Cambodia: Stunning Temples - Cruel Past - Unbearable Heat

Our itinerary through Cambodia

(14/01/2016 - 30/01/2016; 1100km)

First thing I see of Cambodia is a stone copy of a sort watch animal, looking like a dog, that I have seen on pictures of Angkor Wat. This impressive sculpture sits in the middle of the heat at the Cambodian check point. He doesn't move and no one else is moving either, everyone hiding from heat, it is noon. Some sleepy officer in flip flops tells me that we need again our carnet de passage for the car, something we didn't expect, since we actually thought it was only needed for Iran. A little bamboo shed carries a sign saying "Visa". The officer wears a white shirt, his official olive green uniform hangs neatly ironed behind him, that way I can see that I am talking to a three star official... ;-) We literally deal the prize for the visa and I end up paying only ten dollars for the children, but thirty dollars for our visa. The fan is snoring, making funny noises, not sure how long this thing will still do. At the next bamboo shed we get our passports stamped, all very friendly and that's it. Torsten has parked the car in the meantime a little further and I have walked the way between the bamboo houses back and forth for a while now, that one of the officers is so kind to give me a ride on his motorbike, so I don't have to walk all the way again through the heat. A very calm, slow, quiet start into our next adventure. Cambodia is the 17th country in our tour.

Roads seem better than in Laos on first sight, but every ten km asphalt is bulked into a pile, looks as if the heat and heavy trucks have smashed the road. We follow the Mekong river and stop for the night at the town Stung Treng. Nothing special here, we are hungry and try some first Cambodian food. Still curries and an interesting combination of cooked meat with a sort vinaigrette, that they call lok lak.

On our way to Phnom Penh: crossing the Mekong in the sunset ...

... over a rather provisional bridge.

On our way to Phnom Penh: Partytime! A truck with tables,
chairs and staff approaches a party location.

Villages in Cambodia have their houses on poles like in Laos. We keep driving towards Pnomh Pen, the capital. In a couple of days my parents are coming for a two week visit!   Heat is bothering us, the early morning hours show 28 degrees on the scale. We manage to work on home work with the kids only in the early morning hours, later it gets too warm and concentration melts in the sun. :-)

In Kratie, a little dusty Mekong town I try to get some money from an ATM and learn that in Cambodia the real currency is actually the Dollar. ATMs give out Dollars here, that can be exchanged at the bank counter into Cambodian Riels. Anywhere we go, we are asked to pay in Dollars, all Restaurants give their prices in Dollars. Very strange, it seems as if besides the low value of the Riel there is not enough Riel cash available anymore, as if they have stopped printing the money. The use of the Dollar makes things more expensive though, because the lowest unit to pay something is "one Dollar".

In Kratie we want to leave town on a small road towards rural area and only realise too late that we have turned right into the local market with our Emma. It is too late to turn back. I can't believe my eyes, we slowly slowly drive next to the little stands and sellers. Most of them sit on the ground, selling fish and fruits and vegetables. I am a bit scared on what will happen now, but people laugh, wave and when they see us coming, they lift their blankets away a bit, move umbrellas and motorbikes and we can pass. Some 100 m and we are through, oef. ;-)

On our way to Phnom Penh: Along the road I buy two sticks ...

... of bamboo ...

... sticky rice cooked in coconut milk with
garbanzo beans. Realy delicious!

The last evening before reaching Pnomh Pen, Johann is close to tears, nights are too hot, dust everywhere and our little fan in the car only brings a small relieve, we are all ready for the four star hotel with pool that Oma has booked for all of us.

And Oma has chosen a great hotel, the kids will still talk about it weeks later... :-)  Juliana Hotel feels great. Air conditioning. A warm shower. A big blue pool. A dinner buffet. We can't believe our eyes and enjoy it all. :-))

We pick up my parents at the airport next day and our vacation from travelling can start!

On our way to Phnom Penh: Shop for Buddhist Stupas & shrines.

Phnom Penh: First time we stay in a hotel
on our trip. High temperature and humidity are not
a problem ...

... if a pool is around. What a luxury!
Kick-off for two weeks with Susannes parents.

Phnom Penh: Meanwhile Emma gets a deserved rest on the parking.

Phnom Penh: Some curious tourists wipe off the dirt of our
license plate to check where the car comes from.

Phnom Penh: Tropical flowers.

Phnom Pen lies at the Tonle Sap and the Mekong river in a flat landscape. Since the civil war was over in 1999 the city has regained its old spirit and some of its beauty. The Kings palace glimmers in gold and white and we are impressed by the beautiful crown hall. Today King Norodom has only representative work to do. The country is ruled by prime minister Hun Sen and his corrupt clique. Today Cambodia is considered the most corrupt country in the region. Poverty is everywhere. We have seen it in rural areas and we see it in Phnom Pen. The difference between poor and rich is very obvious.

Phnom Penh: street impressions.

Phnom Penh: Characteristic roof tops of the National Museum.

Phnom Penh: Inner court of the National Museum.

Phnom Penh: Susanne provids us back ground information
on the exhibit in the national museum.

Phnom Penh: Enjoying the scenery at the river Tonle Sap
after a day of sightseeing.

Phnom Penh: Fishers during twilight on the river Tonle Sap

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Monks on the forecourt.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Banana Blossom.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Antonia and the Apsaras.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh:
Pauli investigating the door lock.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions!

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions!

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Pauli peeking ...

... into the crown hall..

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Stupa.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Panoramic View.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Under construction.
 Napoleons second hand gift: An iron temple, which is not too
maintenance friendly in Cambodian climate.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: 
Ready for anything ;)

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Taking a break.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Lotus blossom.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Antonia&Ute drawing the scenery.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Nice one from Antonia.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Wall paintng.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Wall paintng.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Wall paintng.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: Wall paintng.

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: ;)

Royal Palace@Phnom Penh: ;))

Phnom Penh: ;)))

Phnom Penh: Buddha Shop.

Phnom Penh: Buddha Shop.

Phnom Penh: Buddha Shop.

Phnom Penh: Creating resource-intense chaos.

Phnom Penh: City trips are exhausting, but ...

... good to know that we are welcomed in the hotel.

Cheers!

A different travel experience.
We never stayed in a place like this so far on our trip.

Back in the streets of Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh: Bazar.

Phnom Penh: Bazar Impressions.

Phnom Penh: Bazar Impressions.

Phnom Penh: Bazar Impressions.

Phnom Penh: Bazar Impressions.

Phnom Penh: Getting ready for Chinese New Year.

Phnom Penh: Overload.

Phnom Penh: Overload (cont.).

Phnom Penh: Kampot Pepper.

The country is still trying to recover from the 3-8-20. A row of numbers that everyone in Cambodia knows, like Americans, who know exactly what is meant by 9-11. Three years, eight months and 20 days took the rage of the Khmer Rouge. From 1975 to 1978 the stone age communists hungered and murdered their country back into medieval times. Thousands of people died from hunger and sickness, thousands were killed. Everyone, old and young. To form the "new human" no mercy could be found anymore.

Apparently they were following the idea, that Kampuchea, as they called it, should be a rural State, no industry anymore, no universities, no schools, no money,  just rice farmers. So everything that stood in the way was destroyed: people, buildings, families, cities, everything. When Vietnamese ended the night mare in 1975, only around 50 000 inhabitants were left for example in Phnom Pen. The years to follow didn't get better though. The Khmer Rouge went to hide in the jungles and a civil war raged the country until 1999. Today tourists are back, a lot of tourists. Almost two million come to visit Angkor Wat every year.

Interestingly the Khmer Rouge did not touch the temples of Angkor Wat. It seems as if that would have been too much even for them. At the National Museum in Phnom Pen we see statues and frescoes saved from Angkor temples. A very nice museum, there are no windows, just open spaces that are closed by wooden panels every night. At the museum we visit a traditional dance show, where the Apsaras come to life. "Apsara" has become, besides "banana shake" and "ATM" ;-) one of the favourite words of Pauli and we will see hundreds of stone apsaras, the dancing angels in Angkor Wat. The show is wonderful, also in its setting next to the old museum. Afterwards we have dinner at "Friends", an NGO that runs restaurants in several cities in Cambodia to help young people find a job and get experiences when working in restaurants. Everywhere we go, we are reminded of the terrible fate of Cambodian people, familiy structures that have been destroyed have a long lasting effect on society.

The Khmer Rouge have killed almost all Buddhist monks and destroyed all temples. But today we can see temples again everywhere, rebuilt or renovated. One of them is the impressive Silver Pagoda at the Kings palace. The whole floor is covered with silver tiles, each of 1 kg of Silver.

And we meet Lieselotte and Geert from Hasselt again! We met them in China in November and in the meantime they have been on the Philippines. We take some time to catch up and talk travellers stories...:-))

In Phnom Pen my father and me we also get to to visit a very special place: a dentist. :-) Both of us are trying to cope with tooth pain and one day we both decide to tackle the problem and look for a dentist. We find a super modern clinic, great dentist ladies and helpful staff and after two hours we are back in the hotel and the pain is gone. Fantastic, I can tell you. :-)

To drive around in Phnom Pen we always rent a tuk tuk, we all fit into one and have great fun. We are very close to the people around us, wind blows our hair and sometimes we have to close our eyes, when the driver hurries across huge alleys and we look into hundreds of car lights...;-)))

Phnom Penh: SEVEN of us in ONE Tuk-Tuk. Poor motobike!

Torsten takes time to visit Tuol Sleng (a.k.a. Prison S21), the former torture prison of the Khmer Rouge. The rest of us decides to have a look from the outside, since we are not ready to read and see in detail the terrible slaughter that has happened here. And once again I have to presume: places of horror can have such a profane outside. Tuol Sleng was a school before they transformed it into a prison. And most strangely, almost all schools in Phnom Pen look the same! There is a school just across our hotel that looks just like Tuol Sleng. A three to four storey building, with open windows, an open hallway in front of the rooms and stair cases at the side of the building.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh: Hell on Earth.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh: 
Silent witnesses of tragedies.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh:
Remnants of torture.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh:
Rediculous Rules of Conduct.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh: Site Plan.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh:
A former ordinary school building was turned into a place of agony
for more than 3 years 

Red Khmer Prison S21@Phnom Penh:
Impressions.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh:
Not only Khmer were tortured also foreigners,
like the two world travellers John Dewhirst & 
Kerry Hamill sailing accidently in Cambodian sea territory.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh: barbwire was supposed
to keep prisoners from comitting suicide by jumping over the barrier.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh:
Improvised prison cells in former class rooms.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh: 
Bophana became a symbol for the tragedy.

Khmer Rouge Prison S21@Phnom Penh:
One of the few survivors answers questions atthe memorial.

Phnom Penh: Pauli gets ready for the performance of
traditional Khmer dances ...

... in the National Museum of Cambodia.

Phnom Penh: Shadow Pictures made of leather
decorating the way to the dance stage.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.
Monkey Dance.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.
Monkey Dance.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.
Apsaras.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.
Apsaras.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.

Phnom Penh: Traditional Khmer Dances.

After the performance some of us test teir Apsara skills.

I fail ;)

;)

Wat Phnom@Phnom Penh.

Wat Phnom@Phnom Penh.

Wat Phnom@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Wat Phnom@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

Wat Phnom@Phnom Penh: Impressions.

We enjoy being in Phnom Pen with all its different sides. To celebrate our visit we take a tour in the Mekong by boat the last evening before we leave.

Phnom Penh: Boat ride in the evening
on the river Tonle Sap and Mekong.

Phnom Penh: Boat ride in the evening 
on the river Tonle Sap and Mekong.

Phnom Penh: Boat ride in the evening 
on the river Tonle Sap and Mekong.

Phnom Penh: Boat ride in the evening 
on the river Tonle Sap and Mekong.

Phnom Penh: Boat ride in the evening 
on the river Tonle Sap and Mekong.

Phnom Penh: Boat ride in the evening 
on the river Tonle Sap and Mekong.

Tempting offer: Buy One - Get One!
Would be interesting what you get when there is no Happy Hour ;)

We drive north towards Siem Reap. The road is pretty rough and the 350 km take us more than seven hours. We stop at the Wat Phnum Santuk a holy mountain with temples on top. Monkeys lead the way up the stairs through the jungle.

We are at about 37 degrees, 80 percent humidity and our clothes stick to our skin starting early in the morning...

On our way to Siem Riep: Wat Phnun Santuk.

Wat Phnun Santuk: More than 900 steps lead to the Wat.

Wat Phnun Santuk:The steps are framed by female...

... annd male sculptures holding a snake.

Wat Phnun Santuk: The surroundng forest is home 
to hundreds of monkeys

They check out visitors for food.

They look very friendly, but ...

... they can be freigtning.

On our way to Siem Riep:
Artists working on Buddhist sculptures.

On our way to Siem Riep: Typical rural houses.

On our way to Siem Riep: Typical rural houses.

Magic Angkor Wat! We have more than one week time to discover everything, before my parents have to leave again and we will need every single day to see it all. And we don't get temple- tired, they are all really beautiful.

Angkor Wat is a whole area full with temples. It was built between the 11th century and the 14th century. Every new King had to have his own temple, sometimes even a whole temple city. Up to one million people lived here at once. A highly elaborated system of water canals and water resorts  have helped to grow food for everyone.

Apparently people have left Angkor one day, scientists are still trying to find the answer why this has happened. Maybe the water canals were filled with too much sand, too much agriculture, not enough trees to keep the sand from spreading. And water was the blood in the vessels of Angkor. Loosing the flow meant death. It is known that there have always been people in Angkor, it was never really abandoned, but when it was "rediscovered" some hundred years ago the view on the temples covered by the jungle must have been spectacular.

To visit all the temples there is a so called: "grand circuit" of some 40 km and a "petit circuit" of around 28 km, roads that lead to the temples. We rent a tuk tuk and the visit can start.

Siem Riep: On our way to discover Angkor Wat.

Most impressive and our first stop is of course: Angkor Wat, the main temple. Angkor is an image of the world of gods and heaven how they understood it these days: the middle tower depicts the mountain Meru, the center of the world, where all the gods live, surrounding water of the temple depict the seas and so on, every inch, every building here has a special meaning. And interestingly: the temples around Angkor changed, depending on the Kings believe from Hindu to Buddhism and back, which can still be seen in some temples, where Buddha statues have been removed and then been replaced again...

Thousands of tourists are in the building together with us, but that doesn't spoil the impressive view. At its best times this temple was also filled with hundreds of people coming to visit and worship.

We follow our guide book and are stunned by the wonderful frescos on the outside of the temple walls, depicting hinduistic tales and stories, huge battles, King Suryavarman II on his elephant covered from the sun by eighteen sun umbrellas. And of course the dancing Apsaras, everywhere. 37 different hairstyles have been counted on the hundreds of dancing Angels, what a feast for the eyes! Unbelievably lively and detailed are the frescoes, new details to discover at every centimetre. In old times all of this was also coloured and made to be visited by the people who were actually not allowed inside the temple.

We learn from our book, that Suryavarman VII, the " Donald Trump" from Angkor, was the most busiest planer and builder of temples, canals and buildings of all sorts. Tha Prohm, a temple today covered by the jungle with huge figue trees that cramp into the walls of the temple, was one of his projects. This temple is filled with tourists and though the place is very impressive it gets a bit too much here. We have to wait in line to have our picture taken in front of one of the tree-temple-wall-mixtures and that takes away the magic of the place...

Angkor Wat: Main alley to the temple.
The roof tops in the shape of Lotus flowers
coin the symbol for this historic place.

Angkor Wat: Guarding snakes called Naga.

Angkor Wat:Apsaras.

Angkor Wat: Susanne provides background about the scenery ...

... and everyone is listening attentively ;)

Angkor Wat: Entering the inner court.

Angkor Wat: Temple entrance.

Angkor Wat: Antonia & Paul having fun,
despite the unbearable heat.

Angkor Wat: Looking over the impressive alley, which leads
to the temple.

Angkor Wat:View over the main alley
from the top of the temple.

Angkor Wat:View over the main alley 
from the top of the temple.

Angkor Wat: Mural  fresco.

Angkor Wat: Mural fresco.

Angkor Wat: Mural fresco.

Angkor Wat: Mural fresco.

Angkor Wat: Mural fresco.

Angkor Wat:Impression of the
surrounding gallery.

Angkor Wat:Impression of the 
surrounding gallery.

Angkor Wat:Impression of the 
surrounding gallery.

Angkor Wat: Impressions.

Angkor Wat: Impressions.

Angkor Wat: Impressions.

Angkor Wat: Mobile monks.

Angkor Wat: Apsaras.

Angkor Wat: Apsaras.

Angkor Wat: Apsaras.

Angkor Wat: Apsaras.

Angkor Wat: Apsaras.

Angkor Wat: Apsaras.

Angkor Wat: View from te top level.

Angkor Wat: Long galleries with 
mural frescos surounding the main temple.

Angkor Wat: Peekaboo.

Angkor Wat: Inner Temple.

Angkor Wat: Impressions.

Angkor Wat: Impressions.

Angkor Wat: Impressions.

Fachhochschule Köln is helping to preserve Angkor Wat. Fixing Apsaras.

Angkor Wat: Reflections in the Twilight.

Angkor: Tuk-Tuks are a bit smaller than in Phnom Penh,
but we still manage to squeeze all the SEVEN of us in.

Here the more advanced way of over-loading a vehicle.

Angkor: Kids in front of one of the massive water reservoirs (a.k.a.baray).
Here @ Srah Srang. 

;)

Angkor: Temple puzzle.

Angkor: Thank God, I have a big sister!

Angkor: Made of bricks - Prasan Kravan temple.

Angkor: Made of bricks - Prasan Kravan temple.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
In the grip of the strangler fig tree.

Angkor: Us@Ta Prohm temple.

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.
Search Image: Do you find the Apsara?

Angkor: Ta Prohm temple.

Sitting on the shoulders of giant

Angkor: Cruising between the temples with the Tuk Tuk.

Angkor: Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Antonia drawing the Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Bayon Temple.

Angkor: Entrance to Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Jumping the Apsars @ Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Jumping the Apsars @ Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Strangle Fig tree @  Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Fig @ Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Ta Som Temple.

Angkor: Antonia with an art work 

Angkor: East Mebon.

Angkor: East Mebon.

Angkor: We decide for this unfinsihed work
near Neak Pean temple.

Angkor: Crossing to Neak Pean temple.

Angkor: Neak Pean temple.

Angkor: View over the remnants of the water reservoir
(a.k.a.baray) near Neak Pean temple.

We take a one day break of visiting temples and decide to have a look at the Tonle Sap lake instead. We have already read that tourism boats seem to be in the hand of one group and prizes for a boat tour are very high (20 Dollars per person!), but we want to see this big lake, that expands its size by four times in the rainy season. On the lake there are floating villages of families living from fishing. When we arrive it is all even worse than we have read: we really pay 80 Dollars for a boat ride of one and a half hours and at the same time they are not ashamed to show us the terrible poverty of the families living on the lake. It is almost disgusting: tourists, and there are hundreds that day, pay 20 Dollars each to come see the lake and apparently not one of these Dollars reaches the families living here. It is all ruled by a mafia sort organisation, that probably also pays its tribute to the corrupt people in the Cambodian government. When we get to the lake, our "tour guide" on the ship offers us to visit a school in the floating village, but before he takes us there he wants us to buy "some food" for the children and we are already alerted. We have read everywhere that it is not recommended to give donations to unknown projects as corruption is ruling everywhere. And the same here: when we are told to get off the boat in the middle of the lake and step into a market boat to buy rice by 50 Dollars for each bag (!) we decide to leave the place as fast as we can. Later we learn that this is one of the big tourist traps: the rice will never reach the children, the money stays in the pocket of the local mafia.

South of Siem Riep: Piers for boats going to the river Tonle Sap.

South of Siem Riep: Bout ride on the river Tonle Sap.

South of Siem Riep: Bout ride on the river Tonle Sap.

South of Siem Riep: Bout ride on the river Tonle Sap.
The boat's screw needs to be freed from waste being sucked up.

Floating Villages on the river Tonle Sap.

Floating Villages on the river Tonle Sap.

Floating Villages on the river Tonle Sap: Crocodile farm.

Floating Villages on the river Tonle Sap: Crocodile farm.

Siem Reap, the town next to Angkor Wat is one of the places where most of the money is made from tourists in Cambodia and it is not cheap anymore to go on day trips etc. Since tourism started again after the end of the civil war in the late 90tees it has gotten a bit out of control it seems. The greed for money has taken over in Siem Reap. Countless hotels and guest houses try to get a bit of the cake. There are plenty of tourists to make money from, especially from China, but the fight to get the dollars out of our pockets gets on our nerves at the end of the week...

After the disappointment at the Tonle Sap we go another full day on temple visit, the grand circuit. And we see them all and have great fun in this wonderful magic world of jungle and temples.  Our favourite temple that days is: the Preah Khan temple! We arrive there late in the afternoon and we are almost alone. We can stroll through the ruins, take pictures without standing in line and get the real explorer feeling, very impressive.

Have a look at the pictures!

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple.

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple.
Impressive fresco.

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple.
Impressive fresco.

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple.

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple.

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple.

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple.

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple.
Impressive Reliefs.

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple, (susanne: I think it is in the 
east mebon temple... too many temples. :-)

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Preah Khan Temple

Angkor: Guards at the south gate of Angkor Thom.

One more side stop we take, something I wanted to see since Laos: a silk farm! There is a big and traditionally working one close to Siem Reap and we take a little tour to see the silk worms crawling, making their cocoons, how the silk thread is being made from the cocoon, the colouring process and last but not least the weaving of the different patterns. Really impressive and interesting and we take the time to take some wonderful souvenirs home...:-)

Silk Farm near Siem Riep: Growing mulberry trees, the food
for the silkworm.

Silk Farm near Siem Riep: Mulberry leaves are prepared ...

as food.

Silk Farm near Siem Riep: Silkworms are building their cocoons

Silk Farm near Siem Riep:  80% is used for teh silk production,
20% for the silkworm reproduction.

Silk Farm near Siem Riep:
The dried worms are put into hot ...

... water and some 10 cocoon threads are taken up
to form a single silk thread.

Silk Farm near Siem Riep: Raw silk after being colored.

Silk Farm near Siem Riep: Fine silk.

Silk Farm near Siem Riep: Silk weaving.

Lotus Flowers.

Lotus Flowers.

Withered Lotus Flowers.

Experimenting with the Lotus effect.

Experimenting with the Lotus effect.

In our hotel we have met three really nice women from the Netherlands. They tell us that they are coming several times per year to Siem Reap because they work with a little village school helping them to develop an English teaching program for the children living around Siem Reap. We are very impressed and when the ladies agree to take us with them one afternoon to visit the project we are very excited. The school is an open classroom at a private house, where the children come to get extra lessons in English after regular school is finished in the afternoon. From age three to sixteen everyone is there. It is so much fun to see them working and trying their English with us, we are very impressed and take home this positive impression of the next generation of Cambodia.

On our way to the school visit:
Picking up some fruit for the students.

On our way to the school visit:
Enjoyin the Tuk-Tuk-Ride in the twilight.

On our way to the school visit.

School Visit: Improvized class room.

School Visit: Pauli is ready.

School Visit: Excerise books.

School Visit: Enthusiastic Students.

School Visit: Before leaving we play
some language games together

Beng Mealea. We all have decided that this our favourite temple in Angkor. It is actually some 60 km away from the main Angkor Wat temple, hidden in the jungle, most trees are still in the temple area. We arrive at noon, most tourist groups are about to leave for lunch and we start our climbing-jumping-discovering- adventure! Here we have for the first time a feeling of: this is how it must have been, when the temple was discovered. Piles of stones, broken roofs, but still existing walls and doors, sculptures, frescoes and it is allowed to climb around on the houses and walls. Really really exciting, even Torsten climbs with us, with his broken foot, not easy. ;-) It seems as if Lara Croft and Indiana Jones come to say hi here any minute...

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Beng Mealea Temple.

Near Siem Riep: Land-mine museum. 
Display of the different kinds of land mines, sorted by their origin.

Near Siem Riep: Land-mine museum. 
An artificial mine field, to get the idea. 
Angkor Wat is almost completely demined since 2006.

Cambodia is one of the most land mine polluted areas in the world, the Khmer Rouge, the long civil war and the country being squeezed between the two blocks during the Cold War have left thousands of land mines. Close to Siem Riep there is a museum, opened by a former soldier who has put all his energy into demining the country and helping victims. We learn to distinguish between the different types of mines, made in: China, Korea, US, Russia, GDR and so on. And we also read: land mines where not made to kill someone, but their sole purpose was to heavoly injure, so that more than one person would be affected by a blast: the one injured and at least two people saving the injured victim. Once again on this journey: an example of perfidious disgusting human inventions.

One last time we return to the temples of Angkor and some of them we visit for a second time. We have watched a movie about the building of the temples in the hotel one evening and now return to the place to look for some details: we find unfinished Apsaras and we discover where different artists have been working on one fresco. Taking this closer look at a second time is really fun and interesting.

Angkor Wat: Johann standing next to three different carving stages of Apsaras.

And then its time to say good bye. Antonia has been talking about flying home with Oma and Opa, but the poor little girl has to continue travelling with us...;-)

We make plans for the summer and are looking forward to coming back home in August! But it is not the moment yet to think about coming home! We want to see more. :-)

Angkor: Sunset over the West Mebon.

Angkor: Last sunbeams @ West Mebon.

Angkor: Sunset spreading the ast sun beams over the temples.

Angkor: Approaching the Baphoun temple.

Angkor: Baphoun temple.

Angkor: View from the top of Baphoun temple.

Angkor: Reclining Buddha on the Baphoun temple.

Angkor Wat in the twilight, taken from Phnom Bakheng Temple.

Angkor: Sunset on the  Phnom Bakheng Temple.

Angkor: Enjoying sunset on the  
Phnom Bakheng Temple.

Angkor: Sunset on the  Phnom Bakheng Temple.

Angkor: Sunset on the  Phnom Bakheng Temple.

Angkor: Sunset on top of the  Phnom Bakheng Temple.

Our hotel: A wonderful place to relax from the heat ...

but it's now time to go on.

Our next stop is Battambang. It's just the five of us again and we have to get used to it. Battambang is a nice little town close to Tonle Sap lake and we visit the local attraction of a bamboo train. Actually it is a bit a sad story: France built a railway from Phnom Pen to the Thai border in Colonial times, but it went out of service pretty soon. Today the rails are still left, but in a lamentable state. Farmers have developed a light weight train made out of bamboo, run by a little engine that they use to transport farming goods and people in the area. Tourists are also allowed, but here again: some obscure official shows up and collects ten dollars from each tourist, while we later learn that the inventors and drivers of the train don't make any money with the tourists. They ask by whispering, so no official can hear them to pay a little money to them too... :-(

Near Battambang: We get ready for our ride on one of the
simplistic draisines (a.k.a.norry, refering to the word 'lorry').

Near Battambang: Kids anxiously waiting 
that the norry takes off.

Near Battambang: Our norry-Driver.

Near Battambang: Kids having fun on the norry ride.

Near Battambang:The draisine/norry has to be turned around
to run back to the starting point.

Near Battambang: Ready for the way back.

Near Battambang: We are the last people on the tracks.
The driver stops on a bridge so we can all enjoy the sunset.

On our way Cambodian-Thai border: Tapioca field.

On our way Cambodian-Thai border: Tapioca cut in pieces
and spread over the field for drying.

Cambodia is very fascinating for its wonderful heritage. But no where else on the trip I have asked myself so often: Do I want to support this corruptive and geedy behaviour by paying money here? Or do I better skip this sight? Actually it is a typical travellers question, but I don't have an answer, to be honest. On one side it is one of the most fascinating places in the world, with kind and nice people, but corruption reigns the country. I feel pretty sad, when thinking about the future of this lovely country.