nol was widely perceived as an ineffectual leader, obsessed by superstition, fortune tellers and mystical crusades. This perception increased with his stroke in March 1971 and for the next four years his grip on reality seemed to weaken as his brother Lon Non’s power grew.

François Bizot was twice caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. First he was kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge, and later (in 1975) he was held by the Khmer Rouge in the French embassy. Read his harrowing story in The Gate (2003).

Despite massive US military and economic aid, Lon Nol never succeeded in gaining the initiative against the Khmer Rouge. Large parts of the countryside fell to the rebels and many provincial capitals were cut off from Phnom Penh. Lon Nol fled the country in early April 1975, leaving Sirik Matak in charge, who refused evacuation to the end. ‘I cannot alas leave in such a cowardly fashion… I have committed only one mistake, that of believing in you, the Americans’ were the words Sirik Matak poignantly penned to US ambassador John Gunther Dean. On 17 April 1975 – two weeks before the fall of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) – Phnom Penh surrendered to the Khmer Rouge.

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THE KHMER ROUGE REVOLUTION

Upon taking Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge implemented one of the most radical and brutal restructurings of a society ever attempted; its goal was a pure revolution, untainted by those that had gone before, to transform Cambodia into a peasant-dominated agrarian cooperative. Within days of the Khmer Rouge coming to power, the entire population of Phnom Penh and provincial towns, including the sick, elderly and infirm, was forced to march into the countryside and work as slaves for 12 to 15 hours a day. Disobedience of any sort often brought immediate execution. The advent of Khmer Rouge rule was proclaimed Year Zero. Currency was abolished and postal services were halted. The country cut itself off from the outside world.

Only a handful of foreigners were allowed to visit Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge period of Democratic Kampuchea. US journalist Elizabeth Becker was one who travelled there in late 1978; her book When the War Was Over (1986) tells her story.

In the eyes of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge was not a unified movement, but a series of factions that needed to be cleansed. This process had already begun with attacks on Vietnamese-trained Khmer Rouge and Sihanouk’s supporters, but Pol Pot’s initial fury upon seizing power was directed against the former regime. All of the senior government and military figures who had been associated with Lon Nol were executed within days of the takeover. Then the centre shifted its attention to the outer regions, which had been separated into geographic zones. The loyalist Southwestern Zone forces, under the control of one-legged general Ta Mok, were sent into region after region to purify the population, and thousands perished.

BLOOD BROTHER NO 1

Pol Pot, Brother No 1 in the Khmer Rouge regime, is a name that sends shivers down the spines of Cambodians and foreigners alike. It is Pol Pot who is most associated with the bloody madness of the regime he led between 1975 and 1979, and his policies heaped misery, suffering and death on millions of Cambodians.

Pol Pot was born Saloth Sar in a small village near Kompong Thom in 1925. As a young man he won a scholarship to study in Paris, and it is here that he is believed to have developed his radical Marxist thought, later to transform into the politics of extreme Maoism.

In 1963 Sihanouk’s repressive policies sent Saloth Sar and comrades fleeing to the jungles of Ratanakiri. It was from this moment that he began to call himself Pol Pot. Once the Khmer Rouge was allied with Sihanouk, following his overthrow by Lon Nol in 1970 and subsequent exile in Beijing, its support soared and the faces of the leadership became familiar. However, Pol Pot remained a shadowy figure, leaving public duties to Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary.

When the Khmer Rouge marched into Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975, few people could have anticipated the hell that was to follow. Pol Pot and his clique were the architects of one of the most radical and brutal revolutions in the history of mankind. Year Zero was 1975 and Cambodia was on a self-destructive course to sever all ties with the past.

Pol Pot was not to emerge as the public face of the revolution until the end of 1976, after returning from a trip to his mentors in Beijing. He granted almost no interviews to foreign media and was seen only on propaganda movies produced by government TV. Such was his aura and reputation that, by the last year of the regime, a cult of personality was developing around him and stone busts were produced.

When the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia on 25 December 1978, Pol Pot and his supporters fled into the jungle near the Thai border, from where they spent the next decade launching attacks on government positions in Cambodia.

Pol Pot spent much of the 1980s living in Thailand and was able to rebuild his shattered forces and once again threaten Cambodia. His enigma increased as the international media speculated as to the real fate of Pol Pot. His demise was reported so often that when he finally passed away on 15 April 1998, many Cambodians refused to believe it until they had seen his body on TV or in newspapers. Even then, many were sceptical and rumours continue to circulate about exactly how he met his end. Officially, he was said to have died from a heart attack, but the full autopsy was not carried out before his body was cremated on a pyre of burning tyres.

For more on the life and times of Pol Pot, pick up one of the excellent biographies written about him: Brother Number One by David Chandler or Pol Pot: The History of a Nightmare by Phillip Short.

The cleansing reached grotesque heights in the final and bloodiest purge against the powerful and independent Eastern Zone. Generally considered more moderate than other Khmer Rouge factions, the Eastern Zone was ideologically, as well as geographically, closer to Vietnam. The Pol Pot faction consolidated the rest of the country before moving against the east from 1977 onwards. Hundreds of leaders were executed before open rebellion broke out, sparking a civil war in the east. Many Eastern Zone leaders fled to Vietnam, forming the nucleus of the government installed by the Vietnamese in January 1979. The people were defenceless and distrusted – ‘Cambodian bodies with Vietnamese minds’ or ‘duck’s arses with chicken’s heads’ – and were deported to the northwest with new, blue kramas (scarves). Had it not been for the Vietnamese invasion, all would have perished, as the blue krama was a secret party sign indicating an eastern enemy of the revolution.

To the End of Hell: One Woman’s Struggle to Survive Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge is the incredible memoir of Denise Affonço, one of the only foreigners to live through the Khmer Rouge revolution due to her marriage to a senior intellectual in the movement.

It is still not known exactly how many Cambodians died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge during the three years, eight months and 20 days of their rule. The Vietnamese claimed three million deaths, while foreign experts long considered the number closer to one million. Yale University researchers undertaking ongoing investigations estimated that the figure was close to two million.

Hundreds of thousands of people were executed by the Khmer Rouge leadership, while hundreds of thousands more died of famine and disease. Meals consisted of little more than watery rice porridge twice a day, but were meant to sustain men, women and children through a back-breaking day in the fields. Disease stalked the work camps, malaria and dysentery striking down whole families; death was a relief for many from the horrors of life. Some zones were better than others, some leaders fairer than others, but life for the majority was one of unending misery and suffering in this ‘prison without walls’.

For a fuller understanding of the methodical machine that was the Khmer Rouge’s interrogation and torture centre of S-21, read the classic but chilling Voices from S-21 by David Chandler (1999).

As the centre eliminated more and more moderates, Angkar (the organisation) became the only family people needed and those who did not agree were sought out and destroyed. The Khmer Rouge detached the Cambodian people from all they held dear: their families, their food, their fields and their faith. Even the peasants who had supported the revolution could no longer blindly follow such madness. Nobody cared for the Khmer Rouge by 1978, but nobody had an ounce of strength to do anything about it…except the Vietnamese.

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ENTER THE VIETNAMESE

Relations between Cambodia and Vietnam have historically been tense, as the Vietnamese have slowly but steadily expanded southwards, encroaching on Cambodian territory. Despite the fact the two communist parties had fought together as brothers in arms, old tensions soon came to the fore.

During much of the 1980s, the second-largest concentration of Cambodians outside Phnom Penh was in the Khao I Dang refugee camp on the Thai border.

From 1976 to 1978, the Khmer Rouge instigated a series of border clashes with Vietnam, and claimed the Mekong Delta, once part of the Khmer empire. Incursions into Vietnamese border provinces left hundreds of Vietnamese civilians dead. On 25 December 1978 Vietnam launched a full-scale invasion of Cambodia, toppling the Pol Pot government two weeks later. As Vietnamese tanks neared Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge fled westward with as many civilians as it could seize, taking refuge in the jungles and mountains along the Thai border. The Vietnamese installed a new government led by several former Khmer Rouge officers, including current Prime Minister Hun Sen, who had defected to Vietnam in 1977. The Khmer Rouge’s patrons, the Chinese communists, launched a massive reprisal raid across Vietnam’s northernmost border in early 1979 in an attempt to buy their allies time. It failed and after 17 days the Chinese withdrew, their fingers badly burnt by their Vietnamese enemies. The Vietnamese then staged a show trial in which Pol Pot and Ieng Sary were condemned to death for their genocidal acts.

THE POLITICS OF DISASTER RELIEF

The Cambodian famine became a new front in the Cold War, as Washington and Moscow jostled for influence from afar. As hundreds of thousands of Cambodians fled to Thailand, a massive international famine relief effort, sponsored by the UN, was launched. The international community wanted to deliver aid across a land bridge at Poipet, while the new Vietnamese-backed Phnom Penh government wanted all supplies to come through the capital via Kompong Som (Sihanoukville) or the Mekong River. Both sides had their reasons – the new government did not want aid to fall into the hands of its Khmer Rouge enemies, while the international community didn’t believe the new government had the infrastructure to distribute the aid – and both were right.

Some agencies distributed aid the slow way through Phnom Penh, and others set up camps in Thailand. The camps became a magnet for half of Cambodia, as many Khmers still feared the return of the Khmer Rouge or were seeking a new life overseas. The Thai military convinced the international community to distribute all aid through their channels and used this as a cloak to rebuild the shattered Khmer Rouge forces as an effective resistance against the Vietnamese. Thailand demanded that, as a condition for allowing international food aid for Cambodia to pass through its territory, food had to be supplied to the Khmer Rouge forces encamped in the Thai border region as well. Along with weaponry supplied by China, this international assistance was essential in enabling the Khmer Rouge to rebuild its military strength and fight on for another two decades.

Learn more about politics and life in Cambodia during the 1980s by picking up Cambodia After the Khmer Rouge by Evan Gottesman, which sheds new light on a little-known period.

A traumatised population took to the road in search of surviving family members. Millions had been uprooted and had to walk hundreds of kilometres across the country. Rice stocks were destroyed, the harvest left to wither and little rice planted, sowing the seeds for a widespread famine in 1979 and 1980.

As the conflict in Cambodia raged, Sihanouk agreed, under pressure from China, to head a military and political front opposed to the Phnom Penh government. The Sihanouk-led resistance coalition brought together – on paper, at least – Funcinpec (the French acronym for the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia), which comprised a royalist group loyal to Sihanouk; the Khmer People’s National Liberation Front, a non-communist grouping under former prime minister Son Sann; and the Khmer Rouge, officially known as the Party of Democratic Kampuchea and by far the most powerful of the three. The crimes of the Khmer Rouge were swept aside to ensure a compromise that suited the realpolitik of the day.

Journalist Henry Kamm spent many years filing reports from Cambodia and his book Cambodia: Report from a Stricken Land is a fascinating insight into recent events.

During the mid-1980s the British government dispatched the Special Air Service (SAS) to a Malaysian jungle camp to train guerrilla fighters in land-mine-laying techniques. Although the SAS was officially assisting the smaller factions, it is certain the Khmer Rouge benefited from this experience. It then used these new-found skills to intimidate and terrorise the Cambodian people. The USA gave more than US$15 million a year in aid to the non-communist factions of the Khmer Rouge–dominated coalition.

For much of the 1980s Cambodia remained closed to the Western world, save for the presence of some humanitarian aid groups. Government policy was effectively under the control of the Vietnamese, so Cambodia found itself very much in the Eastern-bloc camp. The economy was in tatters for much of this period, as Cambodia, like Vietnam, suffered from the effects of a US-sponsored embargo.

Between four and six million land mines dot the Cambodian countryside. Lifetime rehabilitation of the country’s estimated 40,000 victims costs US$120 million.

In 1984 the Vietnamese overran all the major rebel camps inside Cambodia, forcing the Khmer Rouge and its allies to retreat into Thailand. From this time the Khmer Rouge and its allies engaged in guerrilla warfare aimed at demoralising their opponents. Tactics used by the Khmer Rouge included shelling government-controlled garrison towns, planting thousands of mines in rural areas, attacking road transport, blowing up bridges, kidnapping village chiefs and targeting civilians. The Khmer Rouge also forced thousands of men, women and children living in the refugee camps it controlled to work as porters, ferrying ammunition and other supplies into Cambodia across heavily mined sections of the border.

The Vietnamese, for their part, laid the world’s longest minefield, known as K-5 and stretching from the Gulf of Thailand to the Lao border, in an attempt to seal out the guerrillas. They also sent Cambodians into the forests to cut down trees on remote sections of road to prevent ambushes. Thousands died of disease and from injuries sustained from land mines. The Khmer Rouge was no longer in power, but for many the 1980s were almost as tough as the 1970s: one long struggle to survive.

Western powers, including the USA and UK, ensured the Khmer Rouge retained its seat at the UN general assembly in New York until 1991, a scenario that saw those responsible for the genocide representing their victims on the international stage.

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THE UN COMES TO TOWN

As the Cold War came to a close, peace began to break out all over the globe, and Cambodia was not immune to the new spirit of reconciliation. In September 1989, Vietnam, with a devastated economy and eager to end its international isolation, announced the withdrawal of all of its troops from Cambodia. With the Vietnamese gone, the opposition coalition, still dominated by the Khmer Rouge, launched a series of offensives, forcing the now-vulnerable government to the negotiating table.

THE NAME GAME

Cambodia has changed its name so many times over the last few decades that there are understandable grounds for confusion. To the Cambodians, their country is Kampuchea. The name is derived from the word Kambuja, meaning ‘those born of Kambu’, the mythical founder of the country. It dates back as far as the 10th century. The Portuguese ‘Camboxa’ and the French ‘Cambodge’, from which the English name ‘Cambodia’ is derived, are adaptations of ‘Kambuja’.

Since gaining independence in 1953, the country has been known in English by various names before coming full circle:

• The Kingdom of Cambodia
• The Khmer Republic (under Lon Nol, who reigned from 1970 to 1975)
• Democratic Kampuchea (under the Khmer Rouge, which controlled the country from 1975 to 1979)
• The People’s Republic of Kampuchea (under the Vietnamese-backed government from 1979 to 1989)
• The State of Cambodia (from mid-1989)
• The Kingdom of Cambodia (from May 1993)

It was the Khmer Rouge that insisted the outside world use the name Kampuchea. Changing the country’s official English name back to Cambodia was intended as a symbolic move to distance the present government in Phnom Penh from the bitter connotations of the name Kampuchea, which Westerners associate with the murderous Khmer Rouge regime.

Diplomatic efforts to end the civil war began to bear fruit in September 1990, when a peace plan was accepted by both the Phnom Penh government and the three factions of the resistance coalition. According to the plan, the Supreme National Council (SNC), a coalition of all factions, would be formed under the presidency of Sihanouk. Meanwhile, the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (Untac) would supervise the administration of the country for two years, with the goal of free and fair elections.

Untac undoubtedly achieved some successes, but for all of these, it is the failures that were to cost Cambodia dearly in the ‘democratic’ era. Untac was successful in pushing through many international human-rights covenants; it opened the door to a significant number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs); and, most importantly, on 25 May 1993, elections were held with an 89.6% turnout. However, the results were far from decisive. Funcinpec, led by Prince Norodom Ranariddh, took 58 seats in the National Assembly, while the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which represented the previous communist government, took 51 seats. The CPP had lost the election, but senior leaders threatened a secession of the eastern provinces of the country. As a result, Cambodia ended up with two prime ministers: Norodom Ranariddh as first prime minister, and Hun Sen as second prime minister.

The Documentation Center of Cambodia is an organisation established to document the crimes of the Khmer Rouge as a record for future generations. Its excellent website is a mine of information about Cambodia’s darkest hour. Take your time to visit www.dccam.org.

Even today, Untac is heralded as one of the UN’s success stories. The other perspective is that it was an ill-conceived and poorly executed peace because so many of the powers involved in brokering the deal had their own agendas to advance. To many Cambodians who had survived the 1970s, it was unthinkable that the Khmer Rouge would be allowed to play a part in the electoral process after presiding over a genocide.

The UN’s disarmament program took weapons away from rural militias who for so long provided the backbone of the government’s provincial defence network against the Khmer Rouge. This left communities throughout the country vulnerable to attack, while the Khmer Rouge used the veil of legitimacy conferred upon it by the peace process to re-establish a guerrilla network throughout Cambodia. By 1994, when it was finally outlawed by the government, the Khmer Rouge was probably a greater threat to the stability of Cambodia than at any time since 1979.

Untac’s main goals had been to ‘restore and maintain peace’ and ‘promote national reconciliation’ and in the short term it achieved neither. It did oversee free and fair elections, but these were later annulled by the actions of Cambodia’s politicians. Little was done during the UN period to try to dismantle the communist apparatus of state set up by the CPP, a well-oiled machine that continues to ensure that former communists control the civil service, judiciary, army and police today.

For the latest on political gossip in Cambodia, visit http://ki-media.blogspot.com.

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THE SLOW BIRTH OF PEACE

When the Vietnamese toppled the Pol Pot government in 1979, the Khmer Rouge disappeared into the jungle. The guerrillas eventually boycotted the 1993 elections and later rejected peace talks aimed at establishing a ceasefire. The defection of some 2000 troops from the Khmer Rouge army in the months after the elections offered some hope that the long-running insurrection would fizzle out. However, government-sponsored amnesty programs initially turned out to be ill conceived: the policy of re-conscripting Khmer Rouge troops and forcing them to fight their former comrades provided little incentive to desert.

In 1994 the Khmer Rouge resorted to a new tactic of targeting tourists, with horrendous results for a number of foreigners in Cambodia. During 1994 three people were taken from a taxi on the road to Sihanoukville and subsequently shot. A few months later another three foreigners were seized from a train bound for Sihanoukville and in the ransom drama that followed they were executed as the army closed in.

To stay on top of recent events in Cambodia, check out the Phnom Penh Post website at www.phnompenhpost.com.

The government changed course during the mid-1990s, opting for more carrot and less stick in a bid to end the war. The breakthrough came in 1996 when Ieng Sary, Brother No 3 in the Khmer Rouge hierarchy and foreign minister during its rule, was denounced by Pol Pot for corruption. He subsequently led a mass defection of fighters and their dependants from the Pailin area, and this effectively sealed the fate of the remaining Khmer Rouge. Pailin, rich in gems and timber, had long been the economic crutch that kept the Khmer Rouge hobbling along. The severing of this income, coupled with the fact that government forces now had only one front on which to concentrate their resources, suggested the days of civil war were numbered.

By 1997 cracks were appearing in the coalition and the fledgling democracy once again found itself under siege. But it was the Khmer Rouge that again grabbed the headlines. Pol Pot ordered the execution of Son Sen, defence minister during the Khmer Rouge regime, and many of his family members. This provoked a putsch within the Khmer Rouge leadership, and the one-legged hardliner general Ta Mok seized control, putting Pol Pot on ‘trial’. Rumours flew about Phnom Penh that Pol Pot would be brought there to face international justice, but events dramatically shifted back to the capital.

On 31 March 1997 a grenade was thrown into a group of Sam Rainsy supporters demonstrating outside the National Assembly. Sam Rainsy blamed Hun Sen and the CPP for the attack and even the FBI got involved in the investigation.

A lengthy courting period ensued in which both Funcinpec and the CPP attempted to win the trust of the remaining Khmer Rouge hardliners in northern Cambodia. Ranariddh was close to forging a deal with the jungle fighters and was keen to get it sewn up before Cambodia’s accession to Asean, as nothing would provide a better entry fanfare than the ending of Cambodia’s long civil war. He was outflanked and subsequently outgunned by Second Prime Minister Hun Sen. On 5 July 1997, fighting again erupted on the streets of Phnom Penh as troops loyal to the CPP clashed with those loyal to Funcinpec. The heaviest exchanges were around the airport and key government buildings, but before long the dust had settled and the CPP once again controlled Cambodia.

The Khmer Rouge period is politically sensitive in Cambodia, due in part to the connections the current leadership have with the communist movement − so much so that the history of the genocide was not taught in high schools until 2009.

Following the coup, the remnants of Funcinpec forces on the Thai border around O Smach formed an alliance with the last of the Khmer Rouge under Ta Mok’s control. The fighting may have ended, but the deaths did not stop there: several prominent Funcinpec politicians and military leaders were victims of extrajudicial executions, and even today no one has been brought to justice for these crimes. Many of Funcinpec’s leading politicians fled abroad, while the senior generals led the resistance struggle on the ground.

As 1998 began, the CPP announced an all-out offensive against its enemies in the north. By April it was closing in on the Khmer Rouge strongholds of Anlong Veng and Preah Vihear, and amid this heavy fighting Pol Pot evaded justice by dying a sorry death on 15 April in the captivity of the Khmer Rouge. The fall of Anlong Veng in April was followed by the fall of Preah Vihear in May, and the big three, Ta Mok, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea, were forced to flee into the jungle near the Thai border with their remaining troops.

When Pol Pot passed away on 15 April 1998, his body was hastily cremated on a pyre of burning tyres without an autopsy, leading many Cambodians to speculate that he was actually murdered.

The 1998 election result reinforced the reality that the CPP was now the dominant force in the Cambodian political system and on 25 December Hun Sen received the Christmas present he had been waiting for: Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea were defecting to the government side. The international community began to pile on the pressure for the establishment of some sort of war-crimes tribunal to try the remaining Khmer Rouge leadership. After lengthy negotiations, agreement was finally reached on the composition of a court to try the surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge. The CPP was suspicious of a UN-administered trial as the UN had sided with the Khmer Rouge–dominated coalition against the government in Phnom Penh and the ruling party wanted a major say in who was to be tried for what. The UN for its part doubted that the judiciary in Cambodia was sophisticated or impartial enough to fairly oversee such a major trial. A compromise solution – a mixed tribunal of three international and four Cambodian judges requiring a super majority of two plus three for a verdict – was eventually agreed upon.

Early 2002 saw Cambodia’s first ever local elections to select village and commune level representatives, an important step in bringing grassroots democracy to the country. Despite national elections since 1993, the CPP continued to monopolise political power at local and regional levels and only with commune elections would this grip be loosened. The national elections of July 2003 saw a shift in the balance of power, as the CPP consolidated their grip on Cambodia and the Sam Rainsy Party overhauled Funcinpec as the second party. After nearly a year of negotiating, Funcinpec ditched the Sam Rainsy Party once again and joined a coalition with the CPP for another term.

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CONTEMPORARY CAMBODIA

Cambodia is at a crossroads in its road to recovery from the brutal years of Khmer Rouge rule. Compare Cambodia today with the dark abyss into which it plunged under the Khmer Rouge and the picture looks pretty optimistic, but look to its more successful neighbours and it’s easy to be pessimistic. Cambodia must choose its path: pluralism, progress and prosperity or intimidation, impunity and injustice. The jury is still very much out on which way things will go.

Another jury still out is that of the Khmer Rouge trial, sidelined by the politics of the Cold War for two decades, and then delayed by bureaucratic bickering at home and abroad. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) trial is finally underway after many a dispute between the Cambodian authorities and the international community, but it is by no means certain that the wheels of justice will turn fast enough to keep up with the ageing of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders. Military commander Ta Mok died in custody in 2006 and both Ieng Sary and Nuon Chea are suffering health issues. However, the trial of Kaing Guek Eav, aka Comrade Duch, dominated headlines for much of 2009 and at the time of writing a verdict was anticipated in early 2010. The prosecution has asked for a 40-year sentence, although some victims are calling this too lenient given the magnitude of his crimes and the mountain of evidence. Trials were also underway for former Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary and former head of state Khieu Samphan.

When Jemaah Islamiyah (affiliated with Al Qaeda) bomber Hambali was arrested in Thailand in August 2003, it later surfaced that he had been living in a backpacker hostel on Boeng Kak Lake for about six months.

In the meantime, the budget for the trial just keeps on rising, reaching the US$150 million mark, amid allegations of corruption and political interference on the Cambodian side. Some Cambodians feel the trial will send an important political message about accountability that may resonate with some in power in Cambodia today. However, others argue that the trial is a major waste of money given the overwhelming evidence against surviving senior leaders and that a truth and reconciliation commission may have provided more reaching answers for Cambodians wanting to understand what motivated the average Khmer Rouge cadre.

Several of the current crop of Cambodian leaders were previously members of the Khmer Rouge, including Prime Minister Hun Sen and Head of the Senate Chea Sim, although there is no evidence to implicate them in mass killings.

The royal family has been a constant in contemporary Cambodian history and no one more so than the mercurial monarch King Sihanouk, who once again surprised the world with his abdication in 2004. His relatively unknown son King Sihamoni assumed the throne and has brought renewed credibility to the monarchy, untainted as he is by the partisan politics of the past. Meanwhile, the political arm of the royal family, Funcinpec, has continued to haemorrhage. Prince Ranariddh was ousted as leader of the party he founded, and launched his own Norodom Ranariddh Party. Some democrats jumped ship to join Sam Rainsy, while others defected to join the CPP. Meanwhile Ranariddh was forced into exile on charges of ‘breach of trust’ for adultery and selling the Funcinpec party headquarters. The end result of all the machinations is two parties claiming the royalist mantle, their cause weaker and more divided than ever before.

For a no-holds-barred look at contemporary Cambodia through the eyes of its diverse population, look out for a copy of Cambodia Now by Karen Coates.

But there’s a new royal family in town, the CPP, and they are making plans for the future with dynastic alliances between their offspring. Just look at the roll call of marriages in the past decade and it soon becomes apparent that senior leaders have their eyes firmly on the future and a possible handover of power to the children of the CPP. At the head of this elite is Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has proved himself a survivor, personally as well as politically, for he lost an eye during the battle for Phnom Penh in 1975. It would appear that for the time being at least, with a poorly educated electorate and a divided opposition, ‘in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king’.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy continues to berate the country’s rulers for their lack of leadership and has made real inroads in urban areas, setting the stage for some showdowns with the CPP in the coming years. Sometimes they get a little too spicy and Sam Rainsy and several of his fellow parliamentarians have been regularly stripped of their immunity from prosecution and charged with defamation.

The more Cambodia integrates into the regional economy and the more investment continues to flow, the harder it will be for politicians to go back to old ways. One way or the other, it looks like the royalists are on a one-way ticket out of the political scene and future contests will be between the entrenched CPP and the populist Sam Rainsy Party.

Keep up to date with the latest developments in the Khmer Rouge trial by visiting the official website of the Cambodian Tribunal Monitor at www.cambodiatribunalmonitor.org.

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TIMELINE

• 4200 BC Cave dwellers capable of making pots inhabit caves around Laang Spean; archaeological evidence suggests the vessels made may be similar to those still made in Cambodia today.
• AD 100 The process of Indianisation begins with the arrival of Indian traders and holy men: the religions, language and sculpture of India start to take root in Cambodia.
• 245 The Chinese Wei emperor sends a mission to the countries of the Mekong region and is told that a barbarous but rich country called Funan exists in the Delta region.
• 600 The first inscriptions are committed to stone in Cambodia in ancient Khmer, offering historians the first contemporary accounts of the pre-Angkorian period other than from Chinese sources.
• 802 Jayavarman II proclaims independence from Java in a ceremony to anoint himself a devaraja (god-king) on the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen, marking the birth of the Khmer Empire of Angkor.
• 889 Yasovarman I moves the capital from the ancient city of Hariharalaya (Roluos today) to the Angkor area, 16km to the northwest, and marks the location with three temple mountains.
• 924 Usurper king Jayavarman IV transfers the capital to Koh Ker and begins a mammoth building spree, but the lack of water sees the capital move back to Angkor just 20 years later.
• 1002 Suryavarman I comes to power and expands the extent of the kingdom by annexing the Buddhist kingdom of Louvo, known as Lopburi in modern-day Thailand, and increases trade links with the outside world.
• 1112 Suryavarman II commences the construction of Angkor Wat, the mother of all temples, dedicated to Vishnu and designed as his funerary temple.
• 1152 Suryavarman II is killed in a disastrous campaign against the Dai Viet (Vietnamese), provoking this rising northern neighbour and sparking centuries of conflict between the two countries.
• 1177 The Chams launch a surprise attack on Angkor by sailing up the Tonlé Sap, defeat the powerful Khmers and occupy the capital for four years.
• 1181 The Chams are vanquished as Jayavarman VII, the greatest king of Angkor and builder of Angkor Thom, takes the throne, changing the state religion to Mahayana Buddhism.
• 1219 Jayavarman VII dies aged in his 90s and the empire of Angkor slowly declines due to a choking irrigation network, religious conflict and the rise of powerful neighbours.
• 1253 The Mongols of Kublai Khan sack the Thai kingdom of Nanchao in Yunnan, sparking an exodus southwards which brings them into direct conflict with the weakening Khmer empire.
• 1296 Chinese emissary Chou Ta Kuan spends one year living at Angkor and publishes The Customs of Cambodia, the only contemporary account of life at the great Khmer capital.
• 1353 Lao prince Chao Fa Ngum ends his exile at Angkor and is sponsored by his Khmer father-in-law on an expedition to conquer the new Thai kingdoms, declaring himself leader of Lan Xang (Land of a Million Elephants).
• 1431 The Thais sack Angkor definitively, carting off most of the royal court to Ayuthaya, including nobles, priests, dancers and artisans.
• 1594 The temporary Cambodian capital of Lovek falls when, according to legend, the Siamese fire a cannon of silver coins into the capital’s bamboo defences. The soldiers cut down the protective bamboo to retrieve the silver, leaving the city exposed.
• 1772 Cambodia is caught between the powerful Vietnamese and Siamese, and the latter burn Phnom Penh to the ground, another chapter in the story of inflamed tensions that persists today.
• 1834 The Vietnamese take control of much of Cambodia during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang and begin a slow revolution to ‘teach the barbarians their customs’.
• 1863 The French force King Norodom I into signing a treaty of protectorate, which prevents Cambodia being wiped off the map and thus begins 90 years of French rule.
• 1885 Rebellion against French rule in Cambodia breaks out in response to a new treaty giving the French administrators wide-ranging powers. The treaty is signed under the watch of French gunboats in the Mekong River.
• 1907 French authorities successfully negotiate the return of the northwest provinces of Siem Reap, Battambang and Preah Vihear, which have been under Thai control since 1794.
• 1942 Japanese forces occupy Cambodia, leaving the administration in the hands of Vichy France officials, but fan the flames of independence as the war draws to a close.
• 1947 The provinces of Battambang, Siem Reap and Sisophon, seized by the Thais during the Japanese occupation, are returned to Cambodia.
• 1953 Sihanouk’s royal crusade for independence succeeds and Cambodia goes it alone without the French on 9 November, ushering in a new era of optimism.
• 1955 King Sihanouk abdicates from the throne to enter a career in politics; he founds the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (People’s Socialist Community) party and wins the election with ease.
• 1962 The International Court rules in favour of Cambodia in the long-running dispute over the dramatic mountain temple of Preah Vihear, perched on the Dangkrek Mountains, but it remains a divisive issue today.
• 1963 Pol Pot and Ieng Sary flee from Phnom Penh to the jungles of Ratanakiri to launch a guerrilla war against Sihanouk’s government with training from the Vietnamese.
• 1964 Following the US-sponsored coup against President Diem in South Vietnam in 1963, Sihanouk veers to the left, breaking diplomatic ties with the USA and nationalising the rice trade, antagonising the ethnic Chinese business community.
• 1969 US President Nixon authorises the secret bombing of Cambodia, which starts with the carpet bombing of border zones, but eventually spreads to the whole country, continuing until 1973 and killing as many as 250,000 Cambodians.
• 1970 Sihanouk throws in his lot with the Khmer Rouge after being overthrown by military commander Lon Nol and his cousin Prince Sirik Matak, and sentenced to death in absentia, marking the start of a five-year civil war.
• 1971 Lon Nol, leader of the Khmer Republic, launches the Chenla offensive against Vietnamese communists and their Khmer Rouge allies in Cambodia, but it turns out to be a disaster. He also suffers a stroke, but struggles on as leader until 1975.
• 1973 Sihanouk and his wife Monique travel down the Ho Chi Minh trail to visit Khmer Rouge allies at the holy mountain of Phnom Kulen near Angkor, a propaganda victory for Pol Pot.
• 1975 The Khmer Rouge march into Phnom Penh on 17 April and turn the clocks back to Year Zero, evacuating the capital and turning the whole nation into a prison without walls.
• 1977 The Pol Pot faction of the Khmer Rouge launch their bloodiest purge against the Eastern Zone of the country, sparking a civil war along the banks of the Mekong and drawing the Vietnamese into the battle.
• 1979 Vietnamese forces liberate Cambodia from Khmer Rouge rule on 7 January 1979, just two weeks after launching the invasion, and install a friendly regime in Phnom Penh.
• 1980 Cambodia is gripped by a terrible famine, as the dislocation of the previous few years means that no rice has been planted or harvested, and worldwide ‘Save Kampuchea’ appeals are launched.
• 1982 Sihanouk is pressured to join forces with the Khmer Rouge as head of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK), a new military front against the Vietnamese-backed government in Phnom Penh.
• 1984 The Vietnamese embark on a major offensive in the west of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge and its allies are forced to retreat to refugee camps and bases inside Thailand.
• 1985 There is a changing of the guard at the top and Hun Sen becomes Prime Minister of Cambodia, a title he still holds today with the Cambodian People’s Party.
• 1989 As the effects of President Gorbachev’s perestroika (restructuring) begin to impact on communist allies, Vietnam feels the pinch and announces the withdrawal of its forces from Cambodia.
• 1991 The Paris Peace Accords are signed, in which all parties, including the Khmer Rouge, agree to participate in free and fair elections supervised by the UN.
• 1993 The pro-Sihanouk royalist party Funcinpec under the leadership of Prince Ranariddh wins the popular vote, but the CPP threaten secession in the east to muscle their way into government.
• 1994 The Khmer Rouge target foreign tourists in Cambodia, kidnapping and killing groups travelling by taxi and train to the south coast, reinforcing Cambodia’s overseas image as a dangerous country.
• 1995 Prince Norodom Sirivudh is arrested and exiled for allegedly plotting to kill Prime Minister Hun Sen, removing another potential rival from the scene.
• 1997 Second Prime Minister Hun Sen overthrows First Prime Minister Norodom Ranariddh in a military coup, referred to as ‘the events of 1997’ in Cambodia.
• 1998 Pol Pot passes away on 15 April 1998 as Anlong Veng falls to government forces, and many observers ponder whether the timing is coincidental.
• 1999 Cambodia finally joins Asean after a two-year delay, taking its place among the family of Southeast Asian nations, welcoming the country back to the world stage.
• 2002 Cambodia holds its first ever local elections at commune level, a tentative step in dismantling the old communist system of control and bringing grass-roots democracy to the country.
• 2003 The CPP wins the election, but political infighting prevents the formation of the new government for almost a year until the old coalition with Funcinpec is revived.
• 2004 In a move that catches observers by surprise, King Sihanouk abdicates from the throne and is succeeded by his son King Sihamoni, a popular choice as Sihamoni has steered clear of politics.
• 2005 Cambodia joins the WTO, opening its markets to free trade, but many commentators feel it could be counterproductive as the economy is so small and there is no more protection for domestic producers.
• 2006 Lawsuits and counter lawsuits see political leaders moving from conflict to the courtroom in the new Cambodia and the revolving doors end with opposition leader Sam Rainsy back in the country and Prince Ranariddh out.
• 2007 Royalist party Funcinpec continues to implode in the face of conflict, intrigue and defections, with democrats joining Sam Rainsy, loyalists joining the new Norodom Ranariddh Party and others joining the CPP.
• 2008 Elections are held and the CPP increases its share of the vote to 58%, while the opposition vote is split across several parties.
• 2009 Cambodia’s economy takes a battering from the global economic storm, with investments down, house and land prices tumbling and visitor numbers reduced.

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The Culture

   THE NATIONAL PSYCHE
   LIFESTYLE
   ECONOMY
   POPULATION
   SPORT
   MULTICULTURALISM
   MEDIA
   RELIGION
   WOMEN IN CAMBODIA
   ARTS

THE NATIONAL PSYCHE

Since the glory days of the Angkorian empire of old, the Cambodian people have been on the losing side of many a historical battle, their country all too often a minnow amid the circling sharks. Popular attitudes have been shaped by this history, and the relationship between Cambodia and its neighbours Thailand and Vietnam is marked by a cocktail of fear, admiration and animosity.

Cambodian attitudes towards the Thais and Vietnamese are complex. The Thais aren’t always popular, as some Cambodians feel the Thais fail to acknowledge their cultural debt to Cambodia and generally look down on their poorer neighbour. Cambodian attitudes towards the Vietnamese are more ambivalent. There is a certain level of mistrust, as many feel the Vietnamese are out to colonise their country. Many Khmers still call the lost Mekong Delta ‘Kampuchea Krom’, meaning ‘Lower Cambodia’. However, it is balanced with a grudging respect for their ‘liberation’ from the Khmer Rouge in 1979 (Click here). But when liberation became occupation in the 1980s, the relationship soured once more.

At first glance, Cambodia appears to be a nation of shiny, happy people, but look deeper and it is a country of contradictions. Light and dark, rich and poor, love and hate, life and death – all are visible on a journey through the kingdom. Most telling of all is the evidence of the nation’s glorious past set against its tragic present.

The Cambodian and Lao people share a close bond, as Fa Ngum, the founder of the original Lao kingdom of Lan Xang (Land of a Million Elephants), was sponsored by his Khmer father-in-law.

Angkor is everywhere: on the flag, the national beer, cigarettes, hotels and guesthouses – anything and everything. It’s a symbol of nationhood and fierce pride, a two-fingered salute to the world – no matter how ugly things got in the bad old days, the Cambodians built Angkor Wat and it doesn’t come bigger than that.

Jayavarman VII, Angkor’s greatest king, is nearly as omnipresent as his temples. The man that vanquished the occupying Chams and took the empire to its greatest glories is a national hero.

Contrast this with the abyss into which the nation was sucked during the years of the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot is a dirty word in Cambodia due to the death and suffering he inflicted on the country. Whenever you hear his name, it will be connected with stories of endless personal tragedy, of dead brothers, mothers and babies, from which most Cambodians have never had the chance to recover. As the Khmer Rouge trial edges forward, no one has tasted justice, the whys and hows remain unanswered and the older generation must live in the shadow of this trauma.

If Jayavarman VII and Angkor are loved and Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge despised, then the mercurial Sihanouk, the last of the god-kings who has ultimately shown his human side, is somewhere in between. Many Cambodians love him as the ‘father of the nation’, but to others he is the man who failed the nation by his association with the Khmer Rouge. In many ways, his contradictions match those of contemporary Cambodia. Understand Sihanouk and what he has had to survive and you will understand much of Cambodia.

Jayavarman VII was a Mahayana Buddhist and directed his faith towards improving the lot of his people, with the construction of hospitals, universities, roads and shelters.

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LIFESTYLE

For many older Cambodians, life is centred on family, faith and food, a timeless existence that has stayed the same for centuries. Family is more than the nuclear family we now know in the West: it’s the extended family of third cousins and obscure aunts – as long as there is a bloodline, there is a bond. Families stick together, solve problems collectively, listen to the wisdom of the elders and pool resources. The extended family comes together during times of trouble and times of joy, celebrating festivals and successes, mourning deaths and disappointments. Whether the Cambodian house is big or small, there will be a lot of people living inside.

For the majority of the population still living in the countryside, these constants carry on as they always have: several generations sharing the same roof, the same rice and the same religion. But during the dark decades of the 1970s and 1980s, this routine was ripped apart by war and ideology, as the peasants were dragged from all they held dear to fight a bloody civil war and later forced into slavery. Angkar, the Khmer Rouge organisation, took over as the moral and social beacon in the lives of the people. Families were forced apart, children turned against parents, brother against sister. The bond of trust was broken and is only slowly being rebuilt today.

Even the destructive Khmer Rouge paid homage to the mighty Angkor Wat on its flag, with three towers of the temple in yellow, set against a blood-red background.

Faith is another rock in the lives of many older Cambodians, and Buddhism (mixed with a dash of Hinduism and animism for good measure) has helped them to rebuild their lives after the Khmer Rouge. Most Cambodian houses contain a small shrine to pray for luck and, come Buddha Day, the wats are thronging with the faithful.

Food is more important to Cambodians than to most, as they have tasted what it is like to be without. Famine stalked the country in the late 1970s and, even today, malnutrition and food shortages are common during times of drought. For country folk (still the majority of the Cambodian population), their livelihood is their fields. Farmers are attached to their land, their very survival dependent on it, and the harvest cycle dictates the rhythm of rural life.

For the young generation, brought up in a post-conflict, post-communist period of relative freedom, it’s a different story – arguably thanks to their steady diet of MTV and steamy soaps. Cambodia is experiencing its very own ’60s swing, as the younger generation stands ready for a different lifestyle to the one their parents had to swallow. This creates plenty of feisty friction in the cities, as rebellious teens dress as they like, date who they want and hit the town until all hours. But few actually live on their own: they still come home to ma and pa at the end of the day (and the arguments start again).

Cambodia is a country undergoing rapid change, but for now the traditionalists are just about holding their own, although the onslaught of karaoke is proving hard to resist. Cambodia is set for major demographic changes in the next couple of decades. Currently, just 20% of the population lives in urban areas, which contrasts starkly with the country’s more-developed neighbours, such as Malaysia and Thailand. Increasing numbers of young people are likely to migrate to the cities in search of opportunity, forever changing the face of contemporary Cambodian society. However, for now at least, Cambodian society remains much more traditional than in Thailand and Vietnam, and visitors need to keep this in mind.

For more on the incredible life and times of Norodom Sihanouk, read the biography Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness (1994) by Milton Osborne.

Greetings

Cambodians traditionally greet each other with the sompiah, which involves pressing the hands together in prayer and bowing, similar to the wai in Thailand. The higher the hands and the lower the bow, the more respect is conveyed – important to remember when meeting officials or the elderly. In recent times this custom has been partially replaced by the handshake but, although men tend to shake hands with each other, women usually use the traditional greeting with both men and women. It is considered acceptable (or perhaps excusable) for foreigners to shake hands with Cambodians of both sexes.

TOP 10 TIPS TO EARN THE RESPECT OF THE LOCALS

Take your time to learn a little about the local culture in Cambodia. Not only will this ensure that you don’t inadvertently cause offence or, worse, spark an international incident, but it will also ingratiate you to your hosts. Here are a few top tips to help you go native.

Dress Code

Respect local dress standards, particularly at religious sites. Covering the upper arms and upper legs is appropriate, although some monks will be too polite to enforce this. Always remove your shoes before entering a temple, as well as any hat or head covering. Nude sunbathing is considered totally inappropriate, even on beaches.

Making a Contribution

Since most temples are maintained from the donations received, remember to make a contribution when visiting a temple. When visiting a Khmer home, a small token of gratitude in the form of a gift is always appreciated.

Meet & Greet

Learn the Cambodian greeting, the sompiah (Click here), and use it when introducing yourself to new friends. When beckoning someone over, always wave towards yourself with the palm down, as palm up with fingers raised can be suggestive, even offensive.

A Woman’s Touch

Monks are not supposed to touch or be touched by women. If a woman wants to hand something to a monk, the object should be placed within reach of the monk or on the monk’s ‘receiving cloth’.

Keep Your Cool

No matter how high your blood pressure rises, do not raise your voice or show signs of aggression. This will lead to a ‘loss of face’ and cause embarrassment to the locals, ensuring the situation gets worse rather than better.

It’s on the Cards

Exchanging business cards is an important part of even the smallest transaction or business contact in Cambodia. Get some printed before you arrive and hand them out like confetti. Always present them with two hands.

Deadly Chopsticks

Leaving a pair of chopsticks sitting vertically in a rice bowl looks very much like the incense sticks that are burned for the dead. This is a powerful sign and is not appreciated anywhere in Asia.

Mean Feet

Cambodians like to keep a clean house and it’s usual to remove shoes when entering somebody’s home. It’s rude to point the bottom of your feet towards other people. Never, ever point your feet towards anything sacred, such as an image of Buddha.

Hats off to Them

As a form of respect to the elderly or other esteemed people, such as monks, take off your hat and bow your head politely when addressing them. Never pat or touch an adult on the head – in Asia, the head is considered the most sacred part of the body.

Toothpicks

While digging out those stubborn morsels from between your teeth, it is polite to use one hand to perform the extraction and the other hand to cover your mouth so others can’t see you do it.

Dress

Both men and women often wear cotton or silk sarongs, especially at home. Most urban Khmer men dress in trousers and these days many urban women dress in Western-style clothing.

On formal occasions, such as religious festivals and family celebrations, women often wear a hol (a type of shirt) during the day. At night they change into single-colour silk dresses called phamuong, which are decorated along the hems. If the celebration is a wedding, the colours of such garments are dictated by the day of the week on which the wedding falls. The women of Cambodia are generally modest in their dress, although this is fast changing in the bigger towns and cities.

Travellers crossing the border from liberal Thai islands such as Ko Pha Ngan or Ko Chang should remember they have crossed back in time as far as traditions are concerned, and that wandering around the temples of Angkor bare-chested (men) or scantily clad (women) will not be appreciated.

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ECONOMY

Badly traumatised by decades of conflict, Cambodia’s economy was long a gecko amid the neighbouring dragons. This has slowly started to change, as the economy has been liberalised and investors are circling to take advantage of the new opportunities. Asian investors are flocking to Phnom Penh, led by the South Koreans who have inked deals for skyscrapers all over the low-rise city. Westerners are starting to realise that they are on to something and investment funds and venture capitalists are sniffing around. However, the 2009 global economic crisis put the brakes on things, with a number of projects mothballed for a year or two.

Cambodia today is a far cry from the days of civil war, genocide and famine. However, it’s a fairly exclusive boom, limited to foreign investors, wealthy Cambodians and a small number of city dwellers. Some say that to ensure a stable future, the government needs to expand the opportunities to the people of the countryside.

Before the civil war, rubber was the leading industry and it’s bouncing back with new plantations. Other plantation industries taking off include palm oil and paper pulp. Virgin forest is being cut down on the pretext of replanting, but often the ecosystem fails to recover.

The garment sector is important to the economy, with factories ringing the Cambodian capital. Cambodia is trying to carve a niche for itself as an ethical producer, with good labour relations and air-conditioned factories. It’s no picnic in the factories, but the alternative is often the rice fields or the shadowy fringes of the entertainment industry, often a one-way ticket into prostitution. When it comes to the garment industry’s future, it remains to be seen if profit or purpose will triumph in the international marketplace. The global economic crisis saw a huge number of job losses in this sector, running close to 100,000 young women, and it may take a few years to recover.

Cambodia’s economy was among the fastest growing in the world from 2006 to 2008, hitting the magic 10%-a-year target in 2007. However, growth slowed considerably in 2009 due to the global economic crisis.

Tourism is a big deal in Cambodia, with more than two million visitors arriving in 2008, a doubling of numbers in just a few years. Thousands of jobs are being created every year and this is proving to be a great way to integrate the huge number of young people into the economy. Wages are low by regional standards, but tips can add up to a princely sum that might support an extended family. Once again, tourism was dented by the global situation in 2009, but seems to be recovering faster than other sectors.

Foreign aid was long the mainstay of the Cambodian economy, supporting half the government’s budget, and NGOs have done a lot to force important sociopolitical issues onto the agenda. However, with multi-billion-dollar investments stacking up and the Chinese government loaning vast sums with no strings attached, it looks like the NGOs’ days in the sun could be numbered, and the government may no longer be influenced by their lobbying.

For many Cambodians, economy seems too grand a word for their lives, which are about subsistence survival. Subject to the vagaries of burning sun and drowning rains, the best they can hope for is a stable crop and the chance to sell a little at the end of the season.

A Penny More, Not a Penny Less Nick Ray

Cambodians have a proverb for every walk of life and the rampant problem of corruption is no exception. The saying goes, ‘Small people take small bribes, big people take big bribes’ and this aptly sums up the situation in Cambodia today. Puk roluy is Khmer for ‘corruption’ and translates literally as ‘something that is rotten and should be thrown away’.

According to anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International and its annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Cambodia ranks 158 out of 180 countries on the league table for corrupt nations, tied with Central African Republic, Tajikistan and Laos. At an anti-corruption awareness concert in Phnom Penh in May 2009, US ambassador Carol Rodley said that corruption costs the Cambodian government an estimated US$500 million per year.

Corruption is by no means a new trend in Cambodia – by the 19th century the problem was so widespread that many Cambodians had virtually enslaved themselves to their protectors. Yet another proverb summed up the situation succinctly: ‘The rich must protect the poor, just as clothing protects the body’.

Following Cambodia’s independence, the word ‘government’ became synonymous with corruption. The situation worsened when the USA moved in to prop up the Lon Nol government; nonexistent soldiers were added to the payroll and deaths and desertions went unreported. It is thought that by 1972 the military was pocketing the pay of about 100,000 of these phantom fighters.

Corruption faded during the Pol Pot era, but for many Cambodians the stakes were much higher, as often they were buying their lives in gold or jewellery. Following the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge by the Vietnamese, survival was often the daily challenge and there was little or no scope for widespread corruption. However, in the Thai border camps, small-scale corruption was rampant as unscrupulous characters bartered and sold aid supplies.

It was the arrival of the free market and, later, the UN that really sent corruption spiralling out of control. When then World Bank head James Wolfensohn visited Cambodia in 2005, he was asked to sum up Cambodia’s problems in three words. In front of a who’s who of the Cambodian government, he responded ‘Corruption, corruption and corruption’. The saddest part of the saga is that the majority of Cambodians are extremely honest and their struggle to survive is already hard enough without having to contend with widespread corruption.

The average Cambodian encounters corruption from an early age – some doctors and nurses are known to demand money before administering treatment, even when it should be entirely free of charge. It is not uncommon for students to bribe teachers to see exam papers in advance or for well-connected pupils to buy someone else’s results after the test, thus depriving an able student of the chance for a scholarship. Although education is officially free, in order to supplement their own meagre incomes many teachers levy a charge for pupils to attend class, preventing poor families from sending their children to school.

Jobs in the police force and the army can also be particularly lucrative, and for the tourist this is usually the only time you will encounter corruption. Traffic police are visible all over Phnom Penh, but certain areas of the city are considered more desirable than others because they offer the opportunity for a shakedown or two.

Corruption needs to be eradicated in Cambodia before the country can realistically travel the road to development. However, with low salaries and little action, it would appear the country is set for many more years of puk roluy. If you are a tourist, you’ll probably part with only a few thousand riel due to corruption during your visit, but, if you’re on business, you’d better come with a briefcase stuffed full of cash – that’s dollars, not riel.

Corruption remains a way of life in Cambodia. It is a major element of the Cambodian economy and exists to some extent at all levels of government. Sometimes it is overt, but increasingly it is covert, with private companies often securing very favourable business deals on the basis of their connections. It seems everything has a price, including ancient temples, national parks and even genocide sites. For more on this, see the boxed text, opposite.

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POPULATION

Cambodia’s second postwar population census was carried out in 2008 and put the country’s population at about 13.5 million. With a rapid growth rate of about 2% per year, the population is predicted to reach 20 million by 2025.

Among Cambodia’s 24 provinces, Kandal has the densest population with more than 300 people per square kilometre; Mondulkiri has the sparsest population with just two people per square kilometre.

Phnom Penh is the largest city, with a population of almost two million. Other major population centres include the boom towns of Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Battambang and Poipet. The most populous province is Kompong Cham, where more than 10% of Cambodians live.

The much-discussed imbalance of men to women due to years of conflict is not as serious as it was in 1980, but it is still significant: there are about 95 males to every 100 females, up from 86.1 to 100 in 1980. There is, however, a marked imbalance in age groups: more than 40% of the population is under the age of 16.

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SPORT

The national sport of Cambodia is pradal serey (Cambodian kickboxing). It’s similar to kickboxing in Thailand (don’t make the mistake of calling it Thai boxing over here, though) and there are regular weekend bouts on CTN and TV5. It is also possible to go to the TV arenas and watch the fights live.

Football is another national obsession, although the Cambodian team is a real minnow, even by Asian standards. Many Cambodians follow the Premier League in England religiously and regularly bet on games.

Cambodia is one of the leading lights in disabled volleyball and came third in the world championships, held in Phnom Penh in 2007.

The French game of pétanque, also called boules, is also very popular here and the Cambodian team has won several medals in regional games.

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MULTICULTURALISM

Ethnic Khmers

According to official statistics, over 90% of the people who live in Cambodia are ethnic Khmers, making the country the most ethnically homogeneous in Southeast Asia. Ethnic minorities include Vietnamese, Chinese, Cham, Lao and indigenous peoples of the rural highlands.

The Khmers have inhabited Cambodia since the beginning of recorded history (around the 2nd century), many centuries before Thais and Vietnamese migrated to the region. Over the centuries, the Khmers have mixed with other groups residing in Cambodia, including Javanese and Malays (8th century), Thais (10th to 15th centuries), Vietnamese (from the early 17th century) and Chinese (since the 18th century).

In 2009 Cambodia was ranked a lowly 176 in the FIFA rankings of national teams.

Ethnic Vietnamese

Vietnamese are one of the largest non-Khmer ethnic groups in Cambodia. According to government figures, Cambodia is host to around 100,000 Vietnamese. Unofficial observers claim that the real figure may be somewhere between half a million and two million. They play a big part in the fishing and construction industries in Cambodia. However, there is still some distrust between the Cambodians and the Vietnamese, even among those who have been living in Cambodia for generations.

KHMER KROM

The Khmer Krom people of southern Vietnam are ethnic Khmers separated from Cambodia by historical deals and Vietnamese encroachment on what was once Cambodian territory. Nobody is sure just how many of them there are and estimates vary from one million to seven million, depending on who is doing the counting.

The history of Vietnamese expansion into Khmer territory has long been a staple of Khmer textbooks. King Chey Chetha II of Cambodia, in keeping with the wishes of his Vietnamese queen, first allowed Vietnamese to settle in the Cambodian town of Prey Nokor in 1623. It was obviously the thin edge of the wedge – Prey Nokor is now better known as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

The Vietnamese government has pursued a policy of forced assimilation since independence, which has involved ethnic Khmers taking Vietnamese names and studying in Vietnamese. According to the Khmer Kampuchea Federation (KKF), the Khmer Krom continue to suffer persecution, including a lack of access to health services, religious discrimination and outright racism. Several monks have been defrocked for nonviolent protests in recent years and the Cambodian government has even assisted in deporting some agitators, according to Human Rights Watch.

Many Khmer Krom would like to see Cambodia act as a mediator in the quest for greater autonomy and ethnic representation in Vietnam. The Cambodian government, for its part, turns a blind eye to the vast numbers of illegal Vietnamese inside its borders, as well as reports of Vietnamese encroachments on the eastern borders of Cambodia. The Cambodian government takes a softly, softly approach towards its more powerful neighbour, perhaps borne of the historic ties between the two political dynasties.

For more about the ongoing struggles of the Khmer Krom, visit www.khmerkrom.org.

Ethnic Chinese

The government claims that there are around 50,000 ethnic Chinese in Cambodia. Informed observers say there are more likely to be as many as half a million to one million in urban areas. Many Chinese Cambodians have lived in Cambodia for generations and have adopted the Khmer culture, language and identity. Until 1975, ethnic Chinese controlled the economic life of Cambodia. In recent years the group has re-emerged as a powerful economic force, mainly due to increased investment by overseas Chinese.

Look out for Chinese and Vietnamese cemeteries dotting the rice fields of provinces to the south and east of Phnom Penh. Khmers do not bury their dead, but practise cremation and the ashes may be interred in a stupa in the grounds of a wat.

Ethnic Cham

Cambodia’s Cham Muslims (known locally as the Khmer Islam) officially number around 200,000. Unofficial counts put the figure higher at around 400,000. The Chams live in villages on the banks of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap Rivers, mostly in the provinces of Kompong Cham, Kompong Speu and Kompong Chhnang. They suffered vicious persecution between 1975 and 1979, when a large part of their community was exterminated. Many Cham mosques that were destroyed under the Khmer Rouge have been rebuilt.

Ethno-Linguistic Minorities

Cambodia’s diverse Khmer Leu (Upper Khmer) or chunchiet (ethnic minorities), who live in the country’s mountainous regions, probably number between 75,000 and 100,000.

The majority of these groups live in the northeast of Cambodia, in the provinces of Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Kratie. The largest group is the Tompuon (many other spellings are also used), who number nearly 20,000. Other groups include the Bunong, Kreung, Kavet, Brau and Jarai.

Not all Cham are actually descended from the kingdom of Champa, as some are descended from Malay traders who settled from the 18th century and intermarried with the Cham people.

The hill tribes of Cambodia have long been isolated from mainstream Khmer society, and there is little in the way of mutual understanding. They practise shifting cultivation, rarely staying in one place for long. Finding a new location for a village requires a village elder to mediate with the spirit world. Very few of the minorities retain the sort of colourful traditional costumes found in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

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MEDIA

Cambodia’s media scene looks to be in good shape on paper, with freedom of the press enshrined in the constitution, but the everyday reality is a different story. Opposition parties have far less access to the media than the dominant Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), with many more pro-government newspapers and radio and TV stations. Corruption exists in the local journalism ranks, and it’s not unheard of for money to change hands in return for positive stories or to help prevent the publication of negative stories.

Khmer TV is mostly in the hands of the CPP, including state-run TVK and private channels like Bayon, but even the ‘independent’ channels like CTN aren’t that autonomous. Reporters Without Borders (www.rsf.org/cambodia) sums up the issue, stating ‘Cambodia boasts 11 TV stations, but none of them is genuinely independent’.

Lowland Khmers are being encouraged to migrate to Cambodia’s northeast where there is plenty of available land. But this is home to the country’s minority peoples, who have no indigenous concepts of property rights or land ownership; this may see their culture marginalised in coming years.

Most urban Cambodians look to cable TV news channels, like the BBC and CNN, for their news, or tune their radios in to BBC World Service or Voice of America.

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RELIGION

Buddhism

Buddhism came to Cambodia with Hinduism, but only became the official religion from the 13th and 14th centuries. Most Cambodians today practise Theravada Buddhism. Between 1975 and 1979 the majority of Cambodia’s Buddhist monks were murdered by the Khmer Rouge and nearly all of the country’s wats (more than 3000) were damaged or destroyed. In the late 1980s, Buddhism once again became the state religion and today young monks are a common sight throughout the country. Many wats have been rebuilt or rehabilitated and money-raising drives for this work can be seen on roadsides across the country.

Cambodia was ranked 117 out of 175 countries in the Press Freedom Index 2009 report prepared by Reporters Without Borders, 13 places above Thailand, which came in at 130.

The ultimate goal of Theravada Buddhism is nirvana – ‘extinction’ of all desire and suffering to reach the final stage of reincarnation. By feeding monks, giving donations to temples and performing regular worship at the local wat, Buddhists hope to improve their lot, acquiring enough merit to reduce their number of rebirths.

Every Buddhist male is expected to become a monk for a short period in his life, optimally between the time he finishes school and starts a career or marries. Men or boys under 20 years of age may enter the sangha (monastic order) as novices. Nowadays men may spend as little as one week or 15 days to accrue merit as monks.

Buddhism in Cambodia draws heavily on its predecessors, incorporating many cultural traditions from Hinduism for ceremonies, such as those relating to birth, marriage and death, as well as genies and spirits, such as Neak Ta, which link back to a pre-Indian animist past.

Hinduism

Hinduism flourished alongside Buddhism from the 1st century AD until the 14th century. During the pre-Angkorian period, Hinduism was represented by the worship of Harihara (Shiva and Vishnu embodied in a single deity). During the time of Angkor, Shiva was the deity most in favour with the royal family, although in the 12th century he was superseded by Vishnu. Today some elements of Hinduism are still incorporated into important ceremonies involving birth, marriage and death.

Animism

Both Hinduism and Buddhism were gradually absorbed from beyond the borders of Cambodia, fusing with the animist beliefs already present among the Khmers before Indianisation. Local beliefs didn’t disappear, but were incorporated into the new religions to form something uniquely Cambodian. The concept of Neak Ta has its foundations in animist beliefs regarding sacred soil and the sacred spirit around us. Neak Ta can be viewed as a mother-earth concept, an energy force uniting a community with its earth and water. It can be represented in many forms, from stone or wood to termite hills – anything that symbolises both a link between the people and the fertility of their land.

The purest form of animism is practised among the minority people known as Khmer Leu. Some have converted to Buddhism, but the majority continue to worship spirits of the earth and skies and the spirits of their forefathers.

Islam

Cambodia’s Muslims are descendants of Chams, who migrated from what is now central Vietnam after the final defeat of the kingdom of Champa by the Vietnamese in 1471. Like their Buddhist neighbours, the Cham Muslims call the faithful to prayer by banging a drum, rather than with the call of the muezzin, as in most Muslim lands.

Christianity

Christianity made limited headway into Cambodia compared with neighbouring Vietnam. There were a number of churches in Cambodia before the war, but many of these were systematically destroyed by the Khmer Rouge, including Notre Dame Cathedral in Phnom Penh. Christianity made a comeback of sorts throughout the refugee camps on the Thai border in the 1980s, as a number of food-for-faith-type charities set up shop dispensing religion with every meal. Many Cambodians changed their public faith for survival, before converting back to Buddhism on their departure from the camps, earning the moniker ‘rice Christians’.

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WOMEN IN CAMBODIA

The position of women in Cambodia is in a state of transition, as the old generation yields to the new generation, the conservative to the challenging. Traditionally the woman’s role has been in the home. While this trend continues among the older generation, there are signs that women of the younger generation won’t be limited in the same way.

While something like 20% of women head the household, and in many families women are the sole breadwinners, men have a monopoly on the most important positions of power at a governmental level and have a dominant social role at a domestic level.

There are just 20 female parliamentarians out of 123 seated in the National Assembly in Cambodia, making up just over 15% of MPs.

Cambodian political and religious policies do not directly discriminate against women, but females are rarely afforded the same opportunities as males. In the 1990s, laws were passed on abortion, domestic violence and human trafficking; these have improved the legal position of women but have had little effect on the bigger picture.

As young children, females are treated fairly equally, but as they get older their access to education has traditionally become more restricted. This is particularly so in rural areas, where girls cannot live and study in wats like the boys.

Many women set up simple businesses in their towns or villages, but it is not an easy path should they want to progress further. Women currently make up just over 15% of legislators in parliament, even though they make up 56% of the voters. Only 15% of administrative and management positions and 35% of professional positions are held by women nationally. It remains a man’s world in the sociopolitical jungle that is Cambodia.

Friends of Khmer Culture is dedicated to supporting Khmer arts and cultural organisations. Its website is www.khmerculture.net.

Other issues of concern for women in Cambodia are domestic violence, prostitution and the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Domestic violence is quite widespread but, because of fear and shame, it’s not known exactly how serious a problem it is. There is a high incidence of child prostitution and illegal trafficking of prostitutes in Cambodia. See the boxed text, Click here, for more on the scourge of child prostitution in Cambodia.

During the 1990s, Cambodia had the highest rate of HIV infection in the whole of Southeast Asia. Many families in Cambodia ended up infected due to the actions of an errant husband. However, infection rates are now well under control thanks to the impact of powerful public awareness programs.

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ARTS

The Khmer Rouge’s assault on the arts was a terrible blow to Cambodian culture. Indeed, for a number of years the common consensus among Khmers was that their culture had been irrevocably lost. The Khmer Rouge not only did away with living bearers of Khmer culture, it also destroyed cultural artefacts, statues, musical instruments, books and anything else that served as a reminder of a past it was trying to efface. The temples of Angkor were spared as a symbol of Khmer glory and empire, but little else survived. Despite this, Cambodia is witnessing a resurgence of traditional arts and a growing interest in experimentation in modern arts and cross-cultural fusion.

The famous Hindu epic the Ramayana is known as the Reamker in Cambodia; Reyum Publishing has issued a beautifully illustrated book telling the story: The Reamker (1999).

Dance

More than any of the other traditional arts, Cambodia’s royal ballet is a tangible link with the glory of Angkor. Its traditions stretch long into the past, when the art of the apsara (nymph) resounded to the glory of the divine king. Early in his reign, King Sihanouk released the traditional harem of royal apsara that went with the crown.

Dance fared particularly badly during the Pol Pot years. Very few dancers and teachers survived. In 1981, with a handful of teachers, the University of Fine Arts was reopened and the training of dance students resumed.

Much of Cambodian royal dance resembles that of India and Thailand (the same stylised hand movements, the same sequined, lamé costumes and the same opulent stupa-like headwear), as the Thais incorporated techniques from the Khmers after sacking Angkor in the 15th century. Although royal dance was traditionally an all-female affair (with the exception of the role of the monkey), there are now more male dancers featured.

Amrita Performing Arts (www.amritaperformingarts.org) has collaborated on a number of ground-breaking dance and theatre projects in Cambodia, including collaborations with French and Japanese performers.

Music

The bas-reliefs on some of the monuments in the Angkor region depict musicians and apsara holding instruments similar to the traditional Khmer instruments of today, demonstrating that Cambodia has a long musical tradition all of its own.

Customarily, music was an accompaniment to a ritual or performance that had religious significance. Musicologists have identified six types of Cambodian musical ensemble, each used in different settings. The most traditional of these is the areak ka, an ensemble that performs at weddings. The instruments of the areak ka include a tro khmae (three-stringed fiddle), a khsae muoy (single-stringed bowed instrument) and skor areak (drums), among others.

Cambodia’s great musical tradition was almost lost during the Khmer Rouge years, but the Cambodian Master Performers Program is dedicated to reviving the country’s musical tradition. Visit its website at www.cambodianmasters.org.

Much of Cambodia’s golden-era music from the pre-war period was lost during the Pol Pot years. The Khmer Rouge targeted famous singers and the great Sin Sisamuth and female diva Ros Sereysothea, Cambodia’s most famous songwriters and performers, both disappeared in the early days of the regime.

After the war, many Khmers settled in the USA, where a lively Khmer pop industry developed. Influenced by US music and later exported back to Cambodia, it has been enormously popular.

A new generation of overseas Khmers growing up with influences from the West is producing its own sound. Cambodian Americans are now returning to the homeland raised on a diet of rap, and lots of new artists are breaking through, such as the ClapYaHandz collective started by Sok ‘Cream’ Visal.

There’s also a burgeoning pop industry, many of whose famous stars perform at outdoor concerts in Phnom Penh. It is easy to join in the fun by visiting one of the innumerable karaoke bars around the country. Preap Sovath is the Robbie Williams of Cambodia and, if you flick through the Cambodian channels for more than five minutes, chances are he will be performing. Soun Chantha is one of the more popular young female singers with a big voice, but it’s a changeling industry and new stars are waiting in the wings.

One of the greatest ’70s legends to seek out is Nuon Sarath, the Jimi Hendrix of Cambodia, with his screaming vocals and wah-wah pedals. His most famous song, ‘Chi Cyclo’, is an absolute classic.

Dengue Fever is the ultimate fusion band, rapidly gaining a name for itself beyond the USA and Cambodia. Cambodian singer Chhom Nimol fronts five American prog rockers who dabble in psychedelic sounds.

One form of music unique to Cambodia is chapaye, a sort of Cambodian blues sung to the accompaniment of a two-stringed wooden instrument similar in sound to a bass guitar without the amplifier. There are few old masters, such as Kong Nai (the Ray Charles of Cambodia), left alive, but chapaye is still often shown on late-night Cambodian TV before transmission ends.

Check out www.tinytoones.org for more on a hip-hop cooperative seeking to empower the youth of Cambodia to a healthier lifestyle free of drugs and exposure to HIV. Keep an eye out for their performances around Phnom Penh.

Literature

Cambodia’s literary tradition is limited and very much tied in with Buddhism, and myth and legend. Sanskrit, and later Pali, came to Cambodia with Hinduism and Buddhism and much of Cambodia’s religious scripture exists only in these ancient languages. Legend has been used to expound the core Cambodian values of family and faith, as well as obedience to authority.

Architecture

Khmer architecture reached its peak during the Angkorian era (9th to 14th centuries). Some of the finest examples of architecture from this period are Angkor Wat and the structures of Angkor Thom. Click here for more information on the architectural styles of the Angkorian era.

Today, most rural Cambodian houses are built on high wood pilings (if the family can afford it) and have thatch roofs, walls made of palm mats and floors of woven bamboo strips resting on bamboo joists. The shady space underneath is used for storage and for people to relax at midday. Wealthier families have houses with wooden walls and tiled roofs, but the basic design remains the same.

The French left their mark in Cambodia in the form of some handsome villas and government buildings built in neoclassical style – Romanesque pillars and all. Some of the best architectural examples are in Phnom Penh, but most of the provincial capitals have at least one or two examples of architecture from the colonial period.

Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann helped shape modern Phnom Penh; some of his best-known buildings include the Olympic Stadium (Click here) and the Chatomuk Theatre (Click here).

Sculpture

Even in the pre-Angkorian era, the periods generally referred to as Funan and Chenla, the people of Cambodia were producing masterfully sensuous sculpture that was more than just a copy of the Indian forms on which it was modelled. Some scholars maintain that the Cambodian forms are unrivalled, even in India itself.

The earliest surviving Cambodian sculpture dates from the 6th century AD. Most of it depicts Vishnu with four or eight arms. A large eight-armed Vishnu from this period is displayed at the National Museum (Click here) in Phnom Penh.

Also on display at the National Museum is a statue of Harihara from the end of the 7th century, a divinity who combines aspects of both Vishnu and Shiva, but looks more than a little Egyptian – a reminder that Indian sculpture drew from the Greeks, who in turn were influenced by the Pharaohs.

Innovations of the early Angkorian era include free-standing sculpture that dispenses with the stone aureole that in earlier works supported the multiple arms of Hindu deities. The faces assume an air of tranquillity, and the overall effect is less animated.

For details on the religious, cultural and social context of Angkorian-era sculpture, seek out a copy of Sculpture of Angkor and Ancient Cambodia: Millennium of Glory by Helen Jessup (1997).

The Banteay Srei style of the late 10th century is commonly regarded as a high point in the evolution of Southeast Asian art. The National Museum has a splendid piece from this period: a sandstone statue of Shiva holding Uma, his wife, on his knee. The Baphuon style of the 11th century was inspired to a certain extent by the sculpture of Banteay Srei, producing some of the finest works to have survived today.

The statuary of the Angkor Wat period is felt to be conservative and stilted, lacking the grace of earlier work. The genius of this period manifests itself more clearly in the immense architecture and incredible bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat itself.

The final high point in Angkorian sculpture is the Bayon period from the end of the 12th century to the beginning of the 13th century. In the National Museum, look for the superb representation of Jayavarman VII, an image that simultaneously projects great power and sublime tranquillity.

Cambodian sculptors are rediscovering their skills now that there is a ready market among visitors for reproduction stone carvings of famous statues and busts from the time of Angkor.

Reyum (Click here) is an exhibition space in Phnom Penh established to promote Khmer arts and culture and has given support and encouragement to young artists and writers. Its website is www.reyum.org.

Painting

There is a new contemporary art scene emerging in Cambodia, which is pushing the boundaries of traditional culture and form. Young artists are emerging unshackled by the baggage of the past to define a new future for Khmer painting. This has been given extra momentum by new galleries and art venues in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap that are promoting these artists to the wider world. Check out places like the Art Café (Click here), Java Café (Click here) and Meta House (Click here) in Phnom Penh or Alliance Café (Click here) and the Arts Lounge in Hotel de la Paix (Click here) in Siem Reap.

Leading lights on the art scene include Tuol Sleng survivor Vann Nath, spiritually inspired artist Chhim Sothy and challenging young Battambang artist Oeur Sokuntevy.

Handicrafts

With a tradition of craftsmanship that produced the temples of Angkor, it is hardly surprising to find that even today Khmers produce exquisitely carved silver, wood and stone. Many of the designs hark back to those of the Angkorian period and are tasteful objects of art.

Pottery is also an industry with a long history in Cambodia, and there are many ancient kiln sites scattered throughout the country. Designs range from the extremely simple to much more intricate: drinking cups carved in the image of elephants, teapots carved in the image of birds, and jars carved in the image of gods.

Check out the rockumentary Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten on Cambodia’s lost rock ’n’ roll from the 1960s at http://cambodianrock.com.

Cinema

The film industry in Cambodia was given a new lease of life in 2000 with the release of Pos Keng Kong (The Giant Snake). A remake of a 1950s Cambodian classic, it tells the story of a powerful young girl born from a rural relationship between a woman and a snake king. It is an interesting love story, albeit with dodgy special effects, and achieved massive box-office success around the region.

SIHANOUK & THE SILVER SCREEN

Between 1965 and 1969 Sihanouk (former king and head of state of Cambodia) wrote, directed and produced nine feature films, a figure that would put the average workaholic Hollywood director to shame. Sihanouk took the business of making films very seriously, and family and officials were called upon to do their bit: the minister of foreign affairs played the male lead in Sihanouk’s first feature, Apsara (Heavenly Nymph; 1965), and his daughter Princess Bopha Devi, the female lead. When, in the same movie, a show of military hardware was required, the air force was brought into action, as was the army’s fleet of helicopters.

Sihanouk often took on the leading role himself. Notable performances saw him as a spirit of the forest and as a victorious general. Perhaps it was no surprise, given the king’s apparent addiction to the world of celluloid dreams, that Cambodia should challenge Cannes with its Phnom Penh International Film Festival. The festival was held twice, in 1968 and 1969. Sihanouk won the grand prize on both occasions. He continued to make movies in later life and it is believed he has made around 30 films during his remarkable career. For more on the films of Sihanouk, visit the website www.norodomsihanouk.org.

The success of Pos Keng Kong heralded a mini revival in the Cambodian film industry and local directors are now turning out a few films a year. However, most of these new films are amateurish horror films and are of dubious artistic value.

Rithy Panh’s 1996 film Bophana tells the true story of Hout Bophana, a beautiful young woman, and Ly Sitha, a regional Khmer Rouge leader, who fall in love and are executed for their ‘crime’.

At least one overseas Cambodian director has had huge success in recent years: Rithy Panh’s People of the Rice Fields was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1995. The film touches only fleetingly on the Khmer Rouge, depicting the lives of a family eking out an arduous existence in the rice fields. His other films include One Night after the War (1997), the story of a young Khmer kickboxer falling for a bar girl in Phnom Penh; and the award-winning S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (2003), a powerful documentary in which survivors from Tuol Sleng are brought back to confront their guards.

The definitive film about Cambodia is The Killing Fields (1985), which tells the story of American journalist Sydney Schanberg and his Cambodian assistant Dith Pran. Most of the footage was actually shot in Thailand, as it was filmed in 1984 when Cambodia was effectively closed to the West.

The first major international feature film to be shot in Cambodia was Lord Jim (1964), starring Peter O’Toole.

Quite a number of international films have been shot in Cambodia in recent years, including Tomb Raider (2001), City of Ghosts (2002) and Two Brothers (2004), all worth seeking out for their beautiful Cambodian backdrops.

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Food & Drink

   STAPLES & SPECIALITIES
   DRINKS
   CELEBRATIONS
   WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
   VEGETARIANS & VEGANS
   EATING WITH KIDS
   HABITS & CUSTOMS
   COOKING COURSES
   EAT YOUR WORDS

It’s no secret that the dining tables of Thailand and Vietnam are home to some of the finest food in the world, so it should come as no surprise to discover that Cambodian cuisine is also rather special. Unlike the culinary colossuses that are its neighbours, the cuisine of Cambodia is not that well known in international circles, but all that looks set to change. Just as Angkor has put Cambodia on the tourist map, so too amoc (baked fish with coconut, lemon grass and chilli in banana leaf) could put the country on the culinary map.

Cambodia has a great variety of national dishes, some similar to the cuisine of neighbouring Thailand and Laos, others closer to Chinese and Vietnamese cooking, but all come with that unique Cambodian twist.

Freshwater fish forms a huge part of the Cambodian diet thanks to the natural phenomenon that is Tonlé Sap Lake. The fish come in every shape and size, from the giant Mekong catfish to teeny, tiny whitebait, which are great beer snacks when deep-fried. The French left their mark, too, with baguettes becoming the national bread and Cambodian cooks showing a healthy reverence for tender meats.

Cambodia is a crossroads in Asia, the meeting point of the great civilisations of India and China, and, just as its culture has drawn on both, so too has its cuisine. Whether it’s spring rolls or curry that takes your fancy, you will find it in Cambodian cooking. Add to this a world of dips and sauces to complement the cooking and a culinary journey through Cambodia becomes as rich a feast as any in Asia.

The closest thing Cambodia has to a national dish is amoc (baked fish wrapped in banana leaf with coconut, lemon grass and chilli). Sometimes it arrives more like a soup, served in the shell of a young coconut.

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STAPLES & SPECIALITIES

Cambodia’s lush fields provide the rice and its abundant waterways the fish that is fermented into prahoc (fermented fish paste), which forms the backbone of Khmer cuisine. Built around this is the flavours that give the cuisine its kick: the secret roots, the welcome herbs and the aromatic tubers. Together they give the salads, snacks, soups and stews a unique aroma and taste that smacks of Cambodia.

Rice is the principal staple, enshrined in the Khmer word for ‘eating’ or ‘to eat’, nam bai – literally ‘eat rice’. Many a Cambodian, particularly drivers, will run out of steam if they run out of rice. It doesn’t matter that the same carbohydrates are available in other foods, it is rice and rice alone that counts. Battambang Province is Cambodia’s rice bowl and produces the country’s finest yield.

Friends (Click here) is one of the best-known restaurants in Phnom Penh, turning out a fine array of tapas, shakes and specials to help street children in the capital. Its cookbook The Best of Friends is a visual feast showcasing its best recipes.

For the taste of Cambodia in a bowl, try the local kyteow, a rice-noodle soup that will keep you going all day. This full, balanced meal will cost you just 4000r in markets and about US$1.50 in local restaurants. Don’t like noodles? Then try the bobor (rice porridge), a national institution, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and best sampled with some fresh fish and a splash of ginger.

A Cambodian meal almost always includes a samlor (traditional soup), which will appear at the same time as the other courses. Samlor machou bunlay (hot and sour fish soup with pineapple and spices) is popular. Other popular soups include samlor chapek (ginger-flavoured pork soup), samlor machou bawng kawng (prawn soup similar to the popular Thai tom yam) and samlor ktis (fish soup with coconut and pineapple).

For the scoop on countryside cooking in Cambodia, pick up From Spiders to Waterlilies, a cookbook produced by Romdeng restaurant (Click here) in Phnom Penh.

Much of the fish eaten in Cambodia is freshwater, from the Tonlé Sap Lake or the Mekong River. Trey ahng (grilled fish) is a Cambodian speciality (ahng means ‘grilled’ and can be applied to many dishes). Traditionally, the fish is eaten as pieces wrapped in lettuce or spinach leaves and then dipped into teuk trey, a fish sauce that is a close relative to Vietnam’s nuoc mam, but with the addition of ground peanuts.

Cambodian salad dishes are also popular and delicious, although quite different from the Western idea of a cold salad. Phlea sait kow is a beef and vegetable salad, flavoured with coriander, mint and lemon grass. These three herbs find their way into many Cambodian dishes.

Desserts can be sampled cheaply at night markets around the country. One sweet snack to look out for is the ice-cream sandwich. No kidding – it’s popular with the kids and involves putting a slab of homemade ice cream in a piece of sponge or bread. It actually doesn’t taste too bad.

Cambodia is blessed with many tropical fruits and sampling these is an integral part of a visit to the country. All the common fruits can be found in abundance, including chek (banana), menoa (pineapple) and duong (coconut). Among the larger fruit, khnau (jackfruit) is very common, often weighing more than 20kg. Beneath the green skin are bright yellow segments with a distinctive taste and rubbery texture. The tourain (durian) usually needs no introduction, as you can smell it from a mile off. The exterior is green with sharp spines, while inside is a milky, soft interior regarded by the Chinese as an aphrodisiac. It stinks, although some maintain it is an acquired taste – best acquired with a nose peg.

Teuk trey (fish sauce), one of the most popular condiments in Cambodian cooking, cannot be taken on international flights in line with regulations on carrying strong-smelling or corrosive substances.

The fruits most popular with visitors include the mongkut (mangosteen) and sao mao (rambutan). The small mangosteen has a purple skin that contains white segments with a divine flavour. Queen Victoria is said to have offered a reward to anyone able to transport an edible mangosteen back to England. Similarly popular is the rambutan, the interior like a lychee, but the exterior covered in soft red and green spines.

Best of all, although common throughout the world, is the svay (mango). The Cambodian mango season is from March to May. Other varieties of mango are available year round, but it’s the hot-season ones that are a taste sensation.

The local brew for country folk is sugar-palm wine, distilled daily direct from the trees and fairly potent after it has settled. Sold in bamboo containers off the back of bicycles, it’s tasty and cheap, although only suitable for those with a cast-iron stomach.

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DRINKS

Cambodia has a lively local drinking culture, and the heat and humidity will ensure that you hunt out anything on offer to quench your thirst. Coffee, tea, beer, wine, soft drinks, fresh fruit juices or some of the more exotic ‘firewaters’ are all widely available. Tea is the national drink, but these days it is just as likely to be beer in the glass.

Beer

It’s never a challenge to find a beer in Cambodia and even the most remote village usually has a stall selling a few cans. Angkor is the national beer, produced in vast quantities in a big brewery down in Sihanoukville. It costs around US$1.50 to US$3 for a 660ml bottle in most restaurants and bars. Draught Angkor is available for around US$1 in the main tourist centres.

TRAVEL YOUR TASTEBUDS

No matter what part of the world you come from, if you travel much in Cambodia, you are going to encounter food that is unusual, strange, maybe even immoral, or just plain weird. The fiercely omnivorous Cambodians find nothing strange in eating insects, algae, offal or fish bladders. They will dine on a duck foetus, brew up some brains or snack on some spiders. They will peel live frogs to grill on a barbecue or down the wine infused with cobra to increase their virility.

To the Khmers there is nothing ‘strange’ about anything that will sustain the body. To them a food is either wholesome or it isn’t; it’s nutritious or it isn’t; it tastes good or it doesn’t. And that’s all they worry about. They’ll try anything once, even a burger.

BOTTOMS UP

When Cambodian men propose a toast, they usually stipulate what percentage must be downed. If they are feeling generous, it might be just ha-sip pea-roi (50%), but more often than not it is moi roi pea-roi (100%). This is why they love ice in their beer, as they can pace themselves over the course of the night. Many a barang (foreigner) has ended up face down on the table at a Cambodian wedding when trying to outdrink the Khmer boys without the aid of ice.

A beer brand from neighbouring Laos, Beer Lao, is very drinkable and is also one of the cheapest ales you can get. Tiger Beer is produced locally and is a popular draught in the capital. Some Khmer restaurants have a bevy of ‘beer girls’, each promoting a particular beer brand. They are always friendly and will leave you alone if you prefer not to drink.

A word of caution for beer seekers in Cambodia. While the country is awash with good brews, there is a shortage of refrigeration in the countryside. Go native: learn how to say ‘Som teuk koh’ (Ice, please).

Some Cambodian nightclubs allow guests to rent premium bottles of spirits, like Johnnie Walker Blue Label, to display on the table – a way of maintaining face despite the fact it’s actually Johnnie Walker Red Label in the glass.

Wine & Spirits

Local wine in Cambodia generally means rice wine; it is popular with the minority peoples of the northeast. Some rice wines are fermented for months and are super strong, while other brews are fresher and taste more like a demented cocktail. Either way, if you are invited to join a session in a minority village, it’s rude to decline. Other local wines include light sugar-palm wine and ginger wine.

In Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, foreign wines and spirits are sold in supermarkets at bargain prices, given how far they have to travel. Wines from Europe and Australia start at about US$4, while the famous names of the spirit world cost between US$4 and US$10. Yes, a bottle of Stoli vodka is just US$4.

Most of the locally produced spirits are best avoided, although some expats contend that Sra Special (around US$2), a local whisky-like concoction, is not bad. There has also been a surge in the popularity of ‘muscle wines’ (something like Red Bull meets absinthe), with enticing pictures of strongmen on the labels and names like Hercules, Commando Bear and Brace of Loma. They contain enough unknown substances to contravene the Geneva Chemical Weapons Convention and should be approached with caution.

Tea & Coffee

Chinese-style tai (tea) is a bit of a national institution, and in most Khmer and Chinese restaurants a pot will automatically appear for no extra charge as soon as you sit down. Kaa fey (coffee) is sold in most restaurants. It is either black or café au lait – served with dollops of condensed milk.

The best food blog on Cambodia can be found at www.phnomenon.com, which covers Khmer food, surfing the streets and the up-and-coming dining scene. Originally authored by Phil Lees, it remains to be seen if someone will take up the gauntlet in his absence.

Water & Soft Drinks

Drinking tap water must be avoided, especially in the provinces, as it is rarely purified and may lead to stomach complications (Click here). Locally produced mineral water starts at 500r per bottle at shops and stalls, though some locals and expats alike doubt the purity of the cheapest stuff. Those with a weak constitution might want to opt for one of the international brands, such as Evian.

Although tap water should be avoided, it is generally OK to have ice in your drinks. Throughout Cambodia, teuk koh (ice) is produced with treated water at local ice factories, a legacy of the French.

All the well-known soft drinks are available in Cambodia. Bottled drinks are about 1000r, while canned drinks cost about 2000r and more again in restaurants or bars.

Fruit Shakes

Teuk kalohk are popular throughout Cambodia. They are a little like fruit smoothies and are a great way to wash down a meal. Stalls are set up around local night markets sometime before dark and the drinks cost around 2000r. Watch out for how much sugar goes in if you don’t like sweet drinks, and pass on the offer of an egg if you don’t want it super frothy.

Before becoming a member of the WTO, copyright protection was almost unknown in Cambodia and that spawned a host of copycat fast-food restaurants including KFC (Khmer Fried Chicken?), Pizza Hot and Burger Queen, all now sadly closed.

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CELEBRATIONS

Cambodians enjoy celebrating, be it a wedding, a festival or a football match. For a festival, the family coffers are broken open and no matter how much they hold, it is deemed insufficient. The money is splurged on those treats that the family may not be able to afford at other times, such as duck, shrimp or crab. Guests are welcomed and will be seated at large round tables, then the food is paraded out course after course. Everyone eats until they can eat no more and drinks beyond their limit. Glasses are raised, toasts are given, and everyone downs in one.

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WHERE TO EAT & DRINK

Whatever your taste, some eatery in Cambodia is sure to help out, be it the humble peddler, a market stall, a local diner or a slick restaurant.

It is easy to sample inexpensive Khmer cuisine throughout the country, mostly at local markets and cheap restaurants. For more refined Khmer dining, the best restaurants are in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, where there is also the choice of excellent Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, French and Mediterranean cooking. Chinese, and to a lesser extent Vietnamese, food is available in towns across the country due to the large urban populations of both of these ethnic groups.

There are few Western fast-food chains in Phnom Penh as yet, with the exception of KFC, but there are a few local copycats. The most successful has been Lucky Burger, with lots of branches in the capital.

There are often no set hours for places to eat but, as a general rule of thumb, street stalls are open from very early in the morning until early evening, although some stalls specialise in the night shift. Most restaurants are open all day, while some of the fancier places are only open for lunch (usually 11am to 2.30pm) and dinner (usually 5pm to 10pm).

Longteine De Monteiro runs several Cambodian restaurants on the east coast of the USA and she has put together her favourite traditional Khmer recipes at www.elephantwalk.com.

Quick Eats

Because so much of life is lived outside the home, street food is an important part of everyday Cambodian life. Like many Southeast Asian people, Cambodians are inveterate snackers. They can be found at impromptu stalls at any time of the day or night, delving into a range of unidentified frying objects. Drop into the markets for an even greater range of dishes and the chance of a comfortable seat. It’s a cheap, cheerful and cool way to get up close and personal with Khmer cuisine. Some of the new shopping malls, such as Sorya Shopping Centre (Click here) in Phnom Penh, have food courts where it is possible to sample the street food in hygienic air-conditioned comfort.

TOP FIVE REGIONAL RESTAURANTS HELPING CAMBODIA

There are lots of NGOs attempting to assist Cambodia as it walks the road to recovery. Some of these have established restaurants and eateries to raise funds and give young disadvantaged Cambodians some experience in the hospitality sector. There are also several recommended restaurants in Phnom Penh (Click here) and Siem Reap (Click here) supporting good causes.

• Epic Arts Café A lively little cafe in Kampot assisting the deaf community and promoting arts education for the disabled.
• Fresh Eats Café A cosy place in Battambang that helps children from families affected by HIV/AIDS.
• Gelato Italiano A modern gelateria staffed by students from Sihanoukville’s Don Bosco Hotel School.
• Smile Restaurant A new non-profit restaurant in Kompong Cham, it has big breakfasts, a healthy menu and free wi-fi.
• Starfish Bakery & Café A homely cafe in Sihanoukville offering delectable cakes and light lunches, with all proceeds going to community projects.

LUU MENG Nick Ray

Renowned Cambodian celebrity chef and restaurateur Luu Meng is the face behind a handful of Phnom Penh’s best-known restaurants and cafes.

Luu Meng’s love of cooking started at a young age, as his Chinese-Cambodian family ran a restaurant on Sothearos Blvd in the late 1960s. ‘My family had a typical Chinese restaurant, so I grew up around food and we always ate well’, Luu explains. He joined the Sofitel Cambodiana Hotel (now Hotel Cambodiana, Click here) as the country opened its doors to the world once more and soon became one of the country’s rising culinary stars. ‘I travelled the region, working in Thailand and at the famous Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi’, Meng continues, an experience which brought him into contact with new flavours and regional specialities. Returning to Cambodia, he eventually formed Man Co, the group behind such popular Phnom Penh restaurants as Malis (Click here) and Topaz (Click here).

We discuss Cambodian cuisine and what differentiates it from its neighbours. ‘Thai food is hot, spicy and sweet, while Vietnamese is more Chinese influenced’, explains Meng. ‘Khmer cuisine is all about fresh spices. There are influences from India, but always with fresh ingredients, not powders. Our cuisine is not as spicy as Thai and we don’t use as much fish sauce as Vietnam, although we do love prahoc [fish paste].’ He pauses to reflect. ‘It’s all about freshness.’

On the subject of Cambodian tastes and a Cambodian national dish, he is animated, and naturally amoc (mild baked fish curry) leads the discussions. ‘Amoc is typically Cambodian and takes advantage of our abundance of fresh fish from the Tonlé Sap’, Meng points out. ‘Cambodian cuisine also has some superb salads, which often surprises people. Sait ko plear [raw beef salad] can be prepared carpaccio style with fresh, finely grated lemon grass and is a symphony of subtle flavours.’

Travelling widely and cooking for a diverse audience, Meng has taken on many influences, but is quite a traditionalist at heart. ‘For me, the most important thing about cooking is quality. Quality of the ingredients, quality of the kitchen, quality of the service’, he continues. ‘If a chef knows and understands this, it can be applied to different cuisines.’ However, he prefers to concentrate on his strengths and promote local ingredients and traditional dishes. ‘If we plan to promote another cuisine, then we bring in a specialist chef from that culinary culture’, he explains. ‘That way, we always guarantee the authentic flavour.’

Naturally, we end up discussing the best restaurants in Phnom Penh for traditional Cambodian food. ‘For me, you have to go over the bridge [Chruoy Changvar Bridge] for the real taste of Cambodia’, he enthuses. ‘Many of the places in town serve a bit of everything from the region, but over the bridge are the real Cambodian restaurants.’ A favourite? He laughs. ‘It has to be Rum Chang, as they offer very traditional recipes and a peaceful setting’.

Luu Meng is the managing director of Man Co (Management Company),
which runs several hotels and restaurants in Cambodia.

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VEGETARIANS & VEGANS

Few Cambodians understand the concept of strict vegetarianism and many will say something is vegetarian to please the customer when in fact it is not. If you are not a strict vegetarian and can deal with fish sauces and the like, you should have few problems ordering meals, and those who eat fish can sample Khmer cooking at its best. In the major tourist centres, many of the international restaurants feature vegetarian meals, although these are not budget options. In Khmer and Chinese restaurants, stir-fried vegetable dishes are readily available, as are vegetarian fried rice dishes, but it is unlikely these ‘vegetarian’ dishes have been cooked in separate woks from other fish- and meat-based dishes. Indian restaurants in the popular tourist centres can cook up genuine vegetarian food, as they usually understand the vegetarian principle better than the prahoc-loving Khmers. Siem Reap has several excellent vegetarian restaurants.

One of the most popular street snacks in Cambodia is the unborn duck foetus. The white duck eggs contain a little duckling, feathers and all. Don’t order kaun pong tear if you want to avoid this.

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EATING WITH KIDS

Family is at the heart of life in Cambodia, so it is hardly surprising that family-oriented restaurants are found throughout the country. Most local restaurants will welcome children with open arms, particularly foreign kiddies, as staff don’t get a chance to see them up close that often. Sometimes the welcome will be too much, with pinches and pats coming left, right and centre, but such is the way in Cambodia.

Ironically, it is often the upmarket Western restaurants where the reception may be terse if the children are playing up, as some stiff expats seem to have forgotten that they started out life that small. That said, there are plenty of excellent, child-friendly cafes and restaurants in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap serving dishes from home. There are rarely children’s menus anywhere, but with food so affordable, there is little room to quibble.

Both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have child-friendly eateries. Check out Le Jardin (Click here) or Living Room (Click here) in Phnom Penh or Singing Tree (Click here) in Siem Reap and sit back and relax. Some of the fast-food places in the capital also have children’s adventure playgrounds.

Most of the snacks children are accustomed to back home are available in Cambodia…and so much more. It is a great country for fruit, and the sweetness of mangosteens or the weirdness of dragon fruit or rambutan is a sure way to get them interested.

There is sometimes monosodium glutamate (MSG) in local Cambodian food. If your child has problems digesting it or you prefer to avoid it, stick to restaurants with an English-language menu that are used to dealing with tourists.

For more information on travelling with children in Cambodia, Click here.

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HABITS & CUSTOMS

Enter the Cambodian kitchen and you will learn that fine food comes from simplicity. Essentials consist of a strong flame, clean water, basic cutting utensils, a mortar and pestle, and a well-blackened pot or two.

Cambodia exports a lot of unprocessed rice to Thailand and Vietnam, from where it is exported to the West or re-imported by Cambodia.

Cambodians eat three meals a day. Breakfast is either kyteow or bobor. Baguettes are available at any time of day or night, and go down well with a cup of coffee.

Lunch starts early, around 11am. Traditionally lunch is taken with the family, but in towns and cities many workers now eat at local restaurants or markets.

Dinner is the time for family bonding. Dishes are arranged around the central rice bowl and diners each have a small eating bowl. The procedure is uncomplicated: spoon some rice into your bowl, and lay ‘something else’ on top of it.

When ordering multiple courses from a restaurant menu don’t worry – don’t even think – about the proper succession of courses. All dishes are placed in the centre of the table as soon as they are ready. Diners then help themselves to whatever appeals to them, regardless of who ordered what.

As well as eating the notorious tarantulas of Skuon (Click here), Cambodians also like to eat crickets, beetles, larvae and ants. Some scientists have suggested insect farms as a way to solve food problems of the future. For once, Cambodia may be ahead of the curve.

Table Etiquette

Sit at the table with your bowl on a small plate, chopsticks or fork and spoon at the ready. Some Cambodians prefer chopsticks, some prefer fork and spoon, but both are usually available. Each place setting will include a small bowl, usually located at the top right-hand side for the dipping sauces.

DOS & DON’TS

• Do wait for your host to sit first.
• Don’t turn down food placed in your bowl by your host.
• Do learn to use chopsticks.
• Don’t leave chopsticks in a V-shape in the bowl, a symbol of death.
• Do tip about 5% to 10% in restaurants, as wages are low.
• Don’t tip if there is already a service charge on the bill.
• Do drink every time someone offers a toast.
• Don’t pass out face down on the table if the toasting goes on all night.

When serving yourself from the central bowls, use the communal serving spoon so as not to dip your chopsticks or spoon into the food. To begin eating, just pick up your bowl with the left hand, bring it close to your mouth, and spoon in the rice and food.

It is polite for the host to offer more food than the guests can eat, and it is polite for the guests not to eat everything in sight.

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COOKING COURSES

If you are really taken with Cambodian cuisine, it is possible to learn some tricks of the trade by signing up for a cooking course. It’s a great way to introduce your Cambodian experience to your friends; no one wants to sit through the slide show of photos, but offer them a mouth-watering meal and they will all come running.

There are courses available in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Battambang and Sihanoukville, and more are popping up all the time. In Phnom Penh, Frizz Restaurant (Click here) offers courses, as do some of the hotels. In Siem Reap, Le Tigre de Papier (Click here) offers daily courses in conjunction with the Sala Bai Training School, plus more and more hotels are getting into the game. In Battambang, the Smokin’ Pot (Click here) is a cracking little kitchen restaurant offering a cheap introduction to the secrets of Cambodian cooking.

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EAT YOUR WORDS

Food Glossary

BREAKFAST

LUNCH & DINNER

FRUITS

CONDIMENTS

DRINKS

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Environment

   THE LAND
   WILDLIFE
   NATIONAL PARKS
   ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

THE LAND

Cambodia’s borders, as we know them today, are the result of a classic historical squeeze. As the Vietnamese moved south into the Mekong Delta and the Thais pushed west towards Angkor, Cambodia’s territory – which in Angkorian times stretched from southern Burma to Saigon and north into Laos – began shrinking. Only the arrival of the French prevented Cambodia from going the way of the Chams, who became a people without a state. In that sense, French colonialism created a protectorate that actually protected.

Modern-day Cambodia covers 181,035 sq km, making it a little more than half the size of Vietnam (about the same size as the US state of Washington, or England and Wales combined). The country is a bit wider (about 580km) east–west than it is north–south (about 450km). To the west and northwest it borders Thailand, to the northeast Laos, and to the east and southeast Vietnam; to the south is the Gulf of Thailand.

Cambodia’s two dominant geographical features are the mighty Mekong River and a vast lake, the Tonlé Sap – see opposite for more on this natural miracle.

At Phnom Penh the Mekong splits into three channels: the Tonlé Sap River, which flows into, and out of, the Tonlé Sap Lake; the Upper River (usually called simply the Mekong or, in Vietnamese, Tien Giang); and the Lower River (the Tonlé Bassac, or Hau Giang in Vietnamese). The rich sediment deposited during the Mekong’s annual wet-season flooding has made central Cambodia incredibly fertile. This low-lying alluvial plain is where the vast majority of Cambodians live, fishing and farming in time with the rhythms of the monsoon.

The volume of water in the Tonlé Sap can expand by up to a factor of 70 during the wet season.

In Cambodia’s southwest quadrant, much of the landmass is covered by mountains up to 1813m high: the Cardamom Mountains (Chuor Phnom Kravanh), covering parts of the provinces of Koh Kong, Battambang, Pursat and Krong Pailin, which are now opening up to ecotourism; and, southeast of there, the Elephant Mountains (Chuor Phnom Damrei), situated in the provinces of Kompong Speu, Koh Kong and Kampot.

Cambodia’s 435km coastline is a big draw for visitors on the lookout for isolated tropical beaches. There are islands aplenty off the coast of Sihanoukville (Click here), Kep (Click here) and the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor (Click here).

The Tonlé Sap provides a huge percentage of Cambodians’ protein intake, 70% of which comes from fish.

Along Cambodia’s northern border with Thailand, the plains collide with a striking sandstone escarpment more than 300km long that towers up to 550m above the lowlands: the Dangkrek Mountains (Chuor Phnom Dangkrek). One of the best places to get a sense of this area is Prasat Preah Vihear (Click here).

In the northeastern corner of the country, the plains give way to the Eastern Highlands, a remote region of densely forested mountains and high plateaux that extends east into Vietnam’s Central Highlands and north into Laos. The wild provinces of Ratanakiri (Click here) and Mondulkiri (Click here) provide a home to many minority (hill tribe) peoples and are taking off as an ecotourism hot spot.

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WILDLIFE

Cambodia’s forest ecosystems were in excellent shape until the 1990s and, compared with its neighbours, its habitats are still relatively intact. The years of war took their toll on some species, but others thrived in the remote jungles of the southwest and northeast. Ironically, peace brought increased threats as loggers felled huge areas of primary forest and the illicit trade in wildlife targeted endangered species. Because of years of inaccessibility, scientists are only just beginning to research and catalogue the country’s plant and animal life.

TONLÉ SAP: HEARTBEAT OF CAMBODIA

The Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, is an incredible natural phenomenon that provides fish and irrigation water for half the population of Cambodia – and a home for 90,000 people, many of them ethnic Vietnamese, who live in 170 floating villages.

Linking the lake with the Mekong, at Phnom Penh, is a 100km-long channel known as the Tonlé Sap River. From June to early October, wet-season rains rapidly raise the level of the Mekong, backing up the Tonlé Sap River and causing it to flow northwestward into the Tonlé Sap Lake. During this period, the lake surface increases in size by a factor of four or five, from 2500 sq km to 3000 sq km up to 10,000 sq km to 16,000 sq km, and its depth increases from an average of about 2m to more than 10m. An unbelievable 20% of the Mekong’s wet-season flow is absorbed by the Tonlé Sap. In October, as the water level of the Mekong begins to fall, the Tonlé Sap River reverses direction, draining the waters of the lake back into the Mekong.

This extraordinary process makes the Tonlé Sap an ideal habitat for birds, snakes and turtles, as well as one of the world’s richest sources of freshwater fish: the flooded forests make for fertile spawning grounds, while the dry season creates ideal conditions for fishing. Experts believe that fish migrations from the lake help to restock fisheries as far north as China.

This unique ecosystem was declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve (www.tsbr-ed.org) in 2001, but this may not be enough to protect it from the twin threats of upstream dams (Click here) and rampant deforestation.

You can learn more about the Tonlé Sap and its unique ecosystem at the Gecko Centre (Click here) near Siem Reap.

Animals

Cambodia is home to an estimated 212 species of mammal, including tigers, elephants, bears, leopards and wild oxen. Some of the biggest characters, however, are the smaller creatures, including the binturong (nicknamed the bear cat), the pileated gibbon (the world’s largest population lives in the Cardamoms) and the slow loris, which hangs out in trees all day. The country also has a great variety of butterflies.

For a close encounter with tigers at the temples of Angkor, watch Jean-Jacques Annaud’s 2004 film Two Brothers, the story of two orphan tiger cubs during the colonial period.

Most of Cambodia’s fauna is extremely hard to get a look at in the wild. The easiest way to see a healthy selection is to visit the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (Click here) near Phnom Penh, which provides a home for rescued animals and includes all the major species.

A whopping 720 bird species find Cambodia a congenial home, thanks in large part to its year-round water resources, first and foremost the marshes around the Tonlé Sap. Relatively common birds include ducks, rails, cranes, herons, egrets, cormorants, pelicans, storks and parakeets, with migratory shorebirds, such as waders, plovers and terns, around the south coast estuaries. Serious twitchers should consider a visit to Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary (Click here); Ang Trapeng Thmor Reserve (Click here), home to the extremely rare sarus crane, depicted on the bas-reliefs at Angkor; the Tmatboey Ibis Project (Click here), where the critically endangered giant ibis, Cambodia’s national bird, can be seen; and – for the truly adventurous – the Chhep Vulture Feeding Station (Click here). For details on birdwatching in Cambodia, check out the Siem Reap–based Sam Veasna Center (Click here).

The khting vor (spiral-horned ox), so rare that no one had ever seen a live specimen, was considered critically endangered until DNA analysis of its distinctive horns showed that the creature had never existed – the ‘horns’ belonged to ordinary cattle and buffalos!

Cambodia is home to about 240 species of reptile, including nine species of snake whose venom can be fatal. The mere whisper of their names sends a shiver down the spine: the king cobra, monocellata cobra, Indo-Chinese spitting cobra, banded krait, Malayan krait, red-headed krait, Russel’s viper, Malayan pit viper and white-lipped pit viper. The Sihanoukville NGO Hand of Help (Click here) produces antivenenes.

ENDANGERED SPECIES

Unfortunately it is getting mighty close to checkout time for a number of species in Cambodia.

The kouprey (wild ox), declared Cambodia’s national animal by King Sihanouk back in the 1960s, and the Wroughton’s free-tailed bat, previously thought to exist in only one part of India, but recently discovered in Preah Vihear Province, are the only Cambodian mammals on the ‘Globally Threatened: Critical’ list, the last stop before extinction.

Snake bites are responsible for more amputations in Cambodia than land mines these days. Many villagers go to the medicine man for treatment and end up with infection, gangrene and/or a funeral.

Other animals under serious threat in Cambodia include the Asian elephant, tiger, banteng (another kind of wild ox), gaur, Asian golden cat, Asiatic wild dog, black gibbon, clouded leopard, fishing cat, marbled cat, sun bear, wild water buffalo, pangolin (Click here), giant ibis and, in the wild, the dragonfish (Asian arowana) and Siamese crocodile (Click here).

Cambodia has some of the last remaining freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins (trey pisaut in Khmer), instantly identifiable thanks to their bulging forehead and short beak. At the time of writing it is estimated that there may be as few as 64 left (down from 80 to 100 in 2006), inhabiting stretches of the Mekong between Kratie and the Lao border. Viewing them at Kampi (Click here) is a popular activity. More Irrawaddy dolphins inhabit the saline estuaries and mangrove swamps of Koh Kong Province and can be viewed around Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary (Click here) and Ream National Park (Click here). For details, check out the website of the WWF at www.panda.org.

In terms of fish biodiversity, the Mekong is second only to the Amazon, but dam projects threaten migratory species. The Mekong giant catfish, which can weigh up to 300kg, is critically endangered due to habitat loss and overfishing.

Researchers estimate that about 50 to 100 wild elephants live in Mondulkiri Province. A similar number live in the Cardamom Mountains, including Botum Sakor National Park.

Plants

No one knows how many plant species are present in Cambodia because no comprehensive survey has ever been conducted, but it’s estimated that the country is home to 15,000 species (including 2300 vascular plants), at least a third of them endemic.

In the southwest, rainforests grow to heights of 50m or more on the rainy southern slopes of the mountains, with montane (pine) forests in cooler climes above 800m and mangrove forests fringing the coast. In the northern mountains there are broadleaved evergreen forests, with trees soaring 30m above a thick undergrowth of vines, bamboos, palms and assorted woody and herbaceous ground plants. The northern plains support dry dipterocarp forests, while around the Tonlé Sap there are flooded (seasonally inundated) forests. The Eastern Highlands are covered with deciduous forests and grassland. Forested upland areas support many varieties of orchid.

NGOS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL FRONTLINE

The following environmental groups – staffed in Cambodia mainly by Khmers – are playing leading roles in protecting Cambodia’s wildlife:

• Conservation International (www.conservation.org)
• Flora & Fauna International (www.fauna-flora.org)
• Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation (www.mjpasia.org)
• Wildlife Alliance (formerly WildAid; www.wildlifealliance.org)
• Wildlife Conservation Society (www.wcs.org)
• WWF (www.worldwildlife.org)

TIGER, TIGER, BURNING OUT?

In the mid-1990s, somewhere between 100 and 200 Cambodian tigers were being killed every year, their carcasses bringing huge sums around Asia (especially China) because of their supposed aphrodisiacal powers. By 1998 annual incidents of tiger poaching had dropped to 85 and in 2005 just two tigers were killed. Sadly, it’s more likely that these estimates reflect a crash in tiger numbers rather than increased community awareness or more effective law enforcement.

Experts fear there may be only 50 of the big cats left in the wild in Cambodia. Numbers are so low that, despite repeated efforts, camera traps set by researchers in recent years have failed to photograph a single tiger, though footprints and other signs of the felines’ presence have been recorded. As far as anyone can tell, the surviving tigers live in very low densities in very remote areas, making it difficult for both poachers and scientists to find them – and hard for environmentalists to protect them.

A significant poaching threat comes from police and military units stationed in remote jungle locations. Encouragingly, some former poachers are now employed as rangers, making it easier to educate other hunters about the ecological impact of ‘wildlife crimes’.

At present, tigers are known to inhabit two areas: the central part of the Cardamom Mountains and Mondulkiri Province. In addition, they are thought to be present in small numbers in Ratanakiri, Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey Provinces and perhaps even in Bokor National Park (Click here).

For insights, stories and links about tigers in Cambodia and what’s being done to protect them, visit the website of the Cat Action Treasury at www.felidae.org.

The sugar palm, often seen towering over rice fields, provides fronds to make roofs and walls for houses, and fruit that’s used to produce medicine, wine and vinegar. Sugar palms grow taller over the years, but the barkless trunk doesn’t get any thicker, hence retaining shrapnel marks from every battle that has ever raged around them.

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NATIONAL PARKS

In the late 1960s Cambodia had six national parks, together covering 22,000 sq km (around 12% of the country). The long civil war effectively destroyed this system and it wasn’t reintroduced until 1993, when a royal decree designated 23 areas as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, protected landscapes and multiple-use areas. Several more protected forests were recently added to the list, bringing the area of protected land in Cambodia to over 43,000 sq km, or around 25% of the country.

Cambodia became the first Southeast Asian country to establish a national park when it created a protected area in 1925 to preserve the forests around the temples of Angkor.

This is fantastic news in principle, but in practice the authorities don’t always protect these areas in any way other than drawing a line on a map. The government has enough trouble finding funds to pay the rangers who patrol the most popular parks, let alone to recruit staff for the remote sanctuaries, though in recent years a number of international NGOs have been helping to train and fund teams of enforcement rangers (see the boxed text, opposite).

The Mondulkiri Protected Forest (Click here), at 4294 sq km, is now the largest protected area in Cambodia and is contiguous with Yok Don National Park in Vietnam. The Central Cardamoms Protected Forest (Click here and Click here), at 4013 sq km, borders the Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary (Click here) to the west and the Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary (Click here) to the east, creating almost 10,000 sq km of designated protected land. The noncontiguous Southern Cardamoms Protected Forest (1443 sq km; Click here) is along the Koh Kong Conservation Corridor (Click here), whose ecotourism potential is as vast as its jungles are impenetrable.

Cambodia’s highest mountain, at 1813m, is Phnom Aural in Pursat Province (Click here).

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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Land mines

Farmland and forests in some parts of Cambodia (eg along the Thai frontier) conceal highly dangerous anti-personnel mines planted during the civil war. For more information, Click here.

Logging

The greatest threat to Cambodia’s globally important ecosystems is logging for charcoal and timber and to clear land for cash-crop plantations. During the Vietnamese occupation, troops stripped away swaths of forest to prevent Khmer Rouge ambushes along highways. The devastation increased in the 1990s, when the shift to a capitalist market economy led to an asset-stripping bonanza by well-connected businessmen.

International demand for timber is huge, and, as neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Vietnam began to enforce much tougher logging regulations, foreign logging companies flocked to Cambodia. At the height of the country’s logging epidemic (at the end of 1997), just under 70,000 sq km of the country’s land area – about 35% of its total surface area – had been allocated as concessions, amounting to almost all of Cambodia’s forest land except national parks and protected areas. However, even in these supposed havens, illegal logging continued. According to environmental watchdog Global Witness (www.globalwitness.org), the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) is the driving force behind much of the recent logging in remote border regions.

In the mid-1960s Cambodia was reckoned to have around 90% of its original forest cover intact. Estimates today vary, but 30% is a common estimate.

In the short term, deforestation is contributing to worsening floods along the Mekong, but the long-term implications of logging are hard to assess. Without trees to cloak the hills, rains will inevitably carry away large amounts of topsoil during future monsoons and in time this will have a serious effect on Tonlé Sap. Will the shallow waters recede as a result of siltation, creating an environmental crisis similar to that marking the fall of the Angkorian empire? Combined with overfishing, pollution and dams, these problems may lead to the eventual destruction of the lake – a catastrophe for future generations.

Since about 2002, things have been looking up. Under pressure from donors and international institutions, all logging contracts were effectively frozen pending further negotiations with the government. Industrial-scale logging ceased and the huge trucks thundering up and down the country’s dirt highways disappeared. However, small-scale illegal logging continued, including cutting for charcoal production and slash-and-burn for settlement.

The latest threat to Cambodia’s forests comes from ‘economic concessions’ granted to establish plantations of cash crops such as rubber, mango, cashew and jackfruit, or agro-forestry groves of acacia and eucalyptus to supply wood chips for the paper industry. There are legal limits – land grants for plantations cannot be larger than 100 sq km, but even this generous allocation is often flouted. Worse still, there have been cases where concessionaires chop down all the trees to prepare the ground – and then fail to plant anything at all.

According to the ‘Conservation of Tropical Forests and Biological Diversity in Cambodia’, US Foreign Assistance Act 118/119 Analysis (April 2005): ‘Management of [Cambodia’s] rich natural resources, especially forests and the Tonlé Sap Lake, is hampered by corruption, extreme inequality of access rights, insufficient or nonexistent right of tenure, a weak civil society, ethnic divisions and growing population pressures.’

Banned in Cambodia, the damning 2007 report Cambodia’s Family Trees (www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/546/en/cambodias_family_trees), by the UK-based environmental watchdog Global Witness, exposes Cambodia’s most powerful illegal logging syndicates.

Pollution

Phnom Penh’s air isn’t anywhere near as bad as Bangkok’s, but as vehicles multiply it’s getting worse. In provincial towns and villages, the smoke from garbage fires can ruin your dinner or worse. Some hotel rooms have such poor ventilation that mould and mildew can leave you gasping for air.

Cambodia has extremely primitive sanitation systems in urban areas, and nonexistent sanitary facilities in rural areas – only a tiny percentage of the population has access to proper facilities. These conditions breed and spread disease: epidemics of diarrhoea are not uncommon and it is the number-one killer of young children in Cambodia.

Detritus of all sorts, especially plastic bags and bottles, can be seen in distressing quantities on beaches, around waterfalls, along roads and carpeting towns, villages and hamlets.

A new challenge is oil, which has been discovered off Sihanoukville. Sloppy extraction could devastate Cambodia’s lovely coast, including pristine mangrove forests.

In September 2005, three enforcement rangers working with the NGO Flora & Fauna International to prevent illegal hunting and logging in the Cardamom Mountains were murdered in two separate incidents, apparently by poachers.

Mekong Be Dammed

The Mekong rises in Tibet and flows for 4800km – including almost 500km in Cambodia, where it can be up to 5km wide – before continuing through southern Vietnam into the South China Sea. With energy needs spiralling ever upwards across Southeast Asia, it is very tempting for poor countries like Cambodia – in which only 20% of households have electricity, most of them in Phnom Penh – and its upstream neighbours, including China, to built hydroelectric dams on the Mekong and its tributaries.

Environmentalists fear that damming the mainstream Mekong may be nothing short of catastrophic for the flow patterns of the Mekong, the migratory patterns of fish, the survival of the freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin (Click here) and the very life of the Tonlé Sap (Click here). Plans now under consideration include the Sambor Dam, a massive 3300MW project 35km north of Kratie, and the Don Sahong (Siphandone) Dam just north of the Cambodia–Laos border.

Also of concern is the potential impact of dams on the annual monsoon flooding of the Mekong, which deposits nutrient-rich silt across vast tracts of land used for agriculture. A drop of just 1m in wet-season water levels on the Tonlé Sap would result in around 2000 sq km less flood area, with potentially disastrous consequences for Cambodia’s farmers.

DOING YOUR BIT

Every visitor to Cambodia can make at least a small contribution to the country’s ecological sustainability.

• Lead by example and dispose of your rubbish responsibly.
• Drink fresh coconuts, in their natural packaging, rather than soft drinks in throwaway cans and bottles.
• Choose trekking guides who respect both the ecosystem and the people who live in it.
• Avoid eating wild meat, such as bat, deer and shark fin.
• Don’t touch live coral when snorkelling or diving – and don’t buy coral souvenirs.
• If you see wild animals being killed, traded or eaten, take down details of what and where and contact the Wildlife Alliance, an NGO that helps manage the government’s Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team (012 500094; [email protected], [email protected]). Rescued animals are either released or taken to the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (Click here).
• Try some of the places listed in this book’s GreenDex.

Overseeing development plans for the river is the Mekong River Commission (MRC; www.mrcmekong.org). Formed by the UNDP and comprising Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, it is ostensibly committed to sustainable development.

Back in the early 1990s, Cambodia had such extensive forest cover compared with its neighbours that some environmentalists were calling for the whole country to be made a protected area.

Sand Extraction

Sand dredging in the estuaries of Koh Kong Province, including inside the protected Peam Krasaop Wildlife Sanctuary, threatens delicate mangrove ecosystems and the sea life that depends on them. According to a 2009 investigation by the Phnom Penh Post, local fishermen in Krong Koh Kong have reported reduced catches and changes in the behaviour of sea life, including crabs, since the arrival of the dredging barges, which churn up riverbed silt. Much of the sand is destined for Singapore. For details, see Global Witness’ 2009 report Country for Sale (www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/713/en/country_for_sale).

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COLOURS OF CAMBODIA

Temple-Hopping
People & Culture
Natural Wonders

Travelling through Cambodia reveals a vivid palette of colour: rural rice fields glimmer like emeralds; Buddhist monks’ saffron robes shimmer in the sunlight. Cambodia’s ancient temples are hewn from sandstone, but are cloaked in green moss or drip with dappled shadows. Khmer food is as striking in colour as it is in flavour. Even the arts are bright, with exquisite dance costumes. But the people of Cambodia bring the most colour of all, their beautiful smiles and warm welcome an enduring memory of any visit.

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Temple-Hopping

Cambodia is the undisputed temple capital of Asia and we are not just talking about the awesome Angkor Wat, the mother of all temples. Angkor is heaven on earth – the home of the gods, cast in stone – but all over the country, hidden away in the jungle, lie monuments that attest to the glories of the Khmer empire.

Angkor Wat

Follow in the footsteps of pilgrims of old along the immense causeway of the ‘temple that is a city’, the holiest of holies, the one and only, Angkor Wat (Click here).

Jungle Temples

Iconic Ta Prohm (pictured left, Click here) is the original jungle temple, with serpentine root systems slowly strangling the stones. Further afield lies Beng Mealea (pictured right, Click here), smothered then swallowed by the voracious jungle.

Preah Khan

Experience spiritual harmony in the ultimate fusion-temple, Preah Khan (Click here), which is dedicated to the Hindu trinity of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, as well as the Buddha.

Koh Ker

Discover the rival capital of Koh Ker (Click here), carved out of the jungle in the 10th century and home to some of the most epic sculptures from the Angkorian era.

Banteay Chhmar

Venture off the trail to the ‘narrow fortress’ of Banteay Chhmar (Click here), one of the monumental creations of Jayavarman VII, complete with the signature faces of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Life Before Angkor

Cambodia didn’t begin and end with Angkor. There are relics of the powerful pre-Angkorian kingdoms of Funan and Chenla all over the country, including Sambor Prei Kuk (Click here), the first temple-city in Southeast Asia.

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People & Culture

The Khmer people have opened their arms to the world and make any visit to the kingdom a humbling lesson in the endurance of the human spirit. The past is not forgotten in devotion to their ancestors and pilgrimages to pagodas, but the future is embraced, as youngsters seize the day. Share the adventure with a local meal, a traditional performance or a meeting with the minorities.

Buddhist Monks

Witness the rebirth of the Buddhist faith (Click here), so nearly destroyed during the Khmer Rouge regime, as saffron-clad monks wander the streets of towns and cities across Cambodia.

A Culinary Adventure

Cambodia is not only a feast for the senses. An epicurean journey into a little-known cuisine (Click here), it is on the culinary crossroads of Asia, combining the best of Thailand, Vietnam, India and China.

Country Life

The majority of Cambodians still live in the countryside, eking out a living from farming or fishing, while an incredible 50% of the population is under the age of 16 (Click here).

The Living Arts

The royal ballet (Click here), folk dance and shadow puppetry are a tangible link with the glorious days of Angkor, recounting myths and legends from an earlier, Hindu past.

Multiculturalism

Sitting in the heart of Asia, it’s no surprise to discover that Cambodia is home to a diverse array of peoples (Click here), including the majority Khmers, ethnic Chinese, Vietnamese and Chams, and minority hill tribes in the remote northeast.

Handicrafts

The ancient artisans of Angkor were incredibly skilled carvers and the tradition is alive and well today (Click here), with a range of stone sculpture, woodcarving and intricate silver available, as well as exquisite silk and delicate lacquerware.

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Natural Wonders

Wiped off the map for more than three decades by war and revolution, there are plenty of unexplored wilds in Cambodia that are now beginning to draw visitors. Explore the meandering Mekong, penetrate the vast wilderness of the Cardamoms, trek in nascent national parks, take the plunge in the waterfalls of the northeast, or beachcomb like Robinson Crusoe.

Tonlé Sap Lake

Take to the waters of the largest lake in Southeast Asia to explore floating villages and flooded forests. Tonlé Sap (Click here) acts as a natural flood barrier for the Mekong River.

The Caves of Kampot

Go underground around Kampot (Click here) to discover the many caves that pepper this region of limestone karst, some containing ancient Hindu temples that look like they were built yesterday.

The Wild East

Head to the hills of Mondulkiri (Click here) or Ratanakiri (Click here), where elephants are still a regular means of transport, to explore a different Cambodia of dense jungle, hidden waterfalls and shy minority peoples.

Deserted Beaches

Comb the coast of Cambodia to discover pristine tropical beaches and deserted paradise hideaways, including the islands off Sihanoukville (Click here) and Kep (Click here), and the national parks of Koh Kong Province (Click here).

The Mekong

Go with the flow and follow the mighty Mekong, the mother river, on its journey through the heart of Cambodia, with the chance to see rare freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins (Click here) along the way.

Cardamom Mountains

Venture into one of Asia’s last great wildernesses, the untamed Cardamom Mountains (Click here), where dense jungle tumbles down from mountain peaks to the crystal-clear waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

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Phnom Penh

   HISTORY
   ORIENTATION
   INFORMATION
   DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
   SIGHTS
   ACTIVITIES
   WALKING TOUR
   PHNOM PENH FOR CHILDREN
   TOURS
   SLEEPING
   EATING
   DRINKING
   ENTERTAINMENT
   SHOPPING
   GETTING THERE & AWAY
   GETTING AROUND
AROUND PHNOM PENH
   KIEN SVAY
   UDONG
   TONLé BATI
   PHNOM TAMAO WILDLIFE RESCUE CENTRE
   PHNOM CHISOR
   KIRIROM NATIONAL PARK

Phnom Penh: the name can’t help but conjure up an image of the exotic. The glimmering spires of the Royal Palace, the fluttering saffron of the monks’ robes and the luscious location on the banks of the mighty Mekong – this is one of Asia’s oft-overlooked gems. But it’s also a city on the rise, as a new wave of investors move in, perhaps forever changing the character, and skyline, of this classic capital. Phnom Penh sits at the crossroads of Asia’s past and present: it’s a city of extremes of poverty and excess, of charm and chaos, a city that never fails to captivate.

Phnom Penh can be an assault on the senses. Motorbikes whiz through the laneways without a thought for pedestrians; stalls and markets exude pungent scents; and all the while the sounds of life, of commerce, of survival, reverberate through the streets. But this is all part of the attraction. This is not just another metropolis, an identikit image of a modern capital, it is an older Asia that many dreamed of when first imagining their adventures overseas.

Once the ‘Pearl of Asia’, Phnom Penh’s shine was tarnished by the impact of war and revolution. But the city has since risen from the ashes to take its place among the hip capitals of the region. Delve into the ancient past at the National Museum or struggle to make sense of the recent trauma at Tuol Sleng Museum. Browse the city’s markets for a bargain or linger in the beautiful boutiques that are putting Phnom Penh on the style map. Street-surf local stalls for a snack or enjoy the refined surrounds of a designer restaurant. Whatever your flavour, no matter your taste, it’s all here in Phnom Penh.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Be dazzled by the 5000 silver floor tiles of the Silver Pagoda, part of the Royal Palace
• Discover the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculpture at the stunning National Museum
• Check out the huge dome of Psar Thmei, the art-deco masterpiece that is Phnom Penh’s central market
• Delve into the dark side of Cambodian history with a visit to Tuol Sleng Museum, essential to understanding the pain of the past
• Experience Phnom Penh’s legendary nightlife with a happy-hour cocktail, a local meal and a crawl through the city’s lively bars

TELEPHONE CODE: 023

POPULATION: 2 MILLION

AREA: 290 SQ KM

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HISTORY

Legend has it that the city of Phnom Penh was founded when an old woman named Penh found four Buddha images that had come to rest on the banks of the Mekong River. She housed them on a nearby hill, and the town that grew up here came to be known as Phnom Penh (Hill of Penh).

The story gives no hint as to why, in the 1430s, Angkor was abandoned and Phnom Penh chosen as the site of the new Cambodian capital. The move has been much lamented as evidence of cultural decline and the fall of an empire, but it made a good deal of practical sense. Angkor was poorly situated for trade and subject to attacks from the Siamese (Thai) kingdom of Ayuthaya. Phnom Penh commanded a more central position in the Khmer territories and was perfectly located for riverine trade with Laos and China, via the Mekong Delta. The Tonlé Sap River provided access to the rich fishing grounds of Tonlé Sap Lake.

By the mid-16th century, trade had turned Phnom Penh into a regional power. Indonesian and Chinese traders were drawn to the city in large numbers. A century later, however, Vietnamese incursions into Khmer territory had robbed the city of access to sea lanes, and Chinese merchants driven south by the Manchu (Qing) dynasty began to monopolise trade. The landlocked and increasingly isolated kingdom became a buffer between ascendant Thais and Vietnamese. In 1772, the Thais burnt Phnom Penh to the ground. Although the city was rebuilt, Phnom Penh was buffeted by the rival intrigues of the Thai and Vietnamese courts, until the French took over in 1863. Its population is thought not to have risen much above 25,000 during this period.

The French protectorate in Cambodia gave Phnom Penh the layout we know today. The city was divided into districts or quartiers: the French administrators and European traders inhabited the area north of Wat Phnom between Monivong Blvd and the Tonlé Sap River; the Chinese merchants occupied the riverfront area south of Wat Phnom to the Royal Palace and west as far as Norodom Blvd; and the Cambodians and Vietnamese lived around and to the south of the palace. By the time the French departed in 1953, they had left many important landmarks, including the Royal Palace, National Museum, Psar Thmei (Central Market) and many impressive government ministries.

The city grew fast in the post-independence peacetime years of Sihanouk’s rule. By the time he was overthrown in 1970, the population of Phnom Penh was approximately 500,000. As the Vietnam War spread into Cambodian territory, the city’s population swelled with refugees and reached nearly three million in early 1975. The Khmer Rouge took the city on 17 April 1975 and, as part of its radical revolution, immediately forced the entire population into the countryside. Different factions of the Khmer Rouge were responsible for evacuating different zones of the city; civilians to the east of Norodom Blvd were sent east, those south of the palace to the south, and so on. Whole families were split up on those first fateful days of ‘liberation’ and, for many thousands of Cambodians, their experience of the Khmer Rouge rule depended on which area of the city they had been in that day.

During the time of Democratic Kampuchea, many tens of thousands of former Phnom Penhois – including the vast majority of the capital’s educated residents – were killed. The population of Phnom Penh during the Khmer Rouge regime was never more than about 50,000, a figure made up of senior party members, factory workers and trusted military leaders.

Repopulation of the city began when the Vietnamese arrived in 1979, although at first it was strictly controlled by the new government. During much of the 1980s, cows were more common than cars on the streets of the capital, and it was not until the government dispensed with its communist baggage at the end of the decade that Phnom Penh began to develop. The 1990s were boom years for some: along with the arrival of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (Untac) came US$2 billion, much of it in salaries for expats. Well-connected residents were only too happy to help foreigners part with their money through high rents and hefty price-hikes. Businesses followed hot on the heels of Untac and commercial buildings began to spring up.

Phnom Penh has really begun to change in the last decade, with roads being repaired, sewage pipes laid, parks inaugurated and riverbanks reclaimed. Business is booming in many parts of the city with skyscrapers under development, investors rubbing their hands with the sort of glee once reserved for Bangkok or Hanoi and swanky new restaurants opening up. Phnom Penh is finally on the move as a new middle class emerges to replace the thousands eliminated by the Khmer Rouge, and the elite invest their dollars at home rather than taking the risk of hiding them abroad. Phnom Penh is back, and bigger changes are set to come.

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ORIENTATION

Phnom Penh is a fairly easy city in which to navigate as it is laid out in a numbered grid, a little like New York City. The major boulevards of Phnom Penh run north–south, parallel to the banks of the Tonlé Sap and Tonlé Bassac Rivers. Monivong Blvd cuts north–south through the centre of town, passing just west of Psar Thmei. Its northern sector is a busy shopping strip and home to some of the oldest (read least-appealing) hotels in town. Norodom Blvd runs north–south from Wat Phnom, and is largely lined with administrative buildings; the northern end contains banks, while further south are government ministries and embassies. Samdech Sothearos Blvd runs north–south near the riverfront, past the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. Sisowath Quay hugs the river and is where many of the city’s most popular restaurants and bars are located. The major east–west boulevards are Russian Blvd in the north of town; Sihanouk Blvd, which runs from Olympic Stadium past the Independence Monument and ends near the National Assembly; and Mao Tse Toung Blvd, a ring road of sorts that also runs north–south in the west of the city.

Intersecting the main boulevards is a network of hundreds of numbered smaller streets. As a rule of thumb, streets running east–west have even numbers that increase as you head south from the Chruoy Changvar Bridge, while streets that run north–south have odd numbers that increase as you head west away from the river.

Most buildings around town have signs with both their building number and street number. Finding a building purely by its address, however, is not always easy, as numbers are rarely sequential. See the boxed text, below, and pity the postman.

Most buses, taxis and pick-ups arrive in the centre of town around Psar Thmei and it is just a short moto (small motorcycle with driver), remork-moto (tuk tuk) or taxi ride to most guesthouses and hotels. Some buses arrive at the north end of the riverfront near St 104 and there are persistent rumours the government will eventually develop out-of-town bus stations to ease traffic congestion. The train station is a couple of blocks northwest of Psar Thmei, but there are currently no passenger services. Boats from Siem Reap and Chau Doc (Vietnam) arrive at the tourist boat dock on the Tonlé Sap River at the eastern end of St 104. Hundreds of motos await in ambush. This area has been touted for redevelopment as a marina, but it is unlikely to happen in the very near future.

Phnom Penh International Airport is 7km west of central Phnom Penh.

KNOWING WHEN YOUR NUMBER’S UP

Navigating the streets of Phnom Penh should be pretty straightforward thanks to the grid system put in place by the French. The total and utter lack of an effective house-numbering system, however, makes some guesthouses, restaurants and offices that bit harder to track down. The long years of war, abandonment and reoccupation destroyed the old system and as residents began to repopulate the city they seem to have picked numbers out of the air. It is not uncommon to drive past a row of houses numbered 13A, 34, 7, 26. Make sense of that and you might get a job as a code cracker. Worse still, several different houses might use the same number on the same street. The long and the short of it is that when you get to a guesthouse or restaurant recommended in this chapter only to discover it appears to have turned into a prahoc (fermented fish paste) shop, don’t curse us for the bad smell. Just down the road will be another place with the same number – the guesthouse or restaurant you were looking for…unless, of course, it really has gone into the prahoc business.

When getting directions, ask for a cross-reference for an address, such as ‘close to the intersection of St 110 and Norodom Blvd’. The letters ‘EO’ after a street address stand for étage zéro (ground floor).

Maps

For a handy pocket-size map, look out for a free copy of the Phnom Penh 3-D Map, which is distributed at the airport and selected bars and restaurants around the city. Both the Phnom Penh Visitors’ Guide and the Phnom Penh Pocket Guides, freely available in the capital, have up-to-date maps.

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INFORMATION

For up-to-date contact information on businesses in Phnom Penh, visit the Yellow Pages (www.yellowpages.com.kh). Check out Drinking and Dining for the low-down on bars and restaurants, or Out and About for shops and services, both produced by Pocket Guide Cambodia (www.cambodiapocketguide.com). The Phnom Penh Visitors’ Guide (www.canbypublications.com) is brimming with useful information on the capital and beyond, while AsiaLife Phnom Penh (www.asialifecambodia.com) is a reliable read.

Bookshops

• Bohr’s Books (Map; 5 Samdech Sothearos Blvd) A locally owned secondhand bookshop near the riverfront.
• D’s Books (Map; www.ds-books.com; off Norodom Blvd 79 St 240; Riverfront area 7 St 178) The largest chain of secondhand bookshops in the capital, with a good range of titles, plus a third branch in the Boeng Kak backpacker area.
• Monument Books (Map; 217617; 111 Norodom Blvd) The best-stocked bookshop in town, with almost every Cambodia-related book currently in print available. There’s also a small branch of Java Café (Click here) here. Plus an airport branch.

Emergency

• Ambulance (119)
• Fire (118)
• Police (117)

There are 24-hour emergency numbers for the English-speaking tourist police (724793 or 097-7780002) or the Khmer-speaking police (012 999999) in Phnom Penh. There is also an emergency number with English-speaking operators for Phnom Penh’s ambulance service (724891).

In the event of a medical emergency it may be necessary to be evacuated to Bangkok. Click here for details of medical services in Phnom Penh.

Internet Access

Phnom Penh is now well and truly wired, with prices dropping to less than US$0.50 per hour. There are internet cafes all over the city.

Many guesthouses also offer some sort of internet access, and in the main backpacker areas there are several internet cafes. Anyone staying in more expensive hotels should venture out to find an online fix, as in-house business centres are overpriced.

PHNOM PENH IN…

One Day

With just a day in town, start early with a riverfront stroll to see the mass t’ai chi and aerobics sessions taking place in front of the Royal Palace, although it seems to be mainly aerobics these days. Grab breakfast at one of the riverfront cafes before venturing into the Royal Palace compound to see the dazzling treasures of the Silver Pagoda. Next is the National Museum and the world’s most wondrous collection of Khmer sculpture. Have lunch at nearby Friends restaurant, giving street children a helping hand into tourism. After lunch, check out the funky architecture of Psar Thmei, but save the shopping for the treasure trove that is Psar Tuol Tom Pong, more commonly known as the Russian Market. Take a deep breath and continue to Tuol Sleng Museum, a savage reminder of Cambodia’s tragic past. Sobering indeed – it may be time for a happy-hour drink to reflect on the highs and lows of the day. Enjoy dinner in one of the many good Khmer restaurants in town, before joining the nightshift at some of the rockin’ bars.

Two Days

With two days, it is easy to get to grips with Cambodia’s capital. Start the first day as per the one-day itinerary with a visit to the cultural splendours that are the National Museum and Royal Palace. In the afternoon, visit the harrowing Tuol Sleng Museum before continuing on to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, where prisoners from Security Prison 21 were taken for execution. It is a grim afternoon, but essential for understanding just how far Cambodia has come in the intervening years. Wind up with a sunset cruise on the Mekong River offering a beautiful view over the Royal Palace.

On the second day, it is time to get serious about shopping. Browse through art-deco Psar Thmei and then Psar Tuol Tom Pong, a maze of stalls selling everything from textiles and handicrafts to DVDs and cut-price clothing. Keep some cash for the excellent shops that support good causes, all of which stock a solid selection of silk.

In the afternoon, take a look at the Independence Monument, modelled on Angkor Wat’s central tower, and wander up the riverfront to Wat Phnom, where Khmers prefer to pray for luck. From here it is a short stroll to hit the riverfront bars (Click here) with their happy-hour cocktails, the perfect warm-up for a final fling in Phnom Penh.

Several of the midrange and top-end hotels now offer wi-fi access at a price, while many of the more popular cafes, restaurants and bars offer a free service.

Laundry

Most guesthouses around town offer reasonably priced laundry services and there are cheap local laundries scattered across the city. Tourists staying in high-end hotels can save a small fortune by using a local laundry while in town.

Libraries

The National Library (Click here) has a pretty limited selection of reading material for foreign visitors, but is set in a lovely building. French speakers should call into the French Cultural Centre (Map; St 184), which has a good range of reading material.

The Bophana Centre (Map; 992174; 64 St 200), established by Cambodian-French filmmaker Rithy Panh, is an audiovisual resource for filmmakers and researchers, and visitors can explore its archive of old photographs and films.

Medical Services

It is important to be aware of the difference between a clinic and a hospital in Phnom Penh. Clinics are good for most situations, but in a genuine emergency it is best to make for one of the hospitals.

• Calmette Hospital (Map; 426948; 3 Monivong Blvd; 24hr) French-administered and the best of the local hospitals.
• European Dental Clinic (Map; 211363; 160A Norodom Blvd; 7.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-7.30pm Mon-Sat) With international dental services and a good reputation.
• International SOS Medical Centre (Map; 216911; www.internationalsos.com; 161 St 51; 8am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat) One of the best medical services around town, but with prices to match. Also has a resident foreign dentist.
• Naga Clinic (Map; 211300; www.nagaclinic.com; 11 St 254; 24hr) A French-run clinic for reliable consultations.
• Pharmacie de la Gare (Map; 430205; 81 Monivong Blvd; 7am-7pm Mon-Sat, 8am-noon Sun) A pharmacy with English- and French-speaking consultants.
• Royal Rattanak Hospital (Map; 365555; www.royalrattanakhospital.com; 11 St 592; 24hr) International hospital affiliated with Bangkok Hospital and boasting top facilities, but prone to promote expensive fixes.
• Tropical & Travellers Medical Clinic (Map; 366802; www.travellersmedicalclinic.com; 88 St 108) Well-regarded British-run clinic.
• U-Care Pharmacy (Map; 222399; 26 Samdech Sothearos Blvd; 8am-9pm) International-style pharmacy with a convenient location near the river.

Money

Those looking to change cash into riel need look no further than jewellery stalls around the markets of Phnom Penh. Psar Thmei (Click here) and Psar Tuol Tom Pong (Click here) are the most convenient.

A number of upmarket hotels offer money-changing services, although this is usually reserved for their guests. Most banks in Phnom Penh are open from roughly 8am to 3.30pm weekdays, plus Saturday mornings.

The main cluster of banks is found along the avenue formed by Sts 110 and 114, Cambodia’s very own answer to Wall St.

• ANZ Royal Bank (Map; 726900; 265 Sisowath Quay) ATMs galore all over town, including at supermarkets and petrol stations, but there is a US$4 charge per transaction.
• Canadia Bank (Map; 215286; cnr St 110 & Monivong Blvd) Spiffy new HQ that changes travellers cheques of several currencies for a 2% commission, plus free cash advances on MasterCard and Visa. Canadia Bank ATMs around town incur no transaction charges.
• Foreign Trade Bank (Map; 723466; 3 St 114; 7am-3.45pm Mon-Fri) Lowest commission in town on US dollar travellers cheques at 1%.
• SBC Bank (Map; 990688; 315 Sisowath Quay; 8am-8pm) Convenient hours and location, ATMs with no charge, plus represents Western Union.

CHILD PROSTITUTION

The sexual abuse of children by foreign paedophiles is a serious problem in Cambodia. Paedophilia is a crime in Cambodia and several foreigners have served or are serving jail sentences. There is no such thing as an isolation unit for sex offenders in Cambodia. Countries such as Australia, France, Germany, the UK and the USA have also introduced much-needed legislation that sees nationals prosecuted in their home country for having under-age sex abroad.

This child abuse is slowly but surely being combated, although in a country as poor as Cambodia, money can tempt people into selling babies for adoption and children for sex. The trafficking of innocent children has many shapes and forms, and the sex trade is just the thin end of the wedge. Poor parents have been known to rent out their children as beggars, labourers or sellers; many child prostitutes in Cambodia are Vietnamese and have been sold into the business by family back in Vietnam. Once in the trade, it is difficult to escape a life of violence and abuse. Drugs are also being used to keep children dependent on their pimps, with bosses giving out yama (a dirty meta-amphetamine) or heroin to dull their senses.

Paedophilia is not unique to Western societies and it is a big problem with Asian tourists as well. The problem is that some of the home governments don’t treat it as seriously as some of their Western counterparts. Even more problematic is the domestic industry of virgin-buying in Cambodia, founded on the superstition that taking a virgin will enhance one’s power. Even if NGOs succeed in putting off Western paedophiles, confronting local traditions may be a greater challenge.

Visitors can do their bit by keeping an eye out for any suspicious behaviour on the part of foreigners. Don’t ignore it – pass on any relevant information such as the name and nationality of the individual to the embassy concerned. There is also a Cambodian hotline (023-997919) and a confidential ChildSafe Hotline (012 311112; www.childsafe-cambodia.org). When booking into a hotel or jumping on transport, look out for the ChildSafe logo, as each establishment or driver who earns this logo supports an end to child sex tourism and has undergone child-protection training. End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (Ecpat; www.ecpat.org) is a global network aimed at stopping child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes, and has affiliates in most Western countries.

Those needing to organise an international money transfer can use the Foreign Trade Bank. It may be quicker (and more expensive) to use an international company such as MoneyGram or Western Union. MoneyGram is represented by Canadia Bank, while Western Union can be found at SBC or Acleda Bank (Map; 998777; 61 Monivong Blvd).

Post

The main post office (Map; St 13; 7am-7pm) is in a charming building just east of Wat Phnom. It offers postal services as well as telephone and fax links. There is another post office on Monivong Blvd, near the corner of Sihanouk Blvd. For average postal rates, Click here.

If you need to get valuables or belongings home in a hurry, there are several international courier companies (Click here) represented in Phnom Penh.

Telephone & Fax

The cheapest local and domestic calls in Phnom Penh are available from private booths found throughout the city. Whatever the number you are dialling, private booths will have a selection of telephones to make sure you get the best rate. Local calls start at 300r a minute.

Many internet cafes in Phnom Penh offer telephone services at reasonable prices, including internet phone calls, which are much cheaper than normal international calls. Most places have Skype services or similar available for those with an account.

For further information on phone and fax services, Click here.

Tourist Information

Phnom Penh finally has a tourism office (Sisowath Quay) located on the riverfront near the Chatomuk Theatre, and while it doesn’t carry a whole lot of information for now, it does offer clean bathrooms. Armed with this guidebook, the recommended free guides under Information (Click here) and with tips from your guesthouse or fellow travellers, you should be in good shape.

• Cambodia Community-Based Ecotourism Network (Map; 355272; www.ccben.org; 10A St 468; 8am-noon, 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri) Information on eco-tourism and community-based activities all over Cambodia.
• ChildSafe (Map; www.childsafe-cambodia.org; 186 St 13) Located opposite the popular Friends restaurant, this drop-in office for the ChildSafe campaign aims to raise awareness among visitors about the problems of child begging, sex tourism and more.

Travel Agencies

There are plenty of travel agents around town, including some long-running places near Psar Thmei. Try the following:

• Exotissimo (Map; 218948; www.exotissimo.com; Norodom Blvd)
• Hanuman Tourism (Map; 218356; www.hanumantourism.com; 12 St 310)
• PTM Travel & Tours (Map; 364768; www.ptm-travel.com; 200 Monivong Blvd)
• VLK Tourism (Map; 723331; www.vlktravel.com; 195 Monivong Blvd)

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DANGERS & ANNOYANCES

Phnom Penh is not as dangerous as people imagine, but it is important to take care. Armed robberies do sometimes occur, but statistically you would be very unlucky to be a victim.

Should you become the victim of a robbery, do not panic and do not, under any circumstances, struggle. Calmly raise your hands and let your attacker take what they want. Do not reach for your pockets as the assailant may think you are reaching for a gun. Do not carry a bag at night, as it is more likely to make you a target.

It pays to be cautious in crowded bars or nightclubs that are frequented by the Khmer elite. Many pampered children hang out in popular places, bringing their bodyguards along for good luck. This is fine until a drunk foreigner treads on their toes or they decide they want to hit on a Western girl. Then the problems start and if they have bodyguards with them, it will only end in tears, big tears.

If you ride your own motorbike during the day, some police may try to fine you for the most trivial of offences, such as turning left in violation of a no-left-turn sign. At their most audacious, they may try to get you for riding with your headlights on during the day although, worryingly, it does not seem to be illegal for Cambodians to travel without their headlights on at night. The police will most likely demand US$5 from you and threaten to take you to the police station for an official US$20 fine if you do not pay. If you are patient with them and smile, you can usually get away with handing over US$1. The trick is not to stop in the first place by not catching their eye.

The riverfront area of Phnom Penh, particularly places with outdoor seating, attracts many beggars, as do Psar Thmei and Psar Tuol Tom Pong markets. Generally, however, there is little in the way of push and shove. For more thoughts on how to handle beggar fatigue, Click here.

Flooding is a major problem during heavy downpours in the wet season (June to October). Phnom Penh’s drainage system is notoriously unreliable and when the big rains kick off, some streets turn into canals for a few hours. The Japanese government has just finished rebuilding the drains and sewers along the riverfront, which may well ease things.

BAG SNATCHING

Bag snatching has become a real problem in Phnom Penh and foreigners are often targeted. Hot spots include the riverfront and busy areas around popular markets, but there is no real pattern and the speeding motorbike thieves can strike any time, any place. In 2007, this ended in tragedy for a young French woman who was dragged from a speeding moto into the path of a vehicle. Try to wear close-fitting bags such as backpacks that don’t dangle from the body temptingly. Don’t hang expensive cameras around the neck and keep things close to the body and out of sight, particularly when walking in the road, crossing the road or travelling by moto, remork or cyclo. These guys are real pros and only need one chance.

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SIGHTS

Phnom Penh is a relatively small city and most of the major sights are fairly central. The most important cultural sights can be visited on foot and are located near the riverfront in the most beautiful part of the city.

Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda

With its classic Khmer roofs and ornate gilding, the Royal Palace (Map; Samdech Sothearos Blvd; admission incl camera/video 25,000r; 8-11am & 2-5pm) dominates the diminutive skyline of Phnom Penh. It is a striking structure near the riverfront, bearing a remarkable likeness to its counterpart in Bangkok. Hidden away behind protective walls and beneath shadows of soaring ceremonial buildings, it’s an oasis of calm with lush gardens and leafy havens.

Being the official residence of King Sihamoni, parts of the massive compound are closed to the public. Visitors are only allowed to visit the palace’s Silver Pagoda and its surrounding compound. However, photography is not permitted inside the pagoda itself. Visitors need to wear shorts that reach to the knee, and T-shirts or blouses that reach to the elbow; otherwise they will have to rent an appropriate covering. The palace gets very busy on Sundays when countryside Khmers come to pay their respects, but this can be a fun way to experience the place, thronging with locals.

CHAN CHAYA PAVILION

Performances of classical Cambodian dance were once staged in the Chan Chaya Pavilion, through which guests enter the grounds of the Royal Palace. This pavilion is sometimes lit up at night to commemorate festivals or anniversaries.

THRONE HALL

The Throne Hall, topped by a 59m-high tower inspired by the Bayon at Angkor, was inaugurated in 1919 by King Sisowath; the present cement building replaced a vast wooden structure that was built on this site in 1869. The Throne Hall is used for coronations and ceremonies such as the presentation of credentials by diplomats. Many of the items once displayed here were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge. In the courtyard is a curious iron house given to King Norodom by Napoleon III of France, hardly designed with the Cambodian climate in mind.

SILVER PAGODA

The Silver Pagoda is named in honour of the floor, which is covered with more than 5000 silver tiles weighing 1kg each, adding up to five tonnes of gleaming silver. You can sneak a peek at some of the 5000 tiles near the entrance – most are covered for their protection. It is also known as Wat Preah Keo (Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha). It was originally constructed of wood in 1892 during the rule of King Norodom, who was apparently inspired by Bangkok’s Wat Phra Keo, and was rebuilt in 1962.

The Silver Pagoda was preserved by the Khmer Rouge to demonstrate its concern for the conservation of Cambodia’s cultural riches to the outside world. Although more than half of the pagoda’s contents were lost, stolen or destroyed in the turmoil that followed the Vietnamese invasion, what remains is spectacular. This is one of the few places in Cambodia where bejewelled objects embodying some of the brilliance and richness of Khmer civilisation can still be seen.

The staircase leading to the Silver Pagoda is made of Italian marble. Inside, the Emerald Buddha, believed to be made of Baccarat crystal, sits on a gilded pedestal high atop the dais. In front of the dais stands a life-size gold Buddha decorated with 9584 diamonds, the largest of which, set in the crown, is a whopping 25 carats. Created in the palace workshops around 1907, the gold Buddha weighs in at 90kg. Directly in front of it is a miniature silver-and-gold stupa containing a relic of Buddha brought from Sri Lanka. To the left is an 80kg bronze Buddha, and to the right a silver Buddha. On the far right, figurines of solid gold tell of the life of the Buddha.

Behind the shrine is a standing marble Buddha from Myanmar (Burma). Nearby is a bed once used by the king on his coronation day and designed to be carried by 12 men; the gold-work alone weighs 23kg.

Along the walls of the pagoda are examples of extraordinary Khmer artisanship, including intricate masks used in classical dance and dozens of gold Buddhas. The many precious gifts given to Cambodia’s monarchs by foreign heads of state appear rather spiritless when displayed next to such diverse and exuberant Khmer art.

The classic Indian epic of the Ramayana (known as the Reamker in Cambodia) is depicted on a beautiful and extensive mural enclosing the pagoda compound, created around 1900; the story begins just south of the east gate and includes vivid images of the battle of Lanka.

Other structures to be found in the complex (listed clockwise from the north gate) include the mondap (library), which once housed richly decorated sacred texts written on palm leaves (now moved to the safety of air-conditioned storage); the shrine of King Norodom (r 1860–1904); an equestrian statue of King Norodom; the shrine of King Ang Duong (r 1845–59); a pavilion housing a huge footprint of Buddha; Phnom Mondap, an artificial hill with a structure containing a bronze footprint of the Buddha from Sri Lanka; a shrine dedicated to one of Prince Sihanouk’s daughters; a pavilion for celebrations held by the royal family; the shrine of Prince Sihanouk’s father, King Norodom Suramarit (r 1955–60); and a bell tower, whose bell is rung to order the gates to be opened or closed.

National Museum

Located just north of the Royal Palace, the National Museum of Cambodia (Map; www.cambodiamuseum.info; cnr St 13 & St 178; admission US$3, camera/video US$1/3; 8am-5pm) is housed in a graceful terracotta structure of traditional design (built 1917–20), with an inviting courtyard garden. The museum is home to the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculpture – a millennia’s worth and more of masterful Khmer design.

The museum comprises four pavilions, facing the pretty garden. The most significant displays of sculpture are in the courtyards to the left and directly ahead of the entrance, but most visitors approach the collection in a clockwise chronological direction. The pre-Angkorian collection visualises the journey from the human form of Indian sculpture to the more divine form of Khmer sculpture from the 5th to 8th centuries. Highlights include an imposing eight-armed statue of Vishnu from the 6th or 7th century and a staring Harihara, combining the attributes of Shiva and Vishnu. The Angkor collection includes a striking statue of Shiva (c AD 870), a giant pair of wrestling monkeys, an exquisite frieze from Banteay Srei, and the sublime statue of a seated Jayavarman VII (r 1181–1219), his head bowed slightly in a meditative pose.

The museum also contains displays of pottery and bronzes dating from the pre-Angkorian periods of Funan and Chenla (4th to 9th centuries), the Indravarman period (9th and 10th centuries), the classical Angkorian period (10th to 14th centuries), as well as more recent works such as a beautiful wooden royal barge. There is a permanent collection of post-Angkorian Buddhas, many of which were rescued from Angkor Wat when the civil war erupted. Click here for more information.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to photograph the collection – only the courtyard. English-, French-, Japanese-speaking guides (from US$5, depending on group size) are available, and there is also a useful booklet, The New Guide to the National Museum, available at the front desk.

Tuol Sleng Museum

In 1975, Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot’s security forces and turned into a prison known as Security Prison 21 (S-21). This soon became the largest centre of detention and torture in the country. Between 1975 and 1978 more than 17,000 people held at S-21 were taken to the killing fields of Choeung Ek (opposite).

S-21 has been turned into the Tuol Sleng Museum (Map; St 113; admission US$2, video US$5; 8am-5.30pm), which serves as a testament to the crimes of the Khmer Rouge. Entry is on the western side of St 113.

Like the Nazis, the Khmer Rouge leaders were meticulous in keeping records of their barbarism. Each prisoner who passed through S-21 was photographed, sometimes before and after torture. The museum displays include room after room of harrowing black-and-white photographs; virtually all of the men, women and children pictured were later killed. You can tell which year a picture was taken by the style of number-board that appears on the prisoner’s chest. Several foreigners from Australia, New Zealand and the USA were also held at S-21 before being murdered. It is worth paying US$2 to have a guide show you around, as they can tell you the stories behind some of the people in the photographs.

As the Khmer Rouge ‘revolution’ reached ever greater heights of insanity, it began devouring its own. Generations of torturers and executioners who worked here were in turn killed by those who took their places. During early 1977, when the party purges of Eastern Zone cadres were getting underway, S-21 claimed an average of 100 victims a day.

When the Vietnamese army liberated Phnom Penh in early 1979, there were only seven prisoners alive at S-21, all of whom had used their skills, such as painting or photography, to stay alive. Fourteen others had been tortured to death as Vietnamese forces were closing in on the city. Photographs of their gruesome deaths are on display in the rooms where their decomposing corpses were found. Their graves are nearby in the courtyard.

Altogether, a visit to Tuol Sleng is a profoundly depressing experience. The sheer ordinariness of the place makes it even more horrific: the suburban setting, the plain school buildings, the grassy playing area where children kick around balls; rusted beds, instruments of torture and wall after wall of disturbing portraits conjure up images of humanity at its worst. It demonstrates the darkest side of the human spirit that lurks within us all. Tuol Sleng is not for the squeamish.

Behind many of the displays at Tuol Sleng is the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam; www.dccam.org). DC-Cam was established in 1995 through Yale University’s Cambodian Genocide Program (www.yale.edu/cgp) to research and document the crimes of the Khmer Rouge. It became an independent organisation in 1997 and researchers have spent years translating confessions and paperwork from Tuol Sleng, mapping mass graves, and preserving evidence of Khmer Rouge crimes.

French-Cambodian director Rithy Panh’s 1996 film Bophana tells the true story of Hout Bophana, a beautiful young woman, and Ly Sitha, a regional Khmer Rouge leader, who fall in love but are made to pay for this ‘crime’ with imprisonment and execution at S-21 prison. It is well worth investing an hour to watch this powerful documentary, which is screened here at 10am and 3pm daily.

Killing Fields of Choeung Ek

Between 1975 and 1978 about 17,000 men, women, children and infants who had been detained and tortured at S-21 were transported to the extermination camp of Choeung Ek (off Map; admission US$3; 8am-5.30pm). They were often bludgeoned to death to avoid wasting precious bullets.

The remains of 8985 people, many of whom were bound and blindfolded, were exhumed in 1980 from mass graves in this one-time longan orchard; 43 of the 129 communal graves here have been left untouched. Fragments of human bone and bits of cloth are scattered around the disinterred pits. More than 8000 skulls, arranged by sex and age, are visible behind the clear glass panels of the Memorial Stupa, which was erected in 1988. It is a peaceful place today, masking the horrors that unfolded here less than three decades ago. There is a new museum here, which has some interesting information on the Khmer Rouge leadership and the ongoing trial.

Vann Nath: Portrait of the artist Nick Ray

Cambodian artist Vann Nath is famous the world over for his depictions of Khmer Rouge torture scenes at S-21 Security Prison in Phnom Penh. He was one of only seven survivors to emerge from the experience alive and, together with fellow prisoners Chum Mey and Bou Meng, there are just three men alive today to tell their tale.

Vann Nath was born in Battambang in 1946 and took up painting as a teenager, finding work as a sign painter and artist for cinema posters. Like many Cambodians, his life was turned upside down by the Khmer Rouge takeover and he found himself evacuated to the countryside along with other urban Cambodians. On 7 January 1978, he was taken to S-21 prison, aged 32 years, and spent the next year living in hellish surrounds, as thousands perished around him.

As one of the only survivors of the notorious prison, the Vietnamese brought him back to S-21 from 1980 to 1982 to paint the famous images we see today. He spent much of the subsequent decade enlisted in the Cambodian army, battling his former tormentors along the Thai border region.

‘I only started to paint again after the 1993 election, as I felt more free to speak openly,’ he says. ‘This is when I was discovered by the world and became famous for my museum paintings.’

I ask what it feels like to see Tuol Sleng as a tourist attraction today. ‘We must think of the souls of those who died there,’ he laments. ‘These souls died without hope, without light, without a future. They had no life,’ he continues, ‘so I paint my scenes to tell the world the stories of those who did not survive.’

He remembers a pledge he made back in 1978 when first incarcerated: ‘We were taken up to a holding room on the first floor,’ he tells me. ‘We agreed that whoever survives would need to tell the families of the victims how they met their fate.’ As one of the only survivors he is duty-bound to tell the world what happened.

So how does it feel to return to the scene of such personal horrors? ‘The first time I went back was a real struggle, as everything looked the same as before,’ he recalls. ‘I could hardly speak or move.’

We finish by talking about the Khmer Rouge tribunal for surviving leaders. Vann Nath has learnt about human rights in the years since his imprisonment, but it’s hard to accept as a victim. ‘As a person who represents thousands of dead prisoners, I am not sure the tribunal will deliver enough justice for the dead,’ he muses. ‘Based on human rights it may be fair, but the Khmer Rouge was about human wrongs as well,’ he says with an ironic smile.

‘If we talk about human feeling, then we want more than this, but we must ask ourselves what is fair?’ he considers. ‘If we demand too much justice then it becomes revenge. I just hope the court will deliver justice fairly,’ he says with dignity.

Vann Nath painted the scenes of torture and brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime,
which are on display at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (opposite). He runs the Kith Eng
Restaurant (Click here), which includes a small gallery of his famous works. He is also the author
of ‘A Cambodian Prison Portrait: One Year in the Khmer Rouge’s S-21’, available in Cambodia.

The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek are 15km from central Phnom Penh and well signposted in English. Most people arrive by bicycle, moto, remork or taxi – it’s too far to walk. To get here, take Monireth Blvd southwest out of the city. The site is 13km from the bridge near St 271 and the road is now paved the whole way. A memorial ceremony is held annually at Choeung Ek on 9 May.

The Killing Fields site was ‘privatised’ in 2005. Many Khmers and foreign observers alike remain disturbed that a private company has been permitted to exploit Cambodia’s tragedy.

Wat Phnom

Set on top of a 27m-high tree-covered knoll, Wat Phnom (Map; admission US$1) is on the only ‘hill’ in town. According to legend, the first pagoda on this site was erected in 1373 to house four statues of Buddha deposited here by the waters of the Mekong River and discovered by Madame Penh. The main entrance to Wat Phnom is via the grand eastern staircase, which is guarded by lions and naga (mythical serpent) balustrades.

Today, many people come here to pray for good luck and success in school exams or business affairs. When a wish is granted, the faithful return to deliver on the offering promised, such as a garland of jasmine flowers or a bunch of bananas, of which the spirits are said to be especially fond.

The vihara (temple sanctuary) was rebuilt in 1434, 1806, 1894 and 1926. West of the vihara is a huge stupa containing the ashes of King Ponhea Yat (r 1405–67). In a pavilion on the southern side of the passage between the vihara and the stupa is a statue of a smiling and rather plump Madame Penh.

A bit to the north of and below the vihara is an eclectic shrine dedicated to the genie Preah Chau, who is especially revered by the Vietnamese. On either side of the entrance to the chamber containing a statue of Preah Chau are guardian spirits bearing iron bats. On the tiled table in front of the two guardian spirits are drawings of Confucius, as well as two Chinese-style figures of the sages Thang Cheng (on the right) and Thang Thay (on the left). To the left of the central altar is an eight-armed statue of Vishnu.

WARNING: MONKEY BUSINESS AROUND WAT PHNOM

There are large troupes of macaques living around Wat Phnom and they can be aggressive when they see people with food. They have been known to bite children on occasion, so keep a good distance even if your children want to see the ‘cute’ monkeys.

Wat Phnom can be a bit of a circus. Beggars, street urchins, women selling drinks and children selling birds in cages (you pay to set the bird free, but the birds are trained to return to their cage afterwards) pester everyone who turns up to climb the 27m to the summit. Fortunately it’s all high-spirited stuff, and it’s difficult to be annoyed by the vendors, who, after all, are only trying to eke out a living. You can also have a short elephant ride around the base of the hill, perfect for those elephant-trekking photos, but without the accompanying sore backside.

Anyone travelling with children should note that the best public playground in Phnom Penh is located just to the southeast side of Wat Phnom, complete with a nearby multicoloured fountain that kicks off around dusk each day.

Wat Ounalom

This wat (Map; Samdech Sothearos Blvd; admission free; 6am-6pm) is the headquarters of Cambodian Buddhism. It was founded in 1443 and comprises 44 structures. It received a battering during the Pol Pot era, but today the wat has come back to life. The head of the country’s Buddhist brotherhood lives here, along with a large number of monks.

On the 2nd floor of the main building, to the left of the dais, is a statue of Samdech Huot Tat, fourth patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism, who was killed by Pol Pot. The statue, made in 1971 when the patriarch was 80 years old, was thrown in the Mekong by the Khmer Rouge to show that Buddhism was no longer the driving force in Cambodia. It was retrieved after 1979. To the right of the dais is a statue of a former patriarch of the Thummayuth sect, to which the royal family belongs.

On the 3rd floor of the building is a marble Buddha of Burmese origin that was broken into pieces by the Khmer Rouge and later reassembled. In front of the dais, to either side, are two glass cases containing flags – each 20m long – used during Buddhist festivals and celebrations. The walls are decorated with scenes from the life of Buddha and were painted when the building was constructed in 1952.

Behind the main building is a stupa containing an eyebrow hair of Buddha with an inscription in Pali (an ancient Indian language) over the entrance.

Wat Moha Montrei

Situated close to the Olympic Stadium, Wat Moha Montrei (Map; Sihanouk Blvd; admission free; 6am-6pm) was named in honour of one of King Monivong’s ministers, Chakrue Ponn, who initiated the founding of the pagoda (moha montrei means ‘the great minister’). The cement vihara, topped with a 35m-high tower, was completed in 1970. Between 1975 and 1979, it was used by the Khmer Rouge to store rice and corn.

Check out the assorted Cambodian touches incorporated into the wall murals of the vihara, which tell the story of Buddha. The angels accompanying Buddha to heaven are dressed as classical Khmer dancers and the assembled officials wear the white military uniforms of the Sihanouk period. Along the wall to the left of the dais is a painted wooden lion throne from which religious lessons are preached four times a month. The golden wooden throne nearby is used for the same purpose. All the statues of Buddha were made after 1979.

Independence Monument

Modelled on the central tower of Angkor Wat, the Independence Monument (Map; cnr Norodom & Sihanouk Blvds) was built in 1958 to commemorate the country’s independence from France in 1953. It also serves as a memorial to Cambodia’s war dead (at least those that the current government chooses to remember) and is sometimes referred to as the Victory Monument. Wreaths are laid here on national holidays. Nearby, beside Samdech Sothearos Blvd, is the optimistically named Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument, built to a Vietnamese (and rather communist) design in 1979.

Other Sights

The 700m Chruoy Changvar Bridge (Map), which spans the Tonlé Sap River, is often referred to by visitors as the Japanese Friendship Bridge. It was blown up during fighting in 1975. Long a symbol of the devastation visited upon Cambodia, it was repaired in 1993 with Japanese funding. Those who have seen the film The Killing Fields may be interested to note that it was near here on the afternoon of 17 April 1975 – the day Phnom Penh fell – that Khmer Rouge fighters imprisoned and threatened to kill New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg and his companions.

Located at the northern end of Monivong Blvd, the French embassy (Map; 430020; 1 Monivong Blvd) played a significant role in the dramas that unfolded after the fall of Phnom Penh on 17 April 1975. About 800 foreigners and 600 Cambodians took refuge in the embassy. Within 48 hours, the Khmer Rouge informed the French vice-consul that the new government did not recognise diplomatic privileges and that if all the Cambodians in the compound were not handed over, the lives of the foreigners inside would also be forfeited. Cambodian women married to foreigners could stay; Cambodian men married to foreign women could not. Foreigners wept as servants, colleagues, friends, lovers and husbands were escorted out of the embassy gates. At the end of the month the foreigners were expelled from Cambodia by truck. Many of the Cambodians were never seen again. Today a high whitewashed wall surrounds the massive complex and the French have returned to Cambodia in a big way, promoting French language and culture in their former colony.

Known collectively as the National Sports Complex, the Olympic Stadium (Map; near cnr Sihanouk & Monireth Blvds) is a striking example of 1960s Khmer architecture and includes a sports arena and facilities for boxing, gymnastics, volleyball and other sports. Turn up after 5pm to see countless football matches, pétanque duels or badminton games.

In order to replace the countless Buddhas and ritual objects smashed by the Khmer Rouge, a whole neighbourhood of private workshops making cement Buddhas, naga and small stupas has grown up on the grounds of Wat Prayuvong. While the graceless cement figures painted in gaudy colours are hardly works of art, they are an effort by the Cambodian people to restore Buddhism to a place of honour in their culture. The Prayuvong Buddha factories (Map; btw St 308 & St 310) are about 300m south of the Independence Monument.

The National Library (Bibliothèque Nationale; Map; St 92; 8-11am & 2-5pm Tue-Sun) is in a graceful old building constructed in 1924, near Wat Phnom. During its rule, the Khmer Rouge turned the building into a stable and destroyed most of the books. Many were thrown out into the streets, where they were picked up by people, some of whom donated them back to the library after 1979; others used them as food wrappings.

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ACTIVITIES

Boat Cruises

Boat trips on the Tonlé Sap or Mekong Rivers are very popular with visitors. Sunset cruises are ideal, the burning sun sinking slowly behind the glistening spires of the Royal Palace. It is also possible to charter them further afield for a visit to Koh Sdach and Mekong Island, neighbouring islands connected by bridge, where there is a cottage industry of silk weavers. Consider renting a bicycle to bring out to these islands for a little pedal-powered exploring.

Local tourist boats are available for hire on the riverfront in Phnom Penh and can usually be arranged on the spot for between US$10 and US$20 an hour, depending on negotiations and numbers.

Bowling

There is only one bowling alley in town, the Superbowl (Map; Mao Tse Toung Blvd; per hr US$9, shoe hire US$1) at Parkway Sq. Hourly rates are per lane, with any number of bowlers.

Cooking Courses

To learn more about the art of Cambodian cooking, sign up for the Cambodian Cooking Class (Map; 012 524801; www.cambodian-cooking-class.com; 67 St 240), based at Frizz Restaurant. The cooking class costs US$20/12.50 per full day/half day, includes a booklet of recipes, and operates Monday to Saturday from 9am.

Cycling Trips

Decent imported bikes (Trek and Giant) are available for rent through the Vicious Cycle (Map; 012 462165; www.grasshopperadventures.com; 29 St 130; per day US$8), which represents Grasshopper Adventures here. There are even a couple of family bikes available with kiddie seats for US$10. Tours include the Mekong River islands (US$29) or Udong (US$44), both including lunch.

Venture across the Mekong River on a local ferry in front of the Imperial Garden Villa Hotel and you’ll find bikes for hire just a short stroll from the ferry pier. 2Cycle Cambodia (off Map; 015 696376; www.2cyclecambodia.com) rents out local-ish mountain bikes from US$2 per hour to US$6 for the day and have smaller bikes available for children. Book the day before you plan to ride. This is a great way to escape the city without pedalling through the traffic and the countryside is very beautiful.

THE SHOOTING RANGES

Shooting ranges have long been a popular activity for gung-ho travellers visiting Cambodia. Cambodia’s lack of law enforcement and culture of impunity allowed visitors to do pretty much anything they wanted in the bad old days. The Cambodian military wasn’t blind to the market opportunities this presented, and with a hefty surplus of weapons from 25 years of civil war, it began to offer its own ammunition reduction scheme involving feisty foreigners wanting to do the Rambo thing. A number of military bases near Phnom Penh were transformed into shooting ranges and rapidly became popular with tourists wanting to try their luck with an AK-47, M-60 or B-40 grenade launcher. The government periodically launched crackdowns, but the business continued largely unabated.

And so the show goes on. There is a rather incongruous range near the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, while another popular one is located just beyond the go-cart track (opposite) in Kambol district off NH4. Visitors can try out a range of weapons, but most of the machine guns work out at about US$1 a bullet. Handguns are available at the lower end, while at the other extreme it is possible to try shooting a B-40 rocket-propelled grenade launcher (US$350).

There have been rumours that it is possible to shoot live animals at these places, such as a chicken or cow. Naturally, we in no way endorse such behaviour. Does it ever happen? It is a possibility, as Cambodia is an impoverished country where money talks.

CAMBODIAN FIGHT CLUB

The whole world knows about muay Thai (Thai boxing) and the sport of kickboxing, but what is not so well known is that this contact sport probably originated in Cambodia. Pradal serey (literally ‘free fighting’) is Cambodia’s very own version of kickboxing and it is possible to see some fights in Phnom Penh. Popular Cambodian TV channel CTN hosts live bouts at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday out at their main studio on National Hwy 5. It is about 4km north of the Chruoy Changvar Bridge. Entry is free and there is usually a rowdy local crowd surreptitiously betting on the fights. Most bouts are ended by a violent elbow move and there is a lot more ducking and diving than with other kickboxing genres.

An even older martial art is bokator, or labokatao, which some say dates back to the time of Angkor. It translates as ‘pounding a lion’ and was originally conceived for battlefield confrontations. Weapons include bamboo staffs and short sticks, as well as the krama in certain situations. Grand Master San Kim Sean operates the Cambodian Boxkator Academy (Map; 012 651845; www.khmerboxkatorempire.com; 169 St 161) in Phnom Penh and offers hourly lessons from 5.30pm to 7.30pm daily for US$5.

Diving

No, we’re not recommending the Mekong or the Tonlé Sap Rivers. Scuba Nation (Map; 012 604680; www.divecambodia.com; 18 Samdech Sothearos Blvd) is one of the leading dive companies operating in Sihanoukville and has an office in the capital for advance bookings or pool-based courses for expats.

Go-carting

Kambol Kart Raceway (off Map; 012 232332; www.kkraceway.com; per 10min US$12) is a professional circuit located about 12km beyond the airport, and 2km off the road to Sihanoukville. It organises races on Sundays, so if you fancy yourself as the new Michael Schumacher, turn up then. Prices include helmets and racing suits.

Golf

A round of golf is expensive by Cambodian standards, but pretty cheap for the region. If you can’t survive without a swing, contact Royal Cambodia Phnom Penh Golf Club (off Map; 011 290552; NH4; per round Mon-Fri US$40, shoe/club hire US$5/10), on the road to Sihanoukville, or Cambodia Golf & Country Club (off Map; 363666; www.cambodia-golf.com; NH4; per round US$43, shoe/club hire US$5/10).

Gymnasiums

There are plenty of backstreet local gyms in Phnom Penh that charge about US$1 per hour and have very basic weights.

The smartest gym in town is the Place Gym (Map; 726999; The Place, 90 Sihanouk Blvd; per day US$10, 10 sessions US$55). Set over three floors, this is absolutely state of the art with views over Independence Monument and free internet after a workout.

Massage & Spas

There are plenty of massage parlours in Phnom Penh, but some are purveying ‘naughty’ massages. However, there are also now a lot of legitimate massage centres and a number of superb spas for that pampering palace experience.

Most of the more upmarket hotels offer traditional massage services, but one of the best value options in town is the long-running Seeing Hands Massage (Map; 012 680 934; 12 St 13; fan/air-con room per hr US$5/7). The blind masseurs here have been in the business for many years and can sort out those niggling aches and pains, offering shiatsu or foot massages. There are several other similar cooperatives around town.

When it comes to spas, there is now an enticing selection of places. Some of the leading addresses for massage, facials, manicures and the full spa menu:

• Champei Spa (Map; 222846; www.champeispa.net; 38 St 57) Khmer, Swedish and other massages, plus beauty care and hairdresser.
• In Style (Map; 986747; www.instylespa-cambodia.com; 63 St 242) Garden spa and wellness centre with massage, facials and spa treatments.
• Nail Bar (Map; Mith Samlanh Training Centre behind Friends Restaurant, 215 St 13; noon-4pm) Cheap manicures, pedicures, foot massages, hand massages and nail painting, all to help Mith Samlanh train street children in a new vocation.
• O Spa (Map; 992405; www.ospacambodia.com; 4B St 75) An oasis of calm with rejuvenating hot-stone massage, plus Balinese and Thai treatments.
• Spa Bliss (Map; 215754; 29 St 240) One of the most established spas in town, set in a lovely old French house on popular 240.

Quad Biking

Nature Cambodia (off Map; 012 676381; www.nature-cambodia.com; near Choeung Ek) offers quad biking (ATV trips) in the countryside around Phnom Penh. The quads are automatic, so easy to handle for beginners, and prices are pretty affordable at US$15 for one and a half hours or US$35 for a half day. Despite its proximity to the capital, this is rural Cambodia and very beautiful. Longer trips and jeep tours are also available. Follow signs to Choeung Ek and it is about 300m before the entrance. Call ahead as numbers are limited.

Running

A good opportunity to meet local expatriates is via the Hash House Harriers, usually referred to simply as ‘the Hash’. A weekly run/walk takes place every Sunday. Participants meet in front of Phnom Penh train station (Map) at 2.15pm. The fee of US$5 includes refreshments (mainly a lot of beer) at the end.

Shuffleboard

Unlikely though it may be, Phnom Penh is home to Southeast Asia’s only dedicated shuffleboard lounge, the Scan Shuffleboard Lounge (Map; 092-791449; www.shufflelounge.com; 4 St 282; per hr US$3). For the uninitiated, it is like tabletop curling and a lot of fun over a cold beer or two. It’s located on the rooftop of the Scan Hotel.

Swimming

Many of the midrange and top-end hotels have swimming pools in which to cool off on a hot day. Most open their pools to the public for a fee. The Hotel Cambodiana (Click here) charges just US$7 during the week, while Hotel Le Royal demands US$20 per day for use of the pool and gym. Part of the same hotel group, the Blue Lime (Click here) – no families – and the Kabiki (Click here) – families welcome – both allow non-guests to swim for US$5 per day. There is also a small swimming pool at popular bar-restaurant Elsewhere (Click here); a dip is free.

Other options include the hotel Himawari (Map; 214555; 313 Sisowath Quay), which charges US$10 including access to the gym; Parkway Health Club (Map; 982928; 113 Mao Tse Toung Blvd; US$6), which has an indoor pool, steam bath, sauna and gym; and Long Beach Plaza Hotel (Map; 998007; St 289; US$1), a bargain for a lap-sized pool.

There is also a beautiful swimming pool at L’Elephant Blanc Resort (Click here) about 7km out of town on the road to Neak Luong. It costs US$4/2 per adult/child, half again when it is quiet during the week, and there is a restaurant-bar here.

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WALKING TOUR

What better place to kick off a walking tour of the city (Map) than the landmark temple of Wat Phnom (1; Click here), perched atop the only hill in town? Pray for luck like the locals, or at least pray that you won’t fall into one of Phnom Penh’s open drains on your wanderings. Take a look southwest at the fortress that is the US embassy (2).

Head west along St 92 and pause at the National Library (3; Click here), a classic example of French colonial–era architecture. Just along the road is the striking facade of Hotel Le Royal (4; Click here), now owned by the Raffles group. Bookmark it for a happy-hour cocktail some time between 4pm and 8pm. Turn left onto Monivong Blvd, the capital’s main commercial thoroughfare. Fast approaching on the right is Phnom Penh’s train station (5), a grand old building, home to not-so-grand old trains.

Swing southeast towards the dominant dome of Psar Thmei (6; Click here). This is a market to remember, packed to the rafters with everything and anything you can imagine and some things you can’t, such as deep-fried insects and peeled frogs. Browse awhile and take in the natural air-conditioning of the immense centre. Don’t get liberal with your wallet, however, as sellers here are known to overcharge. That said, the food stalls are a great place for cheap local bites.

Continue south on St 63 and take a peek at the modern equivalent of the Central Market, aka Sorya Shopping Centre (7; Click here). The food court here is bigger and cleaner than at the market and offers the advantage of air-conditioning, plus you can get some great aerial shots of Psar Thmei from the top floor balcony (level 8 by lift).

WALK FACTS

Start Wat Phnom

Finish Sisowath Quay

Distance 6km

Duration 8 hours (including plenty of sightseeing time)

Snake east on St 154 and then turn south on to Norodom Blvd, before taking a left on to St 178, a lively strip to browse the many art shops (8; Click here). Turn right onto St 19 before swinging west again, along St 240, one of the more fashionable stretches in the capital. Take your pick from one of the many bustling cafes, restaurants or bars along here to recharge the batteries for the second half of the walk.

Head southwards on to Norodom Blvd again and make for the Independence Monument (9; Click here), which was modelled on the central tower of Angkor Wat and built to commemorate freedom from the French. From here make a loop east and then take Samdech Sothearos Blvd north.

Take an hour or more to experience the treasures of the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda complex (10; Click here) before delving into the world’s finest collection of Khmer sculpture from the Angkor period at the stunning National Museum (11; Click here). After an hour or so exploring this magnificent old building, wander east towards the riverfront. Stroll riverside along the Tonlé Sap or duck into a bar or restaurant for a well-earned drink.

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PHNOM PENH FOR CHILDREN

With its chaotic traffic, lack of public parks, and open sewers, at first glance Phnom Penh is not the most child-friendly city in Asia. However, there are a few little gems that help to pass the time in the capital.

Most sights will be overwhelming for younger children, but the Royal Palace (Click here) is an interesting place to explore and Wat Phnom (Click here) has the option of an elephant ride around the base.

Many of the leading hotels have swimming pools (opposite) that are open to the public for a fee, and the go-cart track (Click here) might prove popular if you have the next Lewis Hamilton in tow. Phnom Penh Water Park (off Map; 881008; Russian Blvd; admission weekends/weekdays US$3/2; 8am-6pm), with its slides and wave pool, is a definite hit with the young-uns and a world away from bustling downtown Phnom Penh, but it’s pretty dirty compared with the hotel pools. There is also a small fairground here. Sorya Shopping Centre (Click here) includes a roller-skating rink on the upper floor, while there is ten-pin bowling at Superbowl (Click here). There are also lots of children’s playgrounds with ball ponds, trampolines and walkways, including one at Pencil Supermarket (Click here) and a great outdoor one at Wat Phnom (Click here).

One playground that is particularly worth the diversion is the new Kidz Cool (Map; 432100; www.kidzcoolcambodia.com; Tonlé Sap Rd; admission weekends/weekdays US$10/5, adults free; 8am-6.30pm), which offers a huge playground, a climbing wall, bouncy castles and a swimming pool in a big complex across the river. Affordable food is available on site and it’s about 500m south of the Chruoy Changvar Bridge.

Many of the restaurants and cafes are child friendly, but there are a few specifically aimed at families, including Le Jardin (Click here) and Living Room (Click here), while Fresco (Click here) has a kiddies corner complete with PlayStation (big kids, hands off!). Gasolina (Click here) is another good option thanks to its huge garden, plus most of the riverfront places draw a breeze.

The most interesting attractions are beyond the city limits and would make good day trips to give the children a break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (Click here) is a rescue centre for Cambodia’s incredible wildlife and the huge enclosures here include tigers, elephants and bears. Further afield is Kirirom National Park (Click here), with gentle waterfalls and cooler temperatures, plus the fun Kirirom Hillside Resort (Click here), which offers fresh air, pine trees, giant dinosaurs and activities such as horse riding and kayaking.

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TOURS

Travelling independently, Phnom Penh is a city best enjoyed at your own pace, without the timetable of a tour. If you really want to have an organised city tour, most of the leading guesthouses organise tours including the sights listed earlier for around US$6 per person. Prices quoted do not include entrance fees.

Those interested in the new-wave Khmer architecture from the Sangkum era (1953–70) should sign up with Khmer Architecture Tours (www.ka-tours.org). These introductory tours take in some of the most prominent buildings in the city and take place on foot or by cyclo, usually starting at 8.30am every other weekend. The website also includes a DIY map of the most popular walking tour. For more on this landmark architecture, pick up a copy of Cultures of Independence (2001) or Building Cambodia: New Khmer Architecture 1953–70 (2006).

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SLEEPING

Phnom Penh offers a world-class selection of places to stay. There is an excellent range of guesthouses, hotels and luxury palaces to suit all wallets passing through the capital. With the surge in visitors, new hotels are also under development.

Affordable guesthouses are springing up all over the city. Some places charge as little as US$2 a room; US$5 will guarantee a small room with a fan and there are some smart new pads with air-con rooms from US$10. The best hotel deals in Phnom Penh fall in the midrange category and for around US$25 it is possible to get hooked up with air-con, satellite TV and a smart bathroom. Spend a little more cash and there are places that have a swimming pool for around US$50. Top-end travellers will find a selection of properties, including the grand, the bland and the boutique.

Budget

There are two popular backpacker strips, one along the eastern shore of Boeng Kak Lake and the other around the long-running Capitol Guesthouse along St 182 and St 111, just west of Monivong Blvd. The area around Boeng Kak is a bit rough and likely to be swallowed by hungry developers during the lifetime of this book.

MONIVONG WEST AREA

The most popular budget accommodation area starts near Psar O Russei and heads south towards Sihanouk Blvd along a network of backstreets.

Narin Guesthouse (Map; 982554; [email protected]; 50 St 125; r US$3-10; ) We first stayed here back in 1995 and it remains a popular place thanks to a family atmosphere and some budget beds. Rooms are quite basic, but there is a relaxed terrace for taking some time out.

Narin 2 Guesthouse (Map; 350411; 20 St 111; r US$6-15; ) More like a hotel than its sister property, Narin 2 is located just a few blocks away. Includes a smart restaurant.

King Angkor (Map; 220512; www.thekingangkor.com; 74 St 141; r US$6-25; ) The range of rooms is as wide as the king’s girth (that’s Elvis, not Sihamoni!) and there is a huge restaurant and travel centre downstairs. Recently refurbished, so it’s in good shape.

Dragon Guesthouse (Map; 012 239066; 238 St 107; r US$7-12; ) A likeable little guesthouse, all rooms here include cable TV and bathroom. There is also a lively balcony restaurant with an international menu.

Spring Guesthouse (Map; 222155; [email protected]; 34 St 111; r US$7-12; ) This was the first of a new generation of smart guesthouses in this area. It offers bright, spotless rooms, complete with cable TV. Long-term discounts also available.

Sunday Guesthouse (Map; 211623; 97 St 141; r US$8-16; ) A friendly, family-run spot on any day of the week, the rooms here are in fine shape, making them good value for money. The English-speaking staff can help with travel arrangements.

Sky Park Guesthouse (Map; 992718; [email protected]; 78 St 111; r US$8-20; ) One of the tallest guesthouses in this part of town, the Sky Park is a real deal for such cleanliness and comfort. Air-con starts at US$12 and all rooms have cable TV and hot water, plus there’s a lift.

Fairyland Guesthouse (Map; 092-538834; [email protected]; 99 St 141; r US$13-15; ) Brand new in late 2009, this towering guesthouse looks very promising with large, bright rooms, decent linen and smart bathrooms. The more expensive rooms include a double and single bed.

Other good spots in this area:

• Tat Guesthouse (Map; 099-801000; [email protected]; 52 St 125; r US$3-15; ) A friendly, family-run place with cheap and cheerful rooms, plus a breezy rooftop restaurant.
• Capitol Guesthouse (Map; 724104; www.capitolkh.com; 14 St 182; r US$3-18; ) The original guesthouse in town has several annexes with good-value rooms and a bustling cafe with travel info. A reliable place to book city tours.

AROUND THE CITY

Other guesthouses are spread evenly across the city.

Okay Guesthouse (Map; 986534; 3B St 258; r US$3-15; ) Okay is more than just OK thanks to a popular restaurant, an appealing garden, cheap rooms and a friendly vibe. Budget rooms start with shared bathroom, and top whack brings air-con, TV and hot water.

Last Home (Map; 012 831702; www.lasthomecambodia.com; 21 St 172; r US$5-15; ) Tucked away discreetly behind Wat Ounalom along up-and-coming St 172, Last Home has a loyal following among regular visitors. Added extras include cable TV and smartish bathrooms.

Home (Map; 077-663221; www.home-cambodia.com; 8 St 258; r US$6-12; ) A brand new place in 2010, Home has a fun vibe with just a handful of rooms and a lively bar-restaurant out front.

Top Banana Guesthouse (Map; 012 885572; www.topbanana.biz; cnr Sts 51 & 278; r US$6-15; ) Boasting a great location on a popular corner opposite Wat Langka, this place has a rooftop chill-out area above the dust. Cheap rooms don’t come with hot water, but the more expensive ones include brisk air-con.

Royal Guesthouse (Map; 218026; 91 St 154; r US$8-15; ) This old-timer has some smarter rooms that verge on the flashpacker side, with sparkling bathrooms and tasteful decoration.

Dara Reang Sey Hotel (Map; 428181; www.darareangsey.com; 45 St 13; r US$8-35; ) This long-running place has good-value rooms, and the family here really look after the staff, bringing a feel-good factor to the whole place.

Hotel Indochine (Map; 724239; [email protected]; 251 Sisowath Quay; r US$10-25; ) One of the oldies on the riverfront, but the price is right. Aim for a balcony river-view, but all rooms include TV, fridge and hot water.

Boddhi Tree Umma (Map; www.boddhitree.com; 50 St 113; r US$12-32; ) Some might be unnerved by the location opposite Tuol Sleng Museum, but for those who don’t get nightmares this is a wonderfully atmospheric place to stay. The old wooden house includes air-con options and there is a divine restaurant in the verdant garden.

Bright Lotus Guesthouse (Map; 990446; 22 St 178; r US$16-22; ) Occupying a strategic corner with grand views of the National Museum, Royal Palace and, if you have a neck like Mr Fantastic, the riverfront, this guesthouse is one place where it is worth climbing the stairs. Wi-fi available for a fee.

BOENG KAK AREA

Most of the lakeside guesthouses are built on wooden platforms over Boeng Kak, a seriously polluted body of water that no one should swim in, however much they have drunk or smoked. For some it’s like experiencing Ko Pha Ngan in the city, only Boeng Kak isn’t quite the Gulf of Thailand. Valuables should be kept in lockers, as most rooms aren’t very secure. Unfortunately, this whole area is slated for redevelopment and the lake is fast disappearing, replaced by sand dunes and floating rubbish in the small pockets of water that remain.

Number 10 Lakeside Guesthouse (Map; 012 725032; 10 St 93; r US$3-10) This stalwart on the lake has some bargain rooms with share bathroom or bigger rooms with hot water and cable TV. The drinking and dining area (smoking and joking for others) is a mellow place to hang out. Next door are several similar guesthouses with a relaxed vibe.

Grand View Guesthouse (Map; 430766; www.grandview.netfirms.com; St 93; r US$4-10; ) Thailand meets Vietnam, with boxy rooms à la Bangkok housed in a tall, skinny structure à la Saigon. Upper floors involve a real hike, but the views of the lake are unrivalled.

Midrange

For those looking to spend between US$20 and US$80 for a room, there are some excellent deals to be had around town. Some of the fancier midrange places with a swimming pool are not that far behind the top-range hotels in comfort.

As with the budget guesthouses, there is no single midrange hotel area. Probably the best choice, and definitely the best location, is along the riverfront on Sisowath Quay. The area to the southwest of the Independence Monument also has a concentration of midrange deals.

RIVERFRONT AREA

Paragon Hotel (Map; 222607; 219 Sisowath Quay; r US$17-38; ) A 40-room property on a lively stretch of the riverfront, this hotel represents good value. All rooms have TV and minibar, plus the pricier options have smart showers.

River Star Hotel (Map; 990501; www.riverstarhotel.com; 185 Sisowath Quay; r US$18-35; ) The reliable rooms here include the usual cable TV, fridge and air-con, and are quite spacious. Downstairs is a popular bar-restaurant and there’s even a lift.

Bougainvillier Hotel (Map; 220528; www.bougainvillierhotel.com; 277 Sisowath Quay; r US$58-100; ) One of the most impressive hotels in this range, the rooms are lavishly decorated with Chinese-Khmer furniture and elegant silk. The suites are a worthy investment with acres of space and an unobstructed view of the Tonlé Sap. There is also a highly regarded French restaurant where the complimentary breakfast is served.

Hotel Castle (Map; 211425; www.hotelcastle.com.kh; 4 St 148; r from US$65; ) This modern hotel is not quite on the riverfront, but more than makes up for it with smart business-like rooms, a swimming pool and free wi-fi.

Imperial Garden Villa (Map; 219991; www.imperialgarden-hotel.com; 315 Sisowath Quay; s/d US$65/70; ) Rooms here are a pretty good deal for the three-star standard and include a buffet breakfast and free wi-fi. There’s a large pool and a tennis court, plus Mekong views.

Foreign Correspondents’ Club (Map; 210142; www.fcccambodia.com; 363 Sisowath Quay; r US$80-155; ) This landmark location is a fine place to recapture the heady days of the war correspondents. The rooms are delightfully finished in wood and include DVD players. All include a minibar clearly aimed at the journalists who pass through town – the spirits come in 1L bottles rather than miniatures. The restaurant-bar (Click here) always draws a crowd.

And there are more:

• Tonle Sap Guesthouse (Map; 986722; www.tonlesapguesthouse.com; 4 St 104; r US$18-40; ) Located above the Pickled Parrot (Click here), this is a good choice for the 24-hour party people.
• Eye of the Mekong (Map; 092-880240; [email protected]; 30 St 110; r US$20-40; ) Just four rooms here, but the two larger rooms are a great deal, with original furnishings and a rain shower.
• Khmer Royal Hotel (Map; 223824; www.khmerroyalhotel.com; Sisowath Quay; r US$45-55; ) The brash exterior conceals some smart rooms. Request a river view if available.

CENTRAL PHNOM PENH

One area that is worth seeking out for those wanting good value is the so-called ‘Golden Mile’, a strip of hotels on St 278 that all feature ‘Golden’ in their name. There is little to choose between them, as all offer air-con, cable TV, fridge, hot water and free laundry for around US$15.

Town View Hotel (Map; 992939; 30 St 111; www.townviewhotel.com; r from US$20; ) A smart hotel in a popular budget district, rooms here remain good value. All include cable TV, minibar and sparkling bathrooms, plus there’s a lift.

Goldie Boutique Guesthouse (Map; 996670; 6B-D St 57; r US$23-30; ) As the address suggests, this place has been patched together from three houses, but the results are pretty impressive. Most rooms come with a balcony and the decor is stylish throughout. The family rooms at US$30 include a second bedroom.

Kambuja Inn (Map; 223377; [email protected]; 10 St 174; r US$25-40; ) Attractively set in a cluster of old French shophouses near Norodom Blvd, the 10 rooms here offer a degree of charm and comfort. All have a wood and silk finish and the more expensive are almost suites.

Scan Hotel (Map; 214498; www.hotel-scandinavia-cambodia.com; 4 St 282; r US$30-55; ) Long popular with Phnom Penh aficionados, rooms here include a DVD player and minibar, plus there is a swimming pool in the garden, a restaurant, an art gallery and rooftop shuffle-board. Internet available for a fee.

Hotel Cara (Map; 430066; www.hotelcara.com; 18 St 47; s/d from US$34/39; ) This hotel exudes real style at an affordable price. Rooms are finished in contemporary Khmer materials with original furnishings, and most include a balcony.

Amber Villa (Map; 216303; www.amber-kh.com; 1A St 57; r US$35-40; ) A homely little place with the feel of a bed and breakfast, the rooms are a good size with a tidy trim. Prices include free internet and laundry.

Billabong (Map; 223703; www.thebillabonghotel.com; 5 St 158; r US$36-62; ) Near Psar Thmei but an oasis of calm by comparison, this boutique hotel has 15 rooms set around a large swimming pool. Standard rooms are smallish, so it’s better to invest in the pool-view rooms for space and style.

Manor House (Map; 992566; www.manorhousecambodia.com; 21 St 262; s/d from US$38/43; ) Set in a small villa in the backstreets, this gay-friendly guesthouse offers artfully decorated rooms and a small swimming pool. Deluxe rooms have a DVD player, but children are not accepted.

Pavilion (Map; 222280; www.thepavilion.asia; 227 St 19; r US$40-90; ) Housed in one of the most elegant French villas in town, this is an atmospheric place to stay. Furnishings show a Chinese-Khmer touch and some rooms have commanding pool views. Expanded into a second contemporary building next door, some of the newer rooms include a private plunge pool. There’s free wi-fi and a gorgeous garden to while away the days, but no children allowed.

Villa Langka (Map; 726771; www.villalangka.com; 14 St 282; r US$40-110; ) A popular boutique hotel near Wat Langka, the 27 rooms here face a tempting swimming pool and garden cafe. Cheaper rooms are smaller and the decor gets more expressive with the price, rising to US$100 suites. Add 10% to rates for tax.

Kabiki (Map; 222290; www.thekabiki.com; 22 St 264; r US$50-75; ) The most family-friendly place in town, the Kabiki offers an extensive garden and an inviting swimming pool with a little kiddies pool for the small ones. Family rooms include bunks and most rooms have a private garden terrace.

Other places in the mix:

• Golden Mekong Hotel (Map; 211721; www.goldenmekonghotel.com; 205 St 19; r US$20-30; ) Atmospheric hotel behind the Royal Palace offering a good deal for the standard and comfort.
• Blue Lime (Map; 222260; www.bluelime.asia; 42 St 19; r US$40-60; ) Hip hotel from the team behind the Pavilion, rooms are minimalist in style and many overlook the lovely swimming pool.
• Boddhi Tree Aram (Map; www.boddhitree.com; 70 St 244; r US$58-68; ) Those on a bigger budget than Boddhi Tree Umma (Click here) might consider this elegant place with stylish rooms, located near the Royal Palace.
• Almond Hotel (Map; 220822; www.almondhotel.com.kh; 128F Samdech Sothearos Blvd; r US$58-86; ) A boutique business hotel is probably the best way to sum up this popular place.

BEYOND THE CITY

L’Elephant Blanc Resort (off Map; 222988; NH1; r US$25-30; ) A lovely little resort beyond the city limits, this is a peaceful retreat for those who have tired of the city life. Rooms are large and comfortable and the pool is a real treat. It tends to be much quieter during the week, as expats descend at the weekend.

Top End

Walk-in rates at many of Phnom Penh’s luxury hotels are on the high side, so consider booking via the internet or through a travel agent for a better deal, which can be as little as half the published rate.

River 108 (Map; 218785; www.river108.com; 2 St 108; ste from US$78; ) This hip new boutique hotel near the riverfront has a chic chintz look to it. Rooms include flat-screen TVs and ample bathrooms, plus some have river-view terraces.

Hotel Cambodiana (Map; 426288; www.hotelcambodiana.com; 313 Sisowath Quay; s/d US$100; ) A real Phnom Penh landmark, the Cambodiana is steadily being upgraded to keep up with the newer hotels. Facilities include decent tennis courts, a swimming pool and mouth-watering bakery. The unfinished hotel was used as a military base by the Lon Nol government, and by 1975 thousands of refugees from the countryside sheltered under its concrete roof.

Quay (Map; www.thequayhotel.com; Sisowath Quay; r from US$100; ) Cambodia’s first carbon-neutral hotel, this is a stylish riverfront property with a touch of the Philippe Starck about it. The river-view panoramic suites (from US$140) are the beds of choice, as they are far more spacious than the windowless rooms at the rear. The property includes fusion restaurant Chow, a great rooftop bar and a rooftop jacuzzi to unwind.

Himawari (Map; 214555; www.himawarihotel.com; 313 Sisowath Quay; apt US$128; ) Another residential-style property offering rooms, suites and apartments, Himawari has a great location on the banks of the Mekong. Facilities include a pool and a gym, plus riverside dining. Definitely request a nonsmoking room, as smokers have left their stamp on some rooms.

Amanjaya Pancam Hotel (Map; 219579; www.amanjaya.com; 1 St 154; ste US$155-250; ) Occupying a superb location near the riverfront, with panoramic views over the Tonlé Sap and Wat Ounalom, Amanjaya was the original boutique hotel in Phnom Penh. All rooms are suites, and are spacious and stylish, with elegant Khmer drapes and tropical furnishings.

Hotel Le Royal (Map; 981888; www.raffles.com; cnr Monivong Blvd & St 92; r from US$200; ) From the golden age of travel, this is one of Asia’s grand old palaces, in the illustrious company of the Oriental in Bangkok and Raffles in Singapore. This classic colonial-era property is Phnom Penh’s leading address, with a heritage to match its service and style. Indulgent diversions include two swimming pools, a gym, a spa, and bars and restaurants with lavish food and drink. Between 1970 and 1975 many famous journalists working in Phnom Penh stayed here.

Return to beginning of chapter

EATING

For foodies, Phnom Penh is a real delight, boasting a superb selection of restaurants that showcase the best in Khmer cooking, as well as the greatest hits from world cuisine such as Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, French, Italian, Spanish, Mexican and more. Visitors to Phnom Penh are quite literally spoilt for choice these days. Most local restaurants open around 6.30am and serve food until 9pm or so. International restaurants stay open until about 10pm, but some close between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner.

The best bet for budget dining in Phnom Penh is to head to one of the city’s many markets. The dining areas may not be the most sophisticated in the world, but the food is tasty and cheap. If the markets are just too hot or claustrophobic for your taste, then look out for the mobile street sellers carrying their wares on their shoulders or wheeling it around in small carts.

Local hole-in-the-wall restaurants are slightly more civilised but still very cheap. Many of the international restaurants around town are expensive by local standards, but compared with dining in the West, the prices are very reasonable.

Some travellers get into the habit of hunkering down on their guesthouse balcony, encouraged by proprietors talking up the dangers of Phnom Penh. Don’t do it, as a culinary adventure awaits…

Khmer

After dark, Khmer eateries scattered across town illuminate their Angkor Beer signs, hailing locals in for fine fare and generous jugs of draught beer. Don’t be shy, and heed the call – the food is great and the atmosphere lively. A typical dish will cost just US$2 to US$4 and a jug of beer is only about US$2.

Soup chhnang dei (cook-your-own soup) restaurants are very popular with Khmers and are great fun if you go in a group. Other diners will often help with protocol, as it is important to cook things in the right order so as not to overcook half the ingredients and eat the rest raw. These places also offer phnom pleung (hill of fire), which amounts to cook-your-own beef, shrimp or squid (or anything else that takes your fancy) over a personal barbecue.

The best markets for breakfast and lunch are Psar Thmei (Central Market; Map), Psar Tuol Tom Pong (Russian Market; Map) and Psar O Russei (Map), which is handy given these are also great shopping venues. Most dishes cost a reasonable 3000r to 6000r. There are also several areas around the city with open-air food stalls during the early evening – try Psar Ta Pang (Map; cnr Sts 51 & 136) for excellent bobor (rice porridge) and tasty desserts.

GOOD CAUSE DINING

There are several restaurants around town that are run by aid organisations to help fund their social programs in Cambodia. These are worth seeking out, as the proceeds of a hearty meal go towards helping Cambodia’s recovery and allow restaurant staff to gain valuable work experience.

Café Yejj (Map; 170 St 450; mains US$3-6; 7am-5pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-2pm Sun) An air-con escape from Psar Tuol Tom Pong (aka Russian Market), this bistro-style cafe specialises in pastas and salads. Or indulge in a frappucino and chocolate brownie. Promoting fair trade and responsible employment.

Ebony Apsara Café (Map; 42 St 178; mains US$2-5; 11am-midnight, until 2am weekends) A stylish little cafe near Norodom Blvd serving health shakes, vegetarian treats, Khmer food and international favourites. A good spot for late-night fixes as 40% of profits go to the Apsara Arts Association (Click here).

Friends (Map; 426748; www.friends-international.org; 215 St 13; dishes US$2-8; 11am-9pm) One of Phnom Penh’s most loved restaurants, this place offers tasty tapas, heavenly smoothies and creative cocktails. With a prime location near the National Museum, this place is a must and offers former street children a helping hand into the hospitality industry.

Hagar (Map; 012 306075; www.hagarcambodia.com; 23 St 288; 7am-4pm) The lunch buffet is a tempting deal at US$4.50 and all proceeds go towards assisting destitute or abused women. The menu includes Asian and Western dishes from US$3 to US$12.

Lazy Gecko Café (Map; 017 912935; 23B St 93; mains US$1.50-4.50; 8am-11pm) Boasting ‘homemade hummus just like when mum was dating that chap from Cyprus’, this fun place serves international dishes and supports a local orphanage. Thursday is quiz night, while Saturday involves an orphanage visit with dinner and a performance by the children.

Le Lotus Blanc (Map; 995660; 152 St 51; mains US$6, set menu US$12; breakfast & lunch Mon-Fri) This swish new restaurant is a training centre for youths who previously survived by scouring the city dump. Run by French NGO, Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (For the Smile of a Child), it serves classy Western and Khmer cuisine. The original restaurant is still operating at the PSE compound in Stung Meanchey.

Le Rit’s (Map; 213160; 71 St 240; mains US$3-5; 7am-5pm Mon-Sat) Recently relocated to St 240, the main menu includes Khmer and Thai dishes, and good value three-course lunches (US$6). Proceeds assist disadvantaged women to re-enter the workplace.

Romdeng (Map; 092-219565; 74 St 174; mains US$4-7; 11am-10pm Mon-Sat) Also part of the Friends’ extended family, the elegant Romdeng specialises in Cambodian country fare and offers a staggering choice of traditional Khmer recipes, including the legendary deep-fried spiders. It’s located in a stunning French-era villa, with a swimming pool as the centrepiece of a lush garden.

Veijo Tonlé (Map; 012 847419; 237 St Sisowath Quay; mains US$3-6; 7am-late) A little restaurant on the breezy riverfront, the menu here includes pizzas, international favourites, Khmer cuisine and Thai tastes. Some proceeds go towards helping a local orphanage.

If the market stalls look a little raw, and street-surfing doesn’t appeal, then consider the air-conditioned alternative in the shape of the Sorya Shopping Centre Food Court (Map; 4th fl, cnr Sts 63 & 154). Run on the coupon system like in Thailand, there are more than 20 outlets serving Khmer, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and more, plus desserts and fruit shakes. It’s always full of locals and most dishes are just 4000r to 8000r. A few floors up is Master Suki Soup (7th fl; soup from US$5), which may be a Japanese concept but has a very Khmer touch and is a great way to try soup chhnang dei, with photos to help choose the ingredients. There are superb views over Psar Thmei from the top floor.

K’nyay (Map; 225225; 25K Soramarit Blvd; mains US$2-5; noon-9pm Tue-Fri, 7am-9pm Sat, closed Sun) A stylish little Cambodian restaurant that is hidden away from the main road in a leafy villa. The menu includes a generous selection of vegetarian and vegan options and original health shakes. Plus homemade ice cream such as ginger and honey.

Goldfish River Restaurant (Map; Sisowath Quay; mains US$2-8; 7am-10pm) Sitting on stilts over the Tonlé Sap, this restaurant may not be designed to impress, but the menu offers authentic Cambodian food with a generous breeze for free. Crab with black pepper, squid with fresh peppercorns; the selection is dizzying with more than 300 dishes available.

Seven Bright Restaurant (Map; 012 833555; St 13; mains US$2-8; 5.30am-10.30pm) This was Gerard Depardieu’s hotel lobby in the movie City of Ghosts. The lunch buffet is a deal at just US$3, plus there is occasional live music. Sunrise opening makes it a good place for breakfast before an early bus ride.

Bopha Phnom Penh Restaurant (Map; 992800; Sisowath Quay; mains US$2-10; 6am-11pm) Right next door to Goldfish, this place is designed to impress, complete with Angkorian-style carvings, heavy furniture and an attractive riverside terrace. The menu includes Khmer, Asian and Western dishes, plus cheaper lunchtime sets are available.

Frizz Restaurant (Map; 220953; 67 St 240; mains US$3-7; 7am-10pm) True, the name doesn’t sound that Khmer, but the aromatic Cambodian cuisine here is some of the most delicious in town, plus there are international offerings like steak and Guinness pie. The restaurant also operates cooking classes (Click here).

Kravanh (Map; 012 792088; 112 Samdech Sothearos Blvd; mains US$3-8; 11.30am-10pm) A stylish new Khmer restaurant under the stewardship of a Franco-Khmer, the linen and decor set this place apart from its neighbours. The menu includes traditional salads, scented soups and regional specialities.

DINING OUT ‘OVER THE BRIDGE’

The reconstruction of the Chruoy Changvar Bridge (Japanese Friendship Bridge) spanning the Tonlé Sap River created a restaurant boom on the river’s east bank. There are dozens of restaurants lining the highway – from the decidedly downmarket to the obviously over-the-top – but most are interesting places for a very Cambodian night out. These are restaurants frequented by well-to-do Khmers, and on the weekend they are packed with literally thousands of people on a big night out. Most charge about US$3 to US$10 a dish (with around 300 dishes to choose from). Heading north, the restaurants start to appear about 1km from the bridge on the east bank. Many of the larger places include a resident band and the amps are often cranked up to 11 – remember to sit a fair distance from the stage.

Places come in and out of favour, but following are some of the consistently popular. All are signposted from the main road. A moto should cost about US$1 or so each way from the city centre.

• Boeng Bopha Restaurant – the food here is similar to elsewhere, but this is a popular place for a younger crowd out drinking.
• Rum Chang Restaurant – long one of the best places for authentic Khmer food, there is no band here and the location overlooking the Mekong is very breezy. Recommended by Luu Meng (Click here).
• Ta Oeu Restaurant – this simple place is popular for its value-for-money food, which has a reputation as being authentic and tasty.
• Tata Restaurant – one of the newer breed of smart and sophisticated places, it hosts leading comedians at the weekend and is popular.

Khmer Surin (Map; 363050; 9 St 57; mains US$3-8; 11am-10pm) Popular with tour groups thanks to the atmospheric ambience with floor cushions, flowering plants and antique furnishings, this restaurant serves reliable Cambodian and Thai food. Set over three levels, it is still possible to find a quiet corner.

Slek Chak (Map; 012 979199; 165D St 51; mains US$3-10; 11.30am-10.30pm) Owned by the legendary Preap Sovath, pretty much the Robbie Williams of Cambodia, this place doesn’t look much from the street, but venture inside for a dining experience that includes a zesty frogs legs and quails eggs in a sugar palm and black pepper clay pot or a fish egg soup. The lunch buffet is just US$3.

Sugar Palm (Map; 220956; 19 St 240; mains US$4-9; 11.30am-late) A homely restaurant-bar on lively St 240, this delivers the traditional taste of Cambodia in cool, contemporary surrounds. Have a cocktail downstairs, then head up to the balcony for an intimate dinner.

Malis (Map; 221022; 136 Norodom Blvd; mains US$5-15; 6am-11pm) The leading Khmer restaurant in the capital, Malis is a chic place to see and be seen. The garden is the most atmospheric, but air-conditioned dining is available in the maze-like building. The original menu includes beef in bamboo strips, sand goby with ginger and traditional soups and salads. Popular for a boutique breakfast, as the menu is a good deal at US$1.50 to US$3.

It’s Cambodia – of course there are more:

• Khmer Borane Restaurant (Map; 012 290092; 389 Sisowath Quay; mains US$2-5; 11am-11pm) Traditional Khmer recipes in a riverfront setting near the Royal Palace.
• Rorg Damrei (Map; 017 236069; 41 St 310; mains US$2-5) Al fresco Cambodian dining in the heart of NGOsville, the food here is wholesome and good value.
• Green Pepper (Map; 017 417776; Samdech Sothearos Blvd; mains US$2.50-4) Hole-in-the-wall spot near the riverfront serving up great value Khmer and Thai dishes, plus has an inviting mezzanine with floor seating.
• Kith Eng Restaurant (Map; 012 853845; 336 St 169; mains US$3-5) Another celebrity-owned restaurant, this time under the stewardship of Tuol Sleng artist Vann Nath (Click here), with traditional Khmer food and an attached art gallery featuring his famous paintings.
• Le Safran (Map; 217646; 18 St 306; mains US$3-9) Sophisticated Cambodian-French restaurant with stylish decor and an original menu of classic Cambodian dishes and some fusion dishes with a French accent.

Thai

Boat Noodle Restaurant (Map; 012 200426; St 294; mains 3000r-10,000r; 10am-10pm) This old wooden house, in a leafy garden brimming with water features, offers some of the best-value Thai and Cambodian food in town. With tasty noodle soups for breakfast and special set lunches each day, it’s worth a visit.

Baitong (Map; 092-500400; 7 St 360; mains US$2-5; 7am-11pm; ) Promoting itself as a Thai restaurant, it offers a range of Mekong flavours, including Khmer, Lao and Vietnamese. The prices are very reasonable and options include a buffet lunch for around US$3. It acts as a bit of a hub for the NGO community with a resource library and meeting rooms.

Chiang Mai Riverside (Map; 012 832369; 227 Sisowath Quay; mains US$2-5; 10am-10pm) One of the original riverfront restaurants, it’s still going strong thanks to the taste of Thailand at an affordable price. The fish cakes are good, plus there are some authentic curries to spice up your life.

Lemongrass (Map; 211054; 14 St 130; mains US$4-8; 10am-10pm) A higher class Thai restaurant with a fair selection of Khmer classics, the prices are pretty reasonable given the look of the place. Plus a good vegetarian selection.

Vietnamese

VIP Minimart (Map; 156 St 51; pho US$2) An expanding chain of minimarts has won praise for its huge, steaming bowls of pho bo (Vietnamese beef noodle soup). It comes with a veritable jungle of herbs.

Pho Fortune (Map; 012 871753; 11 St 178; mains from US$2-4; 8am-9pm) Great location near the riverfront for good pho, the noodle soup that keeps Vietnam moving forward, plus a smattering of dishes from other regions of the world.

Magnolia (Map; 012 529977; 55 St 51; mains US$3-6; 6am-10pm) Set in a gracefully restored old house, this place offers an affordable lunchtime buffet, wafer-thin ban xeo (Vietnamese savoury pancakes) and an array of classics from Hanoi to Saigon.

Chinese

There are numerous Chinese restaurants around Phnom Penh, many offering an authentic taste of the Middle Kingdom. There are several real-deal Chinese restaurants along St 136, opposite the bus station, with names like Peking and Shanghai. These are the perfect place for a budget meal before or after a long bus ride and most also do good dim sum.

Sam Doo Restaurant (Map; 218773; 56 Kampuchea Krom Blvd; mains US$2-10; 7am-2am) Many Chinese Khmers swear this has the best food in town. Choose from spicy morning glory, signature ‘Sam Doo fried rice’, trey chamhoy (steamed fish with soy sauce and ginger), and fresh seafood. It’s open late and has delicious dim sum.

Man Han Lou Restaurant (Map; 721966; 456 Monivong Blvd; mains US$5-10; 10am-11pm) Chinese, Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese, this restaurant covers all bases, but the real draw here is the microbrewery turning out beer in golden (lager), red (bitter), black (stout) and ‘green’ (not sure) shades.

Yi Sang (Map; 220822; 128 Samdech Sothearos Blvd; mains US$5-20; 6.30am-10pm) Located in the Almond Hotel, this is all about contemporary Chinese cuisine with a kitchen overseen by Guangzhou natives. The menu includes live seafood, or at least recently alive, plus authentic dim sum.

Japanese

Ko Ko Ro (Map; 012 601095; 18 Sihanouk Blvd; dishes US$2-7; 11.30am-2pm & 5.30-9pm) This tiny little Japanese restaurant, aka Mr Sushi, has a big personality thanks to the friendly and attentive owner who will advise on selection. The walls are plastered with photos of his creations and the fish is very fresh.

Origami (Map; 012 968095; 88 Samdech Sothearos Blvd; set menus US$8-30; 11.30am-2pm & 5.30-9.30pm) This elegant Japanese eatery takes the art of Japanese food to another level. Set menus include beautifully presented sushi, sashimi and tempura sets, plus affordable business lunches for those in a hurry. The Kobe set is a personal favourite.

Indian Subcontinent

Dosa Corner (Map; 5E St 51; mains US$2-4; 7.30am-10pm) Fans of Indian dosas will be pleased to discover this place does just what it says on the label, namely a generous variety of savoury pancakes from the south. Great value.

Chi Cha (Map; 366065; 27 St 110; set menus US$3; 7.30am-12.30am) Actually Bangladeshi, this established curry house offers some of the cheapest subcontinental selections in town. The thalis (set meals) are a bargain and the menu is 100% halal.

Saffron (Map; 012 247832; 11 St 278; curries US$4-8; 11am-11pm) Home to some of the best curries in town, Saffron specialises in Pakistani, Afghani and Middle Eastern cuisine. The Lahori fish curry is lahore na (very good in Khmer) and it doubles as a wine bar by night.

Annam (Map; 726661; 1C St 282; mains US$4-8; 11.30am-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm) Attractive garden restaurant that offers excellent Indian recipes in refined surrounds, including Chettinad specialities and cheaper set lunches.

More spots for a curry fix:

• Mount Everest (Map; 213821; 98 Sihanouk Blvd; curries US$2-5) One of the oldest curry houses in town, the menu includes popular Indian and Nepalese dishes, which are great value.
• Sher-e-Punjab (Map; 992901; 16 St 130; mains US$2-10) One of the most reliable Indian restaurants in town; the tandoori dishes are particularly good.

French

Comme a la Maison (Map; 360801; 13 St 57; mains US$3-8; 6am-10.30pm) Just like at home, at least if you are lucky enough to live with a first-class French chef, this place offers succulent steaks and a tour of provincial France, plus Italian aplenty.

La Marmite (Map; 012 391746; 80 St 108; mains US$5-10; 11am-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm) It may not be the most traditional French name, but the menu at La Marmite is a traditional French bistro with classic Gallic flavours. Choose from daily specials such as scallops or go with the regular menu that includes tender tournedos and herb-infused lamb.

Eye of the Mekong (Map; 092-165469; 30 St 110; mains US$5-10; 7am-midnight) Hip French diner showcasing some striking photographs on the walls. The menu includes some superb cuts of beef, drizzled in a Kampot pepper sauce.

Topaz (Map; 221622; 182 Norodom Blvd; dishes US$5-20; 11am-2pm & 6-11pm) One of Phnom Penh’s first designer restaurants, Topaz is housed in an elegant villa with reflective pools and a walk-in wine cellar. The menu is classic Paris, including delicate Bourgogne snails drizzled in garlic and steak tartare for those with rare tastes.

Van’s Restaurant (Map; 722067; 5 St 13; dishes US$5-25; 11.30am-2.30pm & 5-10.30pm) Located in one of the grandest buildings in the city, the former Banque Indochine, you can still see the old vault doors as you make your way to the refined dining room upstairs. Dishes are beautifully presented with a decorative flourish, and menu highlights include sea perch carpaccio, tender veal and Grand Marnier soufflé. Cheaper set lunches available.

La Residence (Map; 224582; 22 St 214; mains US$7-25; lunch & dinner) Part of Princess Marie’s family home has been converted into this classy contemporary restaurant. Pass through the immense wooden doors and enjoy fine French food, including a foie gras speciality menu and superb seafood, plus a great Café de Paris steak.

112 Restaurant (Map; 990880; 1A St 102; mains US$15-40; 11.30am-2.30pm & 6.30-10pm) One of the most salubrious French restaurants in town near Hotel Le Royal, it offers a great value US$10 buffet at lunchtime, accompanied by cheap free-flow drinks. Or indulge by night.

Italian

Happy Herb’s Pizza (Map; 362349; 345 Sisowath Quay; pizzas US$4-8; 8am-11pm) No, happy doesn’t mean it comes with free toppings, it means pizza à la ganja. The non-marijuana pizzas are also pretty good, but don’t involve the free trip. Good place to sip a cheap beer as well.

Pop Café (Map; 012 562892; 371 Sisowath Quay; 11am-3pm & 6-10pm; pizzas US$4-10) Owner Giorgio welcomes diners as if you are coming to his own home for dinner, making this a popular spot for authentic Italian cooking. Thin-crust pizzas, homemade pastas and tasty gnocchi, it could be Roma.

Le Duo (Map; 17 St 228; mains US$5-15; lunch & dinner) A classy Italian restaurant set in a garden villa, with fresh pasta and authentic pizzas. Try ravioli with ceps, thin-crust pizzas, or delicious meats and fish.

Luna D’Autunno (Map; 220895; 6C St 29; mains US$5-15; 11am-2.30pm & 5.30-10.30pm) This elegant garden restaurant has an open kitchen firing up delicious pizzas from US$6 to US$10. Inside is a sophisticated restaurant with a walk-in wine cellar with bottles from the homeland. The menu includes some fresh seafood and traditional Italian favourites.

International

RIVERFRONT AREA

The number of international restaurants in Phnom Penh is ever-expanding and between them they offer a tantalising array of tastes. Many of the most popular are found along the riverfront.

Kandal House (Map; 012 525612; 239B Sisowath Quay; mains US$2-5) Blink and you’ll miss it, this riverfront restaurant turns out some delicious homemade pastas, salads and soups, plus a smattering of Asian favourites. Anchor draught available in pints.

Cantina (Map; 222502; 347 Sisowath Quay; mains US$3-6; 3-11pm, closed Sat) This is the spot for tostadas, fajitas and other Mexican favourites, all freshly prepared. It’s also a ‘refuge for media analysts, lords of poverty and screen icons’ with professional margaritas and tequilas.

Pacharan (Map; 224394; 389 Sisowath Quay; dishes US$3-15; 11am-midnight) A Spanish taverna and tapas restaurant, it occupies one of the finest French-era buildings in town. Tapas bites include a vegetarian selection and plenty of seafood, plus there is the popular paella. Spanish wines feature strongly.

Fish (Map; 218785; 2 St 108; mains US$4-12; 10am-1am; ) No prizes for guessing the speciality of the house. This new restaurant serves some of the best fish and chips in town, as well as sophisticated seafood creations, such as the superb antipasti and a bouillabaisse. Stylish and fun.

Riverside Bistro (Map; 213898; 273 Sisowath Quay; mains US$4-15; 7am-midnight; ) This popular corner restaurant has a menu with Cambodian favourites like grilled pork on lemon-grass skewers and a strong showing from Mitteleuropa. It doubles as a popular bar later in the night and there are two pool tables here, plus regular live music.

Metro (Map; 222275; cnr Sisowath Quay & St 148; mains US$4-18; ) Metro is one of the leading spots on the riverfront strip thanks to a striking design and an adventurous menu. Small plates are for sampling and include rare-pepper tuna and tequila black-pepper prawns, while large plates include twice-cooked duck with lychee. It also pulls a well-heeled Khmer crowd.

Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC; Map; 724014; 363 Sisowath Quay; mains US$5-15; 7am-midnight; ) One of those must-see places in Cambodia, almost everyone swings by for a drink during a visit to Phnom Penh. Set in a colonial-era gem with high ceilings, the ‘F’, as expats call it, has voluptuous views over the Tonlé Sap River and the National Museum. Hit the happy hour between 5pm and 7pm and linger over dinner to soak up the atmosphere, as the menu includes a tempting selection of Asian and international dishes.

Riverhouse Asian Bistro (Map; 212302; cnr St 110 & Sisowath Quay; mains US$5-15; 10.30am-11pm; ) Remodelled as a contemporary dining space, the new menu here veers towards Asian fusion, with light bites and hearty mains, including a superb value beef tournedos or a tasty mix of skewers. It gets very busy at the weekend when diners warm up for a night at the upstairs lounge (Click here).

More riverfront area options:

• La Croisette (Map; 220554; 241 Sisowath Quay; mains US$3-8; 7am-late; ) The stylish Croisette is a popular riverfront spot with a good range of Western and Asian favourites.
• Mekong River Restaurant (Map; 991150; cnr St 118 & Sisowath Quay; mains US$3-9; 10am-11pm) Good value set menus with a generous selection of Asian and international choices, plus tapas.

AROUND THE CITY

It’s worth steering a course away from the river for some more great places.

Boddhi Tree Umma Restaurant (Map; 211397; 50 St 113; mains US$2-7; 7am-9pm; ) This is heaven compared to the hell of Tuol Sleng across the road. The lush garden is the perfect place to seek solace and silence after the torture museum. The impressive menu includes fusion flavours, Asian dishes, sandwiches and salads, innovative shakes and tempting desserts.

Del Gusto Café (Map; 211396; 43 St 95; mains US$3-7; 7am-9pm; ) This elegant art-deco-style villa is buried beneath a tumble of tropical plants. The menu here is predominantly Mediterranean, with breads and dips, salads and wraps, all consumed to a soundtrack of jazz and classical music. Rooms are also available.

Nature & Sea (Map; 017 953810; 78 St 51; mains US$3-8; 8am-10pm) Perched on a rooftop above the lively 278 strip and with views over Wat Langka, Nature & Sea has excellent fruit shakes including passionfruit and honey blends. The specialities are savoury whole-wheat pancakes and fresh fish in English, Australian, French or Italian styles.

Tamarind Bar (Map; 012 830139; 31 St 240; mains US$3-9; 10am-midnight) Very Moor-ish you might say, as this place brings the magic of the Maghreb to Phnom Penh with some classic Moroccan tajines and a small selection of tapas, plus some French influences. Downstairs is an inviting bar with high ceilings, while the rooftop offers al-fresco dining.

Ocean (Map; 017 766690; 11 St 288; mains US$4-15; noon-2pm & 6-10pm, closed Sun lunch) Another seafood speciality restaurant, Ocean’s menu is predominantly Mediterranean and includes a tempting selection of fish and crustaceans.

Le Wok (Map; 092-821857; 33 St 178; mains US$5-15; 9am-11pm) One of the better fusion restaurants in town, the name says it all – French flair with an Asian flavour. Choose from a tempting menu of regular meals, plus some daring specials like snail cassoulet or scallop salad.

Tell Restaurant (Map; 430650; 13 St 90; mains US$5-15; 11.30am-2pm & 5-11pm) With fondues and raclettes (melted cheese with vegetables), this restaurant brings a Swiss touch to the Wat Phnom area. Portions are generous and dishes include a selection of tenderised meats. There’s also a remodelled garden and German beers.

More international bites:

• Alley Cat Café (Map; 012 306845; near cnr Sts 178 & 19; mains US$2-5; 11am-11pm) Friendly little restaurant-bar turning out tasty tacos, burritos and enchiladas. Large portions, plus plenty of booze at the bar.
• Le Cedre (Map; 997965; St 360; mains US$3-10; 10am-2pm & 5pm-late, closed Sun) Phnom Penh’s original Lebanese restaurant boasts an atmospheric setting and a chef from Beirut, plus superb set lunches.
• La Patate 2 (Map; 012 840522; 128D Samdech Sothearos Blvd; mains US$4-12; 10am-11pm) New in 2009, this classy Belgian restaurant turns out some of the best frites in town, as well as filling sandwiches.

Fast Food & Bar Food

The first fast-food chain only recently arrived in Phnom Penh in the shape of KFC. A few years ago, that would have meant Khmer Fried Chicken, but these days it’s the Kentucky variety. Among the local outlets, Lucky Burger (Map; 160 Sihanouk Blvd; 7am-9pm) is one of the most established. BB World in Sorya Shopping Centre (Map) also has a children’s playground for those seeking a diversion over lunch. Don’t expect McDonalds, but at least the ingredients are fresh. The Pizza Company is the most popular fast food pizza place, with branches all over the city, including one in the aforementioned Sorya Shopping Centre.

Many of the recommended bars (Click here) have great food, including Green Vespa, Rising Sun, Gym Bar, Talkin to a Stranger and Equinox.

One place that has particularly excellent bar food and could equally be at home under Eating or Drinking is Freebird (Map; 224712; 69 St 240; mains US$3-7; 7am-midnight; ), an American-style bar-diner with a great selection of burgers, salads, wraps and Tex-Mex.

Fatboy Sub & Sandwich Shop (Map; 991430; 124 St 130; subs from US$3.75; 11am-11pm) Check out this new place for the best in huge subs, including foot-long specials like beef tenderloin or Cajun chicken.

Cafes

Le Jardin (Map; 011 723399; 16 St 360; mains US$2-5; 7am-6pm, closed Mon) Taking full advantage of the garden, this is a family-oriented cafe with a giant sandpit, a playhouse and toys. Snacks and salads for adults, pastas and titbits for kids, and everyone loves the ice cream.

Shop (Map; 986964; 39 St 240; mains US$2-5; 7am-7pm) If you are craving the local deli back home, then make for this haven, which has a changing selection of sandwich and salad specials. The pastries and cakes are delectable and worth the indulgence. Almost next door and under the same management is the Chocolate Shop (Map; 35 St 240), a highly dangerous spot for recovering chocoholics open from 8am to 8pm.

El Mundo (Map; 012 520775; 219 Sisowath Quay; mains US$2-6; 6.30am-10.30pm; ) A mellow riverfront establishment, which grinds up great coffee. The menu includes a range of global food and pastries, plus there’s an upstairs lounge for movies. Newly opened next door is Chill (Map), the capital’s first dedicated ice-cream lounge, with original homemade flavours. It is open from 8am until midnight.

Java Café (Map; 987420; 56 Sihanouk Blvd; mains US$2-7; 7am-10pm; ) One of the most popular cafe-restaurants in the city, thanks to a breezy balcony and air-conditioned interior. The creative menu includes crisp salads, homemade sandwiches, towering burgers and daily specials, plus health drinks, fruit shakes and coffee from several continents. It has recently expanded downstairs with some comfy couches and more great cakes.

Fresco (Map; 224891; cnr Sts 51 & 306; mains US$3-10; 7am-7pm; ) A chic cafe in the popular NGO district, there is an air-con interior, a breezy rooftop, plus a kiddies’ play area. Sandwiches and salads dominate, plus some good value lunch combos. Wi-fi is free from 3pm to 5pm. There is a second smaller branch beneath FCC (Click here).

Garden Center Café (Map; 997850; 60 St 108; mains US$4-15; 7am-10pm, closed Mon) Relocated to the Wat Phnom area, there is less garden, but it is more central than before. It remains an expat favourite thanks to the big breakfasts and huge portions of home-cooked food. Most mains come with a side salad, plus there are Sunday roasts and tasty desserts.

Cafe culture doesn’t stop there:

• Café Sentiment (Map; 221922; 64 Monivong Blvd; mains US$1-4; 7am-11pm; ) Popular cafe set over several floors on a busy Monivong junction. Great value pastries, snacks and coffees.
• Living Room (Map; 726139; 9 St 306; mains US$2-5; 7am-6.30pm Tue-Thu, to 9.30pm Fri-Sun, closed Mon; ) Family-friendly place with garden and playroom, plus a healthy menu and organic coffee. Free wi-fi.
• Corner 33 (Map; 092-998850; 33 Samdech Sothearos Blvd; mains US$2-6; 7am-late; ) A smart cafe near the riverfront, the classy interior makes for a relaxing place. Cakes, coffees and shakes, free wi-fi, plus free internet for those without a laptop.
• Penny Lane (Map; 218970; 23A St 111; mains US$2-7; 6.30am-11pm, to 3.30pm Sun; ) Popular new cafe in a backpacker-friendly part of town. Fresh coffee, Italian flavours and free wi-fi.

RUSSIAN MARKET RETREATS

There is nothing better than an ice coffee or fresh fruit shake after surviving the scrum that is the Russian Market. Make for the following boltholes after a successful shopping trip. All are in spitting distance of the market, but don’t try it, as you won’t be popular with the locals.

Coffee Korner (Map; 012 867667; 174 St 155; mains US$2-6; 7am-10pm) Lively corner cafe with a huge menu of international and Asian food, good for people-watching.

Jars of Clay (Map; 300281; 39 St 155; cakes US$1, mains US$2-4; 9am-5.30pm Tue-Sat) Thirst-quenching drinks, light bites and home-baked cakes, plus air-conditioning on a hot day.

Melting Pot (Map; 092-453247; 168A St 155; mains US$2-5; 8am-5.30pm Tue-Sat) French-influenced cafe with a healthy range of salads and savoury crepes, plus some tempting desserts.

Sisters Café (Map; 092-918244; 98 St 450; cakes US$1, mains US$2-4; 6.30am-6pm) Tiny little place that punches above its weight with excellent homemade cakes, including a zesty lemon meringue pie.

Backpacker Cafes

There are few backpacker cafes of the sort so popular in nearby Vietnam, unless you include all the restaurants in the more popular guesthouses. Or try the Lazy Gecko Café (Click here), which has a great vibe.

Mama Restaurant (Map; 10C St 111; mains US$1.50-4; 7am-9.30pm) This long-running little place turns out cheap specials, including a succulent beef ragout. The menu includes a bit of Khmer, Thai, French and even African.

Bites (Map; 240 St 107; mains US$1.50-4; 7.30am-10pm) Mixing Malaysian, Padang and some international options, this is a clean little restaurant in a popular budget area of town.

Oh My Buddha! (Map; St 93; mains US$1.50-4) Located in the heart of the backpacker lakeside area, this is a welcoming place with cheap food and big breakfasts.

Anjali (Map; 012 457901; 273 Sisowath Quay; mains US$2.50-6) A new spot on the riverfront. Calling it a backpacker cafe might be misleading, but the prices are more than reasonable for this part of town, with good pub grub and some Asian highlights.

Bakeries

Kiwi Bakery (Map; 215784; Sisowath Quay) The Kiwi Bakery offers fresh bread, cakes and pies. Owned by a Khmer family who ran a bakery in New Zealand, it has everything from Eccles cakes to éclairs.

Among the aforementioned restaurants and cafes, the Shop (Click here) has a great selection of breads and pastries, as does Fresco (Click here).

Most of the city’s finest hotels also operate bakery outlets with extravagant pastries, but prices are higher than in cafes or restaurants. Drop in after 6pm when they offer a 50% discount, and gorge away. Hotel Cambodiana (Click here) has the best selection. The larger supermarkets also stock their own range of breads and cakes, freshly baked on the premises.

Self-Catering

Self-catering is easy enough in Phnom Penh, but it often works out considerably more expensive than eating like the locals. The markets are well stocked with fruit and vegetables, fish and meat, all at reasonable prices if you are prepared to bargain a little. Local baguettes are widely available, and start from 500r. Phnom Penh’s supermarkets are remarkably well stocked. Imported items are plentiful, including German meats, French cheeses and American snacks.

Popular supermarkets:

• Bayon Market (Map; 33 St 114) Recently relocated to a bigger premises, Bayon Market has a good range of products, including some nice surprises that don’t turn up elsewhere in the city.
• Lucky Supermarket (Map; 160 Sihanouk Blvd; 7am-9pm) This is the biggest supermarket chain in town with a serious range of products, including one of the best delicatessens for meats and cheeses in town.
• Pencil Supermarket (Map; St 214; 7am-9pm) This popular Thai-run place is one of the largest supermarkets in town and is well stocked.
• Thai Huot Supermarket (Map; 103 Monivong Blvd) This is the place for French travellers who are missing home, as it stocks many French products, including Bonne Maman jam and creamy chocolate.

Many petrol stations include shops with a good selection of imported products; most Starmart shops at Caltex petrol stations on major junctions in the city are now open until midnight or later. There has also been an explosion of minimarts in recent years and many of these are now open 24 hours.

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DRINKING

Phnom Penh has some great bars and it’s definitely worth at least one big night on the town. Many popular venues are clustered along the riverfront, but one or two of the best are tucked away in the backstreets. Most bars are open until midnight and beyond.

Should it survive the developer’s wrecking ball, the lakeside is a great place for sunset drinks. Laze in a hammock and watch the sun burn red – this is a must. Two of the more popular backpacker bars up here are the Magic Sponge and the Drunken Frog, but neither is on the water.

FLOWER POWER

Anyone who spends a night or two on the town in Phnom Penh will soon be familiar with young girls and boys hovering around popular bars and restaurants to sell decorative flowers. The kids are incredibly sweet and most people succumb to their charms and buy a flower or two. All these late nights for young children might not be so bad if they were benefiting from their hard-earned cash, but usually they are not. Look down the road and there will be a moto driver with an ice bucket full of these flowers waiting to ferry the children to another popular spot. Yet again, the charms of children are exploited for the benefit of adults who should know better but are too poor to worry about it. Think twice before buying from them, as the child probably won’t reap the reward.

Keep an eye out for happy hours around town as these include two-for-one offers and the like that can save quite a bit of cash. The happy hours at FCC (Click here) from 5pm to 7pm are particularly popular thanks to superb views over the riverfront and a welcoming breeze.

Several of the leading hotels have affordable happy hours that are worth the diversion. Elephant Bar (Map; St 92; 2pm-midnight) has been drawing journalists, politicos, and the rich and famous for 80 years. This sophisticated spot at Hotel Le Royal offers half-price happy hours between 4pm and 8pm, plus there are accompanying snacks and a pool table. Or head up to the rooftop of Quay (Map; 277 Sisowath Quay; 7am-11pm) for big views, cooling breezes and happy hours (half price) from 4pm to 8pm. The cocktail list here is arguably the most creative in town, including zesty infusions like ginger and lemon grass.

Talkin to a Stranger (Map; 012 798530; 21B St 294; 5pm-late, closed Sat) An enduringly popular garden bar, the congenial hosts have earned the place a loyal following with their killer cocktails and dinner specials. Regular events include quiz nights and live bands.

Green Vespa (Map; 95 Sisowath Quay; 6.30am-late) A favourite watering hole for local expats, the Vespa has a huge drinks collections, including some serious single malts. It’s become a dining destination in its own right thanks to its original hearty pub fare and great selection of sophisticated specials.

Chinese House (Map; Sisowath Quay; 11.30am-late) Located in one of the most atmospheric colonial-era properties in the city, there is an art gallery below and a refined bar above that hosts regular bands. Happy hours run from 4pm to 8pm daily and they serve up monster mojitos, as well as tasty Chinese bites.

Brauhaus (Map; 34 St 130; 11am-midnight) This German bar, pork knuckles and all, is a cosy place boasting the largest beer selection in Phnom Penh, including fancy flavours from Belgium and Germany and cheaper local brews. Live music most nights.

Flavour (Map; 21B St 278; 7am-late) Located on the corner of the ‘Golden Mile’, this place was always destined to be popular and is a darling of the NGO crowd, with cheap beer on tap, cocktails and a menu that travels the world.

Gym Bar (Map; 42 St 178; 11am-late) The only workout going on here is raising glasses, as this is the number one sports bar in town. You won’t find a better selection of big – no, make that giant – screens in this part of the world. Cold beer, pub grub and a rowdy crowd for the big ball games.

Pickled Parrot (Map; 4 St 104; 24hr) One of the few bars in town where you can wash up any time of the day and find a fellow drinker supping a beer, this is a friendly air-con spot with big screens, a pool table and cheap drinks. Not a hostess bar, unlike many others in this strip.

Rubies (Map; cnr Sts 240 & 19; 5.30pm-late, closed Mon) If you prefer the grape to the grain, then make for this small wine bar with a big personality. The bar is lined with wood and spills out onto the pavement, while the lengthy wine list includes the best of the new-world wines.

Elsewhere Bar (Map; 2 St 278; 10am-late, closed Tue) It recently moved elsewhere, but the new location is right in the heart of the action on St 278. Ambient vibes, a great drinks menu, and two plunge pools for punters, it’s sedate by day but sexy by night. Hit the happy hours from 4pm to 8pm and forget your worries over an ‘amnesia’ cocktail.

Gasolina (Map; 56-58 St 57; 6pm-late, closed Mon) This stylish garden bar specialises in the sensual sounds of South America and even offers salsa lessons (Tuesday and Thursday nights). Rum punches, cheap beers and a tasty bar menu round things off. Check out the weekend brunches.

Salt Lounge (Map; 217 St 136; 6pm-late) Sleek, modern and minimalist, this cool cocktail bar is one of the most gay-friendly in town. The original interior draws a mixed crowd, making for a great spot.

Fly Lounge (Map; 21 St 148; 5pm-2am) A newish bar that is turning heads. Enter the cocktail lounge, chill out amid cushions and drapes in the middle and then take a swim in the indoor pool, part of the small nightclub out back.

Riverhouse Lounge (Map; cnr St 110 & Sisowath Quay; 4pm-2am) Almost a club as much as a pub, this atmospheric lounge bar has DJs and live music through the week. It’s chic and cool, adding up to the place where the hip young Khmers hang out.

Heart of Darkness (Map; 26 St 51; 8pm-late) More like the Heart of Business these days, it’s evolved into a nightclub more than a bar, but remains a place to see and be seen thanks to the alluring Angkorian theme.

Other admired establishments with liquid menus:

• Blue Chilli (Map; 36 St 178; 6pm-late) Another leading gay bar that draws all-comers; the original interior design includes tropical aquariums and some quiet corners.
• Chiva’s Shack (Map; 42C St 130) Washed up from the shores of Sihanoukville, this bar has the cheapest draught beer in town at US$0.50 a pop.
• Dodo Rhum House (Map; 42C St 178; 5pm-late) Specialising in homemade flavoured rums, this friendly bar also offers excellent fish dishes.
• Equinox Bar (Map; 012 586139; 3A St 278) Popular place with a welcoming outdoor bar downstairs, plus a pool table and an intimate lounge upstairs. Cheap drinks, good food and happy hours from 5pm to 8pm.
• Howie’s Bar (Map; 32 St 51; 7pm-6am) Friendly and fun place that is the perfect spillover when the Heart of Darkness is packed.
• Pink Elephant (Map; 343 Sisowath Quay; 11am-midnight) A long-running riverfront bar, it merges into neighbouring Happy Herb’s Pizza (Click here).
• Rising Sun (Map; 20 St 178; 7am-11pm) English pub meets backpacker bar with affordable drinks and top pub grub, including slap-up breakfasts.
• Rory’s Pub (Map; 33 St 178; 7am-midnight, later at weekends) A very popular Irish pub in an inviting central location.
• Zeppelin Café (Map; St 51; 4pm-late) Who says vinyl is dead? It lives on here in the Cambodian capital, thanks to the owner of this old-school rock bar manning the turntables every night.

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ENTERTAINMENT

For news on what’s happening here while you are in town, grab a copy of AsiaLife Phnom Penh, or check the Friday issue of the Phnom Penh Post, which includes the 7 Days magazine supplement.

Nightclubs

There aren’t many out-and-out nightclubs in Phnom Penh and the few that there are tend to be playgrounds of the privileged, attracting children of the country’s political elite who aren’t always the best-behaved people to hang out with. The volume is normally cranked up to 11 and drinks are pretty expensive. Most places open around 7pm, but don’t expect a crowd until well after 10pm. Among the many bars listed earlier, the best dance spots are Heart of Darkness (left) on any night of the week or the classy Riverhouse Lounge (left) on weekends.

The latest spot to open in Phnom Penh is Club White (Map; 305C Mao Tse Toung Blvd; admission depends on event; 8pm-late), which is the closest thing to a full-on nightclub in London or New York. Guest DJs regularly fly in from around the region and there are plenty of hip-hop or house nights.

Other clubbing options where you can see Cambodians at play:

• Casa (Map; St 47; admission depends on event; until late) Casa has guest DJs, themed nights and local celebs.
• Manhattan Club (Map; St 84; admission free; until daylight) Cambodia’s longest running full-on club with banging techno and a big crowd.
• Rock (Map; Monivong Blvd; admission depends on event; until late) Looks like a gigantic Home Depot, but Khmers go crazy for the place, complete with karaoke rooms and all.
• Spark (Map; Mao Tse Toung Blvd; admission depends on event; until late) Owned by the daughter of Prime Minister Hun Sen, security should be tight.

Cinemas

There has been a renaissance of the cinema scene in Phnom Penh, following an appeal for the reopening of certain historic cinemas by King Sihanouk in 2001. There are almost no English-language films on offer, just a steady diet of low-budget Khmer films about zombies, vampires and ghosts.

Many lakeside guesthouses show movies every night, particularly those with a Cambodian connection such as the heart-wrenching The Killing Fields.

The Mekong River Restaurant (Click here) screens two original films in English, one covering the Khmer Rouge and the other on the subject of land mines. Showings are hourly from 11am to 9pm and cost US$3.

Meta House (Map; www.meta-house.com; 6 St 264; 6pm-midnight, closed Mon) is a night gallery that has a great program of films, documentaries and shorts about Cambodia (usually with English subtitles), including presentations by some of those involved.

The French Cultural Centre (Click here) has frequent movie screenings in French during the week, usually kicking off at 6.30pm. Check at the centre, where a monthly program is available.

Classical Dance & Arts

Apsara Arts Association (Map; 990621; www.apsara-art.org; 71 St 598) Alternate performances of classical dance and folk dance (US$5) are held every Saturday at 7.30pm. Visitors are also welcome from 7.30am to 10.30am and from 2pm to 5pm Monday to Saturday to watch the students in training (donations accepted). However, it is important to remember that this is a training school – noise and flash photography should be kept to a minimum.

Sovanna Phum Arts Association (Map; 987564; www.shadow-puppets.org; 4 St 99) Impressive traditional shadow puppet performances and classical dance shows are held here at 7.30pm on Saturday nights. Tickets are usually US$5/3 per adult/child. Classes are available here in the art of shadow puppetry, puppet making, classical and folk dance, and traditional Khmer musical instruments.

Check the latest information on performances at the Chatomuk Theatre (Map; Sisowath Quay), just north of the Hotel Cambodiana. Officially, it has been turned into a government conference centre, but it regularly plays host to cultural performances.

Live Music

Live music used to be in short supply in Phnom Penh compared with the bigger Asian capitals, but things are finally starting to move as bands make a diversion to visit this cool little capital. FCC (Click here) is hosting more live bands these days, either in the main bar or on the rooftop. Riverhouse Lounge (opposite) and Club White (opposite) have hosted some pretty big DJs in recent times, including Cash Money in 2009.

Memphis Pub (Map; 3 St 118; 5pm-1am) It’s not closed, it just has soundproof doors. This is the leading live-music venue in Phnom Penh, with live rock ’n’ roll from Tuesday to Saturday, including a Wednesday jam session.

Cavern (Map; 19 St 104; 11.30am-2am) Bang in the middle of infamous St 104, this place hosts regular live music on Fridays and plays decent rock anthems at other times.

Art Café (Map; www.artcafe-phnom-penh.com; 84 St 108; 11am-11pm) This cultured cafe and art space, offering German and Central European fare, promotes live music and plays host to blues, classical and traditional Khmer musicians on Friday and Saturday nights. See the website for performances.

Several of the larger hotels have lobby bands from the Philippines, including the Hotel Cambodiana (Click here), but it can be more muzak than music.

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SHOPPING

There is some great shopping to be had in Phnom Penh, but don’t forget to bargain in the markets or you’ll have your ‘head shaved’, local-speak for being ripped off. Most markets are open from around 6.30am to 5.30pm. Some shops keep shorter hours by opening later, while tourist-oriented stores often stay open into the evening.

As well as the markets, there are now some shopping malls in Phnom Penh. While these may not be as glamorous as the likes of the Siam Paragon in Bangkok, they are good places to browse thanks to the air-conditioning. Sorya Shopping Centre (Map; cnr Sts 63 & 154) is currently pick of the crop with a good range of shops and superb views over the more traditional Psar Thmei.

Art Galleries

There are plenty of shops selling locally produced paintings along St 178, opposite the National Museum. It used to be a pretty sorry selection of the amateurish Angkorian paintings seen all over the country, but now with a new generation of artists coming up, the selection is much stronger. It is necessary to bargain. There are also lots of reproduction busts of famous Angkorian sculptures available along this stretch – great for the mantelpiece back home.

Many of the leading hotels and restaurants dedicate some space to art or photographic exhibitions. There are several galleries and art spaces of note to seek out around the city:

• Art Café (Map; 84 St 108; 11am-11pm) Cafe and gallery with changing exhibitions of local and international artists.
• Asasax Art Gallery (Map; 192 St 178; 9am-8pm) High-end gallery featuring the striking work of artist Asasax.
• Java Café (Map; 56 Sihanouk Blvd; 7am-10pm) Strong supporter of the art scene in Cambodia with challenging exhibitions.
• Meta House (Map; www.meta-house.com; 6 St 264; 2pm-midnight, closed Mon) Contemporary art space and night gallery with local exhibitions, international collections and photography.
• Reyum (Map; 217149; www.reyum.org; 47 St 178) If you happen to be browsing St 178, drop in on Reyum, a nonprofit institute of arts and culture that hosts regular exhibitions on all aspects of Cambodian culture.

SHOPPING TO HELP CAMBODIA

There are a host of tasteful shops selling handicrafts and textiles to raise money for projects to assist disadvantaged Cambodians. These are a good place to spend some dollars, as it helps to put a little bit back into the country.

Aw-kun Shop (Map; 990250; 19D St 172; 8.30am-9.30pm) Not-for-profit shop selling a range of fair-trade handicrafts and knick-knacks.

Cambodian Handicraft Association (Map; 012 913861; 54 St 113; 8am-6pm) This well-stocked showroom and workshop sells fine handmade clothing, scarves, toys, bags and photo albums.

Colours of Cambodia (Map; 217974; 373 Sisowath Quay; 9am-6pm) Tucked away underneath FCC, this is a popular fair-trade gift shop supporting NGO craft projects. Lines include silk, woodcarvings, T-shirts and jewellery.

Friends & Stuff (Map; 426748; 215 St 13; 11am-9pm Mon-Sat) The closest thing to a charity shop or thrift store in Phnom Penh, with a good range of new and secondhand products sold to generate money to help street children.

Mekong Blue (Map; 012 609730; www.mekongblue.com; 9 St 130; 9am-6pm) Phnom Penh boutique for Stung Treng’s best known silk cooperative to empower women, producing beautiful scarves and shawls.

Mekong Quilts (Map; 219607; www.mekong-quilts.com; 49 St 240; 9am-7pm) The place to come for delightful handmade quilts and throws, helping women in remote rural villages.

NCDP Handicrafts (Map; 213734; 3 Norodom Blvd; 8am-6pm) This shop was set up by the National Centre for Disabled Persons (NCDP). The collection includes exquisite silk scarves, throws, bags and cushions. Other items include kramas (scarves), shirts, wallets and purses, notebooks and greeting cards.

Nyemo Main store (Map; 213160; www.nyemo.com; 71 St 240; 7.30am-4.30pm); Outlet store (Map; Psar Tuol Tom Pong) Helping disadvantaged women return to work, Nyemo’s focus is on quality silk. It has a convenient outlet in Psar Tuol Tom Pong.

Rajana Main store (Map; 364795; 170 St 450; 8am-6pm); Market store (Map; Psar Tuol Tom Pong) There are two convenient branches of Rajana, both aimed at promoting fair wages and training. They have a beautiful selection of cards, some quirky metalware products, quality jewellery, bamboo crafts and a range of condiments from Cambodia.

Sobbhana (Map; 219455; www.sobbhana.org; 23 St 144; 9am-noon & 2.30-6pm) Established by Princess Marie, the Sobbhana Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation training women in traditional weaving. Beautiful silks in a stylish boutique.

Tabitha (Map; 721038; www.tabitha.ca; St 51; 7am-6pm) This is another NGO shop with a good collection of silk bags, tableware, bedroom decorations and children’s toys. Proceeds go towards rural community development, such as well drilling.

Villageworks (Map; 215732; 118 St 113; 8am-5pm) Opposite Tuol Sleng Museum, this shop has the inevitable silk, as well as some delightful handmade cards and coconut-shell utensils.

Wat Than Artisans (Map; 216321; 180 Norodom Blvd; 8am-5pm) Located in the grounds of Wat Than, this handicrafts shop is similar to NCDP, with an emphasis on products made from Khmer silk. Proceeds go to help land-mine and polio victims.

Designer Boutiques

There are several boutiques specialising in silk furnishings and stylish clothing, as well as glam accessories. Many are conveniently located on St 240, Cambodia’s answer to London’s King’s Rd.

• Ambre (Map; 217935; 37 St 178) Leading Cambodian fashion designer Romyda Keth has turned this striking French-era mansion into an ideal showcase for her stunning silk collection.
• Bliss Boutique (Map; 215754; 29 St 240) Attractive home decoration and interior design in silk and textiles, plus some casual clothing.
• Couleurs d’Asie (Map; 221075; 33 St 240) Specialising in sumptuous silks for the home, this is the place for hangings, bedspreads and throws.
• Jasmine (Map; 223103; 73 St 240) Popular boutique specialising in elegant evening wear and sartorial silk; there are some bold creations here.
• Kambuja (Map; 986209; 165 St 110) Blending the best of Cambodian materials with innovative international designs, the Cambodian and American designers have made a name for themselves.
• Subtyl (Map; 992710; 43 St 240) French-run boutique offering stylish accessories and clothes, plus the new Chilli Kids line for hip youngsters.
• Tuol Sleng Shoes (Map; 012 739358; 144 St 143) Scary name, but there’s nothing scary about the price of these handmade shoes.
• Water Lily (Map; 986241; 37 St 240) Popular jewellery and accessory shop with strikingly original designs.

Markets

Bargains, and bargaining sessions await in Phnom Penh’s lively markets – put on your haggling hat and enter the fray.

PSAR THMEI

A landmark building in the capital, the art-deco Psar Thmei (Central Market; Map; St 53) is often called the Central Market, a reference to its location and size. The huge domed hall resembles a Babylonian ziggurat and some claim it ranks as one of the 10 largest domes in the world. The design allows for maximum ventilation, and even on a sweltering day the central hall is cool and airy. The market has four wings filled with stalls selling gold and silver jewellery, antique coins, dodgy watches, clothing and other such items. For photographers, the fresh food section affords many opportunities. For a local lunch, there are a host of food stalls located on the western side, which faces Monivong Blvd.

Psar Thmei is undoubtedly the best market for browsing. However, it has a reputation among Cambodians for overcharging on most products. The French government is currently assisting with renovations to restore it to its former glory. Parts of the market have already reopened and are looking much improved.

PSAR TUOL TOM PONG

More commonly referred to by foreigners as the Russian Market (Russians shopped here during the 1980s), Psar Tuol Tom Pong (Map; south of Mao Tse Toung Blvd) is the best place in town for souvenir and clothes shopping. It has a large range of handicrafts and antiquities (many fake), including miniature Buddhas, woodcarvings, betel-nut boxes, silks, silver jewellery, musical instruments and so on. Bargain hard, as thousands of tourists pass through here each month.

This is also the market where all the Western clothing made in garment factories around Phnom Penh turns up, all at just 10% of the price back home. Popular brands include Banana Republic, Billabong, Calvin Klein, Colombia, Gap, Gant and Next, but other names are contracting to Cambodia as time goes on. There are also fakes floating around, so be suspicious of labels like Kevin Clein.

This is the one market all visitors should come to at least once during a trip to Phnom Penh.

PSAR O RUSSEI

Not to be confused with the Russian Market, Psar O Russei (Map; St 182) sells foodstuffs, costume jewellery, imported toiletries, secondhand clothes and everything else you can imagine from hundreds of stalls. The market is housed in a huge labyrinth of a building that looks like a shopping mall from the outside.

OTHER MARKETS

• Psar Reatrey (Phnom Penh Night Market; Map; St 108 & Sisowath Quay; 4pm-midnight) A cooler al-fresco version of Psar Tuol Tom Pong, this night market takes place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening, if rain doesn’t stop play. Bargain vigorously, as prices can be on the high side. Interestingly, it’s probably more popular with Khmers than foreigners.
• Psar Chaa (Map; St 108) This is a scruffy place that deals in household goods, clothes and jewellery. There are small restaurants, food vendors and jewellery stalls, as well as some good fresh-fruit stalls outside.
• Psar Olympic (Map; St 310) Items for sale include bicycle parts, clothes, electronics and assorted edibles. This is quite a modern market set in a covered location.

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GETTING THERE & AWAY

Air

For information on international and domestic air services to/from Phnom Penh, Click here.

Boat

There are numerous fast-boat companies that operate from the tourist boat dock (Map; Sisowath Quay) at the eastern end of St 104. Boats go to Siem Reap up the Tonlé Sap River and then Tonlé Sap Lake, but there are no longer services up the Mekong from Phnom Penh. For details on the international boat services connecting Phnom Penh with Chau Doc and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, Click here.

The fast boats to Siem Reap (US$35, five to six hours) aren’t as popular as they used to be. When it costs just US$6 for an air-conditioned bus or US$35 to be bundled on the roof of a boat, it is not hard to see why. It is better to save your boat experience for elsewhere in Cambodia.

Several companies have daily services departing at 7am and usually take it in turns to make the run. The first stretch of the journey along the river is scenic, but once the boat hits the lake, the fun is over as it is a vast inland sea with not a village in sight. Most tourists prefer to sit on the roof of the express boats, but don’t forget a head covering and sunscreen as thick as paint. In the dry season, the boats are very small and sometimes overcrowded.

Bus

Bus services have improved dramatically with the advent of revitalised roads in Cambodia, and most major towns are now accessible by air-conditioned bus from Phnom Penh. Most buses leave from company offices, which are generally clustered around Psar Thmei or located near the northern end of Sisowath Quay.

Leading bus companies:

• Capitol Tour (Map; 217627; 14 St 182) Services to Battambang, Ho Chi Minh City, Poipet, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville.
• GST (Map; 218114; Psar Thmei area) Services to Ban Lung, Battambang, Ho Chi Minh City, Kratie, Pakse, Poipet, Siem Reap, Stung Treng, Sihanoukville and Tbeng Meanchey.
• Hua Lian (Map; 223025; Monireth Blvd & Olympic Stadium) Far-flung services include Ban Lung & Sen Monorom in the northeast, plus Kampot, Kratie, Sihanoukville and Stung Treng.
• Mai Linh (Map; 211888; 391 Sihanouk Blvd) Vietnamese company with buses to Siem Reap, plus Ho Chi Minh City.
• Mekong Express (Map; 427518; 87 Sisowath Quay) Upmarket services to Siem Reap (US$11) and Sihanoukville (US$7) complete with in-drive hostesses. Plus Ho Chi Minh City (US$12).
• Neak Krorhorm (Map; 219497; 4 St 108) Services to Battambang, Poipet, Siem Reap and Sisophon.
• Paramount Angkor Express (Map; 427567; 24 St 102) Double-decker buses to Battambang, Koh Kong, Kompong Cham, Kratie, Pailin, Pakse, Poipet, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Stung Treng.
• Phnom Penh Sorya (Map; 210359; Psar Thmei area) Most established company serving Ban Lung, Battambang, Ho Chi Minh City, Kampot, Kep, Koh Kong, Kompong Cham, Kompong Chhnang, Kratie, Neak Luong, Pakse, Poipet, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Stung Treng and Takeo.
• Rith Mony (Map; 012 878919; 137 St 118) Buses to Ban Lung, Battambang, Ho Chi Minh City, Koh Kong, Kompong Cham, Kratie, Pakse, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Stung Treng.
• Sok Sokha (Map; 991414; 121 Sisowath Blvd) Upmarket buses to Siem Reap, with free hotel pick-up.
• Virak Buntham (Map; 016 786270; St 106) Buses to Bangkok, Koh Kong and Sihanoukville, plus the first sleeper bus (11pm) to Siem Reap (US$9).

Most buses charge a similar price, with the exception of premium services. The following list of destinations includes price, duration and frequency: Ban Lung (from US$10, 12 hours, several early departures), Battambang (from US$5, five hours, frequent until lunchtime), Kampot (from US$4, three to four hours, several per day), Kep (from US$4, four hours, several per day), Kompong Cham (from US$3, two hours, frequent until 4pm), Kompong Chhnang (from US$2.50, two hours, frequent), Koh Kong (from US$10, six hours, several in the morning), Kratie (from 25,000r, five hours, several in the morning), Poipet (from US$7.50, eight hours, several early departures), Sen Monorom (from US$10, 10 hours, one daily), Siem Reap (from US$5, six hours, frequent until lunchtime), Sihanoukville (from US$3.50, four hours, frequent until lunchtime), Stung Treng (from US$9.50, seven hours, several in the morning) and Takeo (from US$2.50, two hours, frequent).

Most of the long-distance buses drop off and pick up in major towns along the way, such as Kompong Thom en route to Siem Reap or Pursat on the way to Battambang. However, it is necessary to buy tickets in advance to ensure a seat, plus full fare is usually charged anyway.

For more details on bus services between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Click here.

Share Taxi, Minibus & Pick-up

Share taxis, pick-ups and minibuses leave Phnom Penh for destinations all over the country, but have lost a lot of ground to cheaper and more comfortable buses as the road network continues to improve. Vehicles for Svay Rieng and Vietnam leave from Chbah Ampeau taxi park (Map) on the eastern side of Monivong Bridge in the south of town, while those for most other destinations leave from around Psar Thmei. Different vehicles run different routes depending on the quality of the road, but the fast share taxis are more popular than the bumpy pick-ups and overcrowded minibuses. The following prices are those quoted for the most commonly used vehicle on that particular route, but are indicative rather than definitive, as even Khmers have to bargain a bit.

Share taxis run to Sihanoukville (25,000r, 2½ hours), Kampot (20,000r, two hours), Kompong Thom (20,000r, 2½ hours), Siem Reap (40,000r, five hours), Battambang (30,000r, four hours), Pursat (20,000r, three hours), Kompong Cham (15,000r, two hours) and Kratie (35,000r, five hours).

It is also possible to hire share taxis by the day. Rates start at US$25 to US$50 for Phnom Penh and nearby destinations, and then go up according to distance and the language skills of the driver.

Pick-ups are almost a thing of the past, but still take on some of the long-distance runs to places such as Mondulkiri (US$15, nine hours), but it is better to cover the good roads by bus and then switch to pick-ups for the shorter bumpy legs.

Minibuses aren’t much fun and are best avoided when there are larger air-con buses or faster share taxis available, which is pretty much everywhere. See the individual entries in the Eastern Cambodia chapter for details of ‘express minibuses’ connecting Ban Lung and Stung Treng with Phnom Penh.

Train

There are currently no passenger services operating on the Cambodian rail network, but this should be seen as a blessing in disguise, given that the trains are extremely slow, travelling at about 20km/h. Yes, for a few minutes at least, you can outrun the train!

Just for reference, Phnom Penh’s train station (Map) is located at the western end of St 106 and St 108, in a grand old colonial-era building that is a shambles inside. The railway is due to be overhauled in the next few years, so there may be the option of passenger services by 2012 or so.

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GETTING AROUND

Being such a small city, Phnom Penh is quite easy to get around, although traffic is getting worse by the year and traffic jams are common around the morning and evening rush hour, particularly around Monivong and Norodom Blvds.

To/From the Airport

Phnom Penh International Airport (off Map) is 7km west of central Phnom Penh, via Russian Blvd. Official taxis from the airport to the city centre cost US$9. Taxi drivers will take you to only one destination for this price, so make sure that they take you to where you want to go, not where they want you to go. A remork will cost about US$7 to the downtown area, perhaps half that if you walk outside. Official motos into town have been fixed at US$2. The journey usually takes about 30 minutes.

Heading to the airport from central Phnom Penh, a taxi should cost no more than US$6 to US$7 and a moto about US$1.50. Remorks can be had for about US$4.

Bicycle

It is possible to hire bicycles at some of the guesthouses around town for about US$1 to US$2 a day, but take a look at the chaotic traffic conditions before venturing forth. Once you get used to the anarchy, it can be a fun way to get around, if a little dusty. See Cycling (Click here) for some day-tripping options around Phnom Penh.

Bus

Local buses don’t exist in Phnom Penh. Most Cambodians use motos or cyclos to get around the city. With the long, straight boulevards crisscrossing the city, it would be perfect for trams or trolley buses, but developments like these are still some years away.

Car & Motorcycle

Car hire is available through travel agencies, guesthouses and hotels in Phnom Penh. Everything from cars (from US$25) to 4WDs (from US$60) are available for travelling around the city, but prices rise if you venture beyond.

There are numerous motorbike hire places around town. Bear in mind that motorbike theft is a problem in Phnom Penh, and if the bike gets stolen you will be liable. Ask for a lock and use it, plus only leave the bike in guarded parking areas where available, such as outside popular markets (300r). A 100cc Honda costs from US$4 to US$6 per day and 250cc dirt bikes run from US$10 to US$20 per day. The following are some popular motorcycle rental shops:

• Angkor Motorcycles! (Map; 012 722098; 92 St 51)
• Little Bikes (Map; 017 329338; 178 St 13)
• Lucky! Lucky! (Map; 212788; 413 Monivong Blvd)
• New! New! (Map; 417 Monivong Blvd)

Serious off-roaders may want to talk to one of the specialists. Click here for details on dirt bike touring companies. The following companies are based in Phnom Penh:

• Riverside Moto (Map; 223588; www.riversidemotorcycletours.com; 30 St 118) This place specialises in upcountry touring, has well-serviced bikes and can provide a tool kit and spares.
• Two Wheels Only (Map; 012 200513; www.twocambodia.com; 34 St 368) Two specialises in repairs and imported accessories, but also has well-maintained bikes available to rent for touring.
• Harley Tours Cambodia (Map; 012 948529; www.harleycambodia.com; 21 St 294) For those looking for a little more muscle on the road, Harley Tours organise Harley rides around Phnom Penh, including overnighters to places like Kompong Cham or Kep. Day rental is available, but prices are similar to luxury car rental back home.

Cyclo

They are still common on the streets of Phnom Penh, but cyclos have lost a lot of ground to the moto. Travelling by cyclo is a more relaxing way to see the sights in the centre of town, but they are just too slow for going from one end of the city to another. For a day of sightseeing, expect to pay around US$8 to US$10 depending on exactly where you go and how many hours of pedalling it includes. Late at night, cyclos would have to be considered a security hazard for all but the shortest of journeys, but most drivers are asleep in their cyclos at this time anyway. Costs are generally similar to moto fares, although negotiate if picking one up at popular spots around town.

WE’RE ON A ROAD TO NOWHERE

Taking a ride on a remork-moto, moto or cyclo is not as easy as it looks. Drivers who loiter around guesthouses, hotels, restaurants and bars may speak streetwise English and know the city well, but elsewhere the knowledge and understanding required to get you to your destination dries up fast. Flag one down on the street or grab one from outside the market, and you could end up pretty much anywhere in the city. You name your destination, and they nod confidently, eager for the extra money a foreigner may bring, but not having the first clue of where you want to go. They start driving or pedalling furiously down the road and await your instructions. You don’t give them any instructions, as you think they know where they are going. Before you realise it, you are halfway to Sihanoukville or Siem Reap. The moral of the story is always carry a map of Phnom Penh and keep a close eye on the driver unless he speaks enough English to understand where on earth you want to go.

It’s also possible to arrange a cyclo tour through the Cyclo Centre (991178; www.cyclo.org.uk), dedicated to supporting cyclo drivers in Phnom Penh. This is a good cause, and themed trips are available such as pub crawls or cultural tours. Prices run from US$2.50 an hour to US$10 for a full day.

Moto

In areas frequented by foreigners, moto drivers generally speak English and sometimes a little French. Elsewhere around town it can be difficult to find anyone who understands where you want to go – see the boxed text, opposite. Most short trips are about 1000r to 2000r and more again at night, although if you want to get from one end of the city to the other, you have to pay up to US$1. Prices were once rarely negotiated in advance when taking rides, but with so many tourists paying over the odds, it may be sensible to discuss the price first. For those staying in a luxury hotel, negotiation is essential. Likewise, night owls taking a moto home from popular drinking holes should definitely negotiate to avoid an expensive surprise.

Many of the moto drivers who wait outside the popular guesthouses and hotels have good English and are able to act as guides for a daily rate of about US$8 to US$10 depending on the destinations.

Remork-moto

Also commonly known as tuk tuks, remorks are motorbikes with carriages and are now pretty popular around Phnom Penh. They come in every shape and size from China, India and Thailand, plus the home-grown variety such as those pioneered in Siem Reap. Average fares are about double those of motos, and increase if you pack on the passengers.

Taxi

Phnom Penh now has metered taxis and they are cheap at just US$1 per kilometre. Try Global Meter Taxi (011 311888) or Choice Taxi (888023) but call ahead. Taxi Vantha (012 855000; www.taxivantha.com) is an older company offering taxis 24 hours a day, but has a limited number of cars.

Private taxis tend to wait outside popular nightspots, but it is important to agree on a price in advance.

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AROUND PHNOM PENH

There are several attractions around Phnom Penh that make good day trips, although they are kind of low key when compared with what’s on offer in other parts of the country. The Angkorian temple of Tonlé Bati and hilltop pagoda of Phnom Chisor are best visited in one trip, and can be built into a journey south to either Takeo (Click here) or Kampot (Click here). Udong, once the capital of Cambodia, is also a potential day trip and can be combined with a visit to Kompong Chhnang (Click here), known for being a ‘genuine’ Cambodian town.

There is a clean, comfortable and cheap bus network operated by Phnom Penh Sorya Transport (Click here) covering most of the following places. For experienced riders, motorcycles (opposite) are another interesting way to visit these attractions, as there are plenty of small villages along the way. If time is more important than money, you can rent a taxi to whisk you around for between US$40 and US$60 a day, depending on the destination. Some of the more popular guesthouses offer inexpensive tours, with or without a guide, to most of the places covered here.

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KIEN SVAY

Kien Svay is a very popular picnic area on a small tributary of the Mekong. Hundreds of bamboo huts have been built over the water and Khmers love to come here on the weekend and sit around gossiping and munching.

Kien Svay is a peculiarly Cambodian institution, mixing the universal love of picnicking by the water with the unique Khmer fondness for lounging about on mats. It works like this: for 5000r an hour, picnickers rent an area on a raised open hut covered with reed mats. Be sure to agree on the price before you rent a space.

All sorts of food is sold at Kien Svay, although it is necessary to bargain to ensure a fair price. Prices generally seem reasonable thanks to the massive competition – there are perhaps 50 or more sellers here. Popular dishes include grilled chicken and fish, river lobster and fresh fruit. The area is pretty deserted during the week, but this can make it a calmer time to picnic.

Getting There & Away

Kien Svay is a district in Kandal Province, and the actual picnic spot is just before the small town of Koki, about 15km east of Phnom Penh. To get here from Phnom Penh, turn left off NH1, which links Phnom Penh with Ho Chi Minh City, through a wat-style gate at a point 15km east of the Monivong Bridge. You will know you are on the right track if you see plenty of beggars and hundreds of cars. Buses regularly depart for Kien Svay from Psar Thmei and cost just 4000r. A round-trip moto should cost about US$5.

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UDONG

Udong (the Victorious) served as the capital of Cambodia under several sovereigns between 1618 and 1866, suggesting ‘victorious’ was an optimistic epithet, as Cambodia was in terminal decline at this time. A number of kings, including King Norodom, were crowned here. The main attractions today are the two small humps of Phnom Udong, which have several stupas on them. Both ends of the ridge have good views of the Cambodian countryside dotted with innumerable sugar palm trees. Udong is not a leading attraction, but for those with the time it’s worth the visit.

The smaller ridge has two structures and several stupas on top. Ta San Mosque faces westward towards Mecca. Across the plains to the south of the mosque you can see Phnom Vihear Leu, a small hill on which a vihara (temple sanctuary) stands between two white poles. To the right of the vihara is a building used as a prison under Pol Pot’s rule. To the left of the vihara and below it is a pagoda known as Arey Ka Sap.

The larger ridge, Phnom Preah Reach Throap (Hill of the Royal Fortune), is so named because a 16th-century Khmer king is said to have hidden the national treasury here during a war with the Thais. The most impressive structure on Phnom Preah Reach Throap is Vihear Preah Ath Roes. The vihara and the statue of Buddha, dedicated in 1911 by King Sisowath, were blown up by the Khmer Rouge in 1977; only sections of the walls, the bases of eight enormous columns and the right arm and part of the right side of the original Buddha statue remain. The Buddha has been reconstructed and the roof has now been rebuilt.

About 120m northwest of Vihear Preah Ath Roes is a line of small viharas. The first is Vihear Preah Ko, a brick-roofed structure that contains a statue of Preah Ko, the sacred bull; the original statue was carried away by the Thais long ago. The second structure, which has a seated Buddha inside, is Vihear Preah Keo. The third is Vihear Prak Neak, its cracked walls topped with a thatched roof. Inside this vihara is a seated Buddha who is guarded by a naga (prak neak means ‘protected by a naga’).

At the northwestern extremity of the ridge stand four large stupas. The first is the Chet Dey Mak Proum, the final resting place of King Monivong (r 1927–41). Decorated with garudas (mythical half-man, half-bird creatures), floral designs and elephants, it has four faces on top. The middle stupa, Tray Troeng, is decorated with coloured tiles; it was built in 1891 by King Norodom to house the ashes of his father, King Ang Duong (r 1845–59), but some say King Ang Duong was in fact buried next to the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh. The third stupa, Damrei Sam Poan, was built by King Chey Chetha II (r 1618–26) for the ashes of his predecessor, King Soriyopor. The fourth stupa contains a relic of the Buddha, believed to be an eyebrow hair, which was relocated from the blue stupa in front of Phnom Penh railway station in 2002.

An east-facing staircase leads down the hillside from the stupa of King Monivong. Just north of its base is a pavilion decorated with graphic murals depicting Khmer Rouge atrocities.

At the base of the ridge, close to the road, is a memorial to the victims of Pol Pot, which contains the bones of some of the people who were buried in approximately 100 mass graves, each containing about a dozen bodies. Instruments of torture were unearthed along with the bones when a number of the pits were disinterred in 1981 and 1982.

Sleeping & Eating

There is a Cambodia Vipassana Dhura Buddhist Meditation Centre (contact Mrs Kim Simoeun 012 221505; www.cambodiavipassanacenter.com) at Udong and it is possible for foreigners to stay here and practise meditation with experienced monks or nuns. The rooms are fairly comfortable by monastic standards, but not always kept that clean. There is no fixed price for a meditative retreat here, but a figure of US$20 for a day, including lunch, or US$30 with an overnight stay is what one of the French-speaking nuns suggested in the past. The electricity usually stops at 8pm, but you may be able to request the generator is turned on for an extra donation.

There are plenty of food stalls around the base of Udong or several more substantial restaurants, with views across to Udong’s twin peaks, near the Prek Kdam bridge over the Tonlé Sap River.

Getting There & Away

Udong is 41km from the capital. Head north out of Phnom Penh on NH5 and turn left (south) at the signposted archway. Udong is 3.5km south of the turn-off; the access road goes through the village of Psar Dek Krom, and passes by a memorial to Pol Pot’s victims, before arriving at a short staircase.

A cheap and convenient way to get to Udong is by air-con local bus (10,000r, one hour) from Phnom Penh. Buses depart from near Psar Thmei and run regularly throughout the day. The bus drivers can drop you at the access road to Udong, from where you can arrange a moto to the base of the hill for US$1. Buses to/from Kompong Chhnang (Click here) also stop here, so you can combine your visit to the temples with a visit to a Cambodian town that sees few tourists.

A taxi for the day trip from Phnom Penh will cost around US$40. Moto drivers also run people to Udong for about US$10 or so for the day, but compared with the bus this isn’t the most pleasant way to go, as the road is pretty busy and very dusty.

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TONLé BATI

Tonlé Bati (admission incl a drink US$3) is the collective name for a pair of old Angkorian-era temples and a popular lakeside picnic area. Anyone who has already experienced the mighty temples of Angkor can probably survive without a visit, but if Angkor is yet to come, these attractive temples are worth the detour.

TA PROHM

The laterite temple of Ta Prohm was built by King Jayavarman VII (r 1181–1219) on the site of an ancient 6th-century Khmer shrine. Today the ruined temple is surrounded by colourful flowers and plants, affording some great photo opportunities.

The main sanctuary consists of five chambers; in each is a linga (phallic symbol) and all show signs of the destruction wrought by the Khmer Rouge.

Entering the sanctuary from the east gate, 15m ahead on the right is a bas-relief depicting a woman, and a man who is bowing to another, larger woman. The smaller woman has just given birth and failed to show proper respect for the midwife (the larger woman). The new mother has been condemned to carry the afterbirth on her head in a box for the rest of her life. The husband is asking that his wife be forgiven.

YEAY PEAU

Yeay Peau temple, named after King Prohm’s mother, is 150m north of Ta Prohm in the grounds of a modern pagoda. Legend has it that Peau gave birth to a son, Prohm. When Prohm discovered his father was King Preah Ket Mealea, he set off to live with the king. After a few years, he returned to his mother but did not recognise her and, taken by her beauty, asked her to become his wife. He refused to believe Peau’s protests that she was his mother. To put off his advances she suggested a contest…for the outcome of this legend, Click here.

LAKEFRONT

About 300m northwest of Ta Prohm, a long, narrow peninsula juts into Tonlé Bati. It used to be packed at weekends with vendors selling food and drink, but high prices meant many Phnom Penh residents stayed away. However, fixed food and drink prices are now printed on the reverse of the entry ticket, so it should start to take off again as the word spreads. The views (and breezes) across the lake are pretty inviting.

Getting There & Away

The access road heading to Tonlé Bati is signposted on the right on NH2 at a point 31km south of Phnom Penh. The temples and picnic area are 2.5km from the highway.

Buses leave for Takeo at fairly regular intervals throughout the day and can drop passengers at the access road. The fare is 6000r. The first bus from Phnom Penh leaves at 7am and there are hourly services until 4pm. Buses returning from Takeo pass the turn-off regularly throughout the day. If you are heading to the wildlife sanctuary at Phnom Tamao, these services also apply.

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PHNOM TAMAO WILDLIFE RESCUE CENTRE

Cambodia’s foremost wildlife sanctuary, the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (adult/child US$5/2) is a home for animals confiscated from traffickers or saved from poachers’ traps. It occupies a vast site south of the capital and its animals are kept in varying conditions that are rapidly improving with help from international wildlife NGOs. Spread out as it is, it feels like a zoo crossed with a safari park. The way things are moving, Phnom Tamao is set to become one of the region’s best-run animal sanctuaries in the coming years.

Popular enclosures include huge areas for the large tiger population, and there are elephants that sometimes take part in activities such as painting. There is also a walk-through area with macaques and deer, and a huge aviary.

The centre is home to the world’s largest captive collections of pileated gibbons and Malayan sun bears, as well as other rarities such as Siamese crocodiles and greater adjutant storks. Wherever possible animals are released back into the wild once they have recovered and the centre operates breeding programs for a number of globally threatened species.

Cambodia’s wildlife is usually very difficult to spot, as larger mammals inhabit remote areas of the country. Phnom Tamao is the perfect place to discover more about the incredible variety of animals in Cambodia.

If you don’t like zoos, you probably won’t like this wildlife sanctuary, but remember that these animals have been rescued from traffickers and poachers and need a home. Visitors that come here will be doing their own small bit to help in the protection and survival of Cambodia’s varied and wonderful wildlife.

Free the Bears (www.freethebears.org.au; [email protected]) operates a ‘volunteer bear keeper’ initiative (for a small fee) to allow those with a genuine interest in wildlife a better understanding of the Asian black bear and Malayan sun bear. Placements are available for between one week and six weeks and the experience includes feeding and washing the young bears in their care. There are currently nearly 90 bears being looked after here.

Betelnut Jeep Tours (Map; 012 619924; www.betelnuttours.com; per person US$30), based at the Lazy Gecko Café, offers day trips here departing at 10am on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, including entry, a guided tour, lunch and a chance to meet some of the residents.

Getting There & Away

Phnom Tamao is about 44km from Phnom Penh, down NH2. Take a right turn after the sign for the zoo (37km), and it is 6km further down a sandy track. On weekends, you can combine an air-con bus ride with a moto, but on weekdays it may be easier to rent a motorbike or charter a taxi. Click here for details on bus times and prices.

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PHNOM CHISOR

A temple from the Angkorian era, Phnom Chisor (admission US$3, levied at the summit) is set upon a solitary hill in Takeo Province (Click here), offering some superb views of the countryside. Try to get to Phnom Chisor early in the morning or late in the afternoon, as it is a very uncomfortable climb in the heat of the midday sun.

The main temple stands on the eastern side of the hilltop. Constructed of laterite and brick with carved lintels of sandstone, the complex is surrounded by the partially ruined walls of a 2.5m-wide gallery with windows.

Inscriptions found here date from the 11th century, when this site was known as Suryagiri. The wooden doors to the sanctuary in the centre of the complex, which open to the east, are decorated with carvings of figures standing on pigs. Inside the sanctuary are statues of Buddha.

On the plain to the west of Phnom Chisor are the sanctuaries of Sen Thmol, just below Phnom Chisor, Sen Ravang and the former sacred pond of Tonlé Om. All three of these features form a straight line from Phnom Chisor in the direction of Angkor. During rituals held here 900 years ago, the king, his Brahmans and their entourage would climb a monumental 400 steps to Suryagiri from this direction.

There is a spectacular view of the temples and plains from the roofless gallery opposite the wooden doors to the central shrine. If you haven’t got the stamina for an overland adventure to Preah Vihear (Click here), this is the next best thing for a temple with a view. Near the main temple is a modern Buddhist vihara that is used by resident monks.

Getting There & Away

The eastward-bound access road to Phnom Chisor is signposted on the left about 52km south of central Phnom Penh. It’s about 5km from the highway to the base of the hill.

The cheapest way to get to Phnom Chisor is to take a Takeo-bound bus from Phnom Penh and ask to be let off at the turn-off from NH2. This costs 8500r and from here you can take a moto to the bottom of the hill for US$1. Alternatively, from Phnom Penh you can charter a taxi for about US$50 to visit both Phnom Chisor and Tonlé Bati.

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KIRIROM NATIONAL PARK

The hill station of Kirirom National Park (admission US$5), set amid lush forest and pine groves, has been established as a national park. It is popular with Khmers at weekends as it is 675m above sea level with a climate notably cooler than Phnom Penh. There are several small waterfalls in the park, which are popular picnic spots for Khmers, and a number of basic walking trails. For a more substantial walk, consider hooking up with a ranger (about US$5) for a two-hour hike up to Phnom Dat Chivit (End of the Life Mountain) where an abrupt cliff face offers an unbroken view of the Elephant Mountains and Cardamom Mountains to the west. It is often possible to see wildlife on this trail, including black bears scavenging the pine trees for honey.

Kirirom is one of the few national parks to have a nearby community tourism program. Set just beyond the park boundaries, about 10km beyond the Kirirom Hillside Resort, Chambok Community-Based Ecotourism (admission adult/child US$3/1) program is based in Chambok commune, where nearby attractions include a 40m-high waterfall, traditional ox-cart rides (Cambodia’s original 4WDs) and nature walks. It is also possible to sample traditional Cambodian country fare at the small restaurant or arrange a local homestay with a bit of notice. The program was originally established by local NGO Mlup Baitong (023-214409; www.mlup.org), and a percentage of the proceeds is pumped back into the local community.

The trek to the waterfall takes about one hour, with about 1.7km of uphill climbing, but the reward is a stunning cascade pouring over a jungle-clad cliff face. Few refreshments are available once you leave the flat trail, so carry water. The first two falls signposted are less spectacular than the main waterfall, so keep on trekking.

Sleeping & Eating

There are two options for staying at Kirirom and they are worlds apart. The very basic Kirirom Guesthouse (012 957700; r US$20) is pretty rundown for such a stunning location, but the rooms have clean sheets, a fan and attached bathroom. The restaurant (mains US$2.50 to US$7.50) here is more memorable with outdoor pavilions offering superb views.

Kirirom Hillside Resort (016 590999; www.kiriromresort.com; camping incl tent US$17, r from US$50, bungalow from US$65; ) is located just beneath the entrance to the national park. At first glance this is a kitsch place aimed at local tourists wanting a taste of country life. The castle-like entrance and plastic dinosaurs put off most Westerners, but for families with children it offers plenty of activities such as biking, horse-riding and kayaking. Hidden away at the back in the spacious grounds are some Scandinavian-style bungalows in various shapes and sizes, with TV, minibar and hot showers. Facilities include a swimming pool, sauna and several restaurants. The pool has a lovely setting with the hills of Kirirom as a backdrop and is open to non-guests for US$5 per day.

The Paradise Restaurant (mains US$3-6) has a pretty good selection of Khmer, Asian and Western dishes at reasonable prices, including a steamed snapper at US$4.75.

Getting There & Away

Kirirom National Park is 112km southwest of Phnom Penh, located about 24km to the west of NH4. Unless you have your own transport, it is not that easy to get here. One possibility is to catch a bus going to Sihanoukville and ask to be let off at Kirirom or Preah Suramarit Kossomak National Park (the full name in Khmer). However, it still requires a moto to get around the park itself. The best way to visit is to hire a motorcycle in Phnom Penh or get a group together and charter a taxi for about US$60. Coming under your own steam, the turn-off for the park is about 87km from Phnom Penh, and is marked by a large sign on the right of the highway.

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Siem Reap

   HISTORY
   ORIENTATION
   INFORMATION
   DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
   SIGHTS
   ACTIVITIES
   SIEM REAP FOR CHILDREN
   TOURS
   SLEEPING
   EATING
   DRINKING
   ENTERTAINMENT
   SHOPPING
   GETTING THERE & AWAY
   GETTING AROUND
AROUND SIEM REAP
   PREK TOAL BIRD SANCTUARY
   ANG TRAPENG THMOR RESERVE
   FLOATING VILLAGE OF CHONG KNEAS
   FLOODED FOREST OF KOMPONG PLUK
   KOMPONG KHLEANG
   ME CHREY

Back in the 1960s, Siem Reap (see-em ree-ep) was the place to be in Southeast Asia and saw a steady stream of the rich and famous. After three decades of slumber, it’s well and truly back and is one of the most popular destinations on the planet right now. The life-support system for the temples of Angkor, Cambodia’s eighth wonder of the world, Siem Reap was always destined for great things, but few people saw them coming this thick and this fast. It has reinvented itself as the epicentre of the new Cambodia, with more guesthouses and hotels than temples, as well as world-class wining and dining and sumptuous spas.

At its heart, Siem Reap is still a little charmer, with old French shop-houses, shady tree-lined boulevards and a slow-flowing river. But it is expanding at breakneck speed, with new houses and apartments, hotels and resorts sprouting like mushrooms in the surrounding countryside. The tourist tide has arrived and locals are riding the wave. Not only is this great news for the long-suffering Khmers, but it has transformed the town into a pulsating place for visitors. Forget the naysayers who mutter into their beers about Siem Reap in the ‘old days’; now is the time to be here, although you may curse your luck when stuck behind a jam of tour buses on the way back from the temples.

Angkor is a place to be savoured, not rushed, and this is the base to plan your adventures. Still think three days at the temples is enough? Think again, with Siem Reap on the doorstep.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Encounter some of the world’s rarest large water birds at Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary
• Explore the flooded forest of Kompong Pluk, an incredible village of bamboo skyscrapers
• Discover the quiet temples of Angkor hidden away in the modern pagodas of Wat Athvea and Wat Preah Inkosei
• Dive into Pub St, the drinking capital of Siem Reap, and discover nearby restaurants and bars
• Learn the secrets of Khmer cuisine with a cooking course, the perfect way to impress friends back home

TELEPHONE CODE: 063

POPULATION: 120,000 (TOWN)

AREA: 10,299 SQ KM

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