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Cambodia is a country of inescapable legacies. It is a country with the dubious distinctions of not only having some of the greatest monuments the world has ever seen but also enduring the suffering from some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity. Everywhere you turn, these legacies of its history are evident. During my visit in Cambodia, I saw amputees dragging themselves across the floors of markets begging for the generosity of those barely able to feed themselves and I was privileged enough to view the vast temples of Angkor. Buried for centuries in the jungles of Cambodia, the ancient temples of Angkor are the size of Manhattan Island and one of mankind’s greatest artistic achievements. We visited these magnificent monuments - massive in scale and exquisite in detail - and visited Phnom Penh, with its crumbling colonial architecture, abject poverty, picturesque riverfront and stirring memorials. Our pictures and descriptions of some of the country’s sights could never do complete justice to the country of Cambodia so we encourage you to go there yourself with open mind and open heart.

Central Market

This hub of Phnom Penh is a large Art Deco structure built in the 1930s and now barely houses half of the merchants who peddle goods there. We thought it looked like something out of Mad Max.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Prison Museum

This former high school, which was used by the Khmer Rouge as an interrogation center, provides a powerful glimpse into the horrors of the Pol Pot regime. At this center, over 20,000 people were imprisoned and tortured of which only seven are known to have survived. The rest met their deaths at the Killing Fields of Choeng Ek. The prison has been left largely as it was in 1979. We wandered through the buildings, parts of which contain gruesome torture chambers complete with gory photos of the victims. It was truly an eye opening experience and makes you wonder how some people can be so cruel. In some of the rooms, the pictures and clothes of all the people who were executed are shown. In addition, we’ve included photos of the original Killing Fields, torture instruments and other policies of Pol Pot. We encourage you to watch the movie, The Killing Fields, if you want to understand the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot’s reign of terror.

In a nutshell, Pol Pot engineered an extreme version of Maoism where he killed all of the intellectuals, evacuated all of the cities, forced everyone to work in the fields, created a snitch society, forced mass arranged marriages, and filled the country with six to 10 million mines (approximately one mine per person). As a result, more than two million of Cambodia’s seven million people were killed. I’ve included some of the Prison Rules that were hung outside the torture chambers. It is given in Khmer and English. Two of the prisoners in the prison were Westerners.

In the courtyard of the prison, these tombstones are shown. Our guide informed us that during Pol Pot’s reign, he had some of his own high level Khmer Rouge officials tortured and killed because he suspected them of betrayal. I’ve included photos that depict one of several torture chambers left largely intact with a photo of how the prisoner died.

The map in the last room is made from the actual skulls of victims. It serves as a remembrance of the people who were killed. In each of the many killing fields across Cambodia, glass stupas have been erected filled with skulls as a remembrance. Small bones still litter many of the fields.

National Museum of Arts

Designed by a French architect, this museum is a beautiful example of Khmer-style architecture. The collection includes some fine pre-Angkorian statuary and many phallic (lingham) statues representing the Hindu god Shiva. As we walked around the museum we heard what appeared to be sounds of birds on the roof. In actuality, they were the sounds of bats inside the roof! Our guide informed us that if happened to be at the museum at sunset, you would see the sky above you covered with our winged friends.

Tonle Sap River

The stretch of land along the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh was one of the few areas where we saw any construction. A few years ago the government rebuilt it so it actually looks quite pleasant. Our guide informed us that the river actually changes the direction of its current when the seasons change.

Wat Phnom

This is the most sacred sight in all of Phnom Penh. According to legend, one Madame Penh founded a monastery atop an artificial hill here to house several statues of the Buddha that she discovered hidden inside a log. The current temple houses a number of Buddha relics.

Angkor Temples

The temples of Angkor, built from the 9th to the 13th centuries by the great Khmer Empire, covers an area the size of Manhattan Island and represents one of mankind’s greatest achievements. The grandeur of scale and the perfection of detail is really quite extraordinary. Visiting Angkor was truly an experience of a lifetime. The 100 or so temples constitute the sacred skeleton of a much larger and spectacular administrative and religious center whose houses, public buildings and palaces were constructed out of wood - now long decayed - because the right to dwell in structures of brick or stone was reserved for the gods. Restoration of the temples began early this century under the French and continues today under the auspices of the UN.

Angkor Thom

Our first visit was to Angkor Thom, the fortified city approximately 10 square km in extent. It was built by Angkor’s greatest builder, Jayavarman VII (J7), who came to power in the 12th century just after the disastrous sacking of the previous Khmer capital, centered on the Baphuon, by the Chams (people who settled in Vietnam). The city has five monumental gates, one each in the north, west and south walls (the entrance we came through) and two in the east wall. Below is the South Entrance to Angkor Thom which is lined with 54 statues of Gods and Demons.

The Bayon

The most outstanding feature of the Bayon, which was built by J7 in the exact center of the city of Angkor Thom, is the eerie and unsettling third level, with its icily smiling, gargantuan faces of Avalokitesvara (reputed to be based on J7). Almost as extraordinary are the Bayon’s 1,200m of bas-reliefs, incorporating over 11,000 figures. The famous carvings on the outer wall of the first level depict vivid scenes of life in the 12th century Cambodia.

Terrace of Elephants

The 350 meter long Terrace of Elephants was used as a giant reviewing stand for public ceremonies and served as a base for the king’s grand audience hall. The middle section of the retaining wall is decorated with human-sized garudas (mythical human birds) and lions. Towards either end as the two parts of the famous Parade of Elephants.

Terrace of the Leper King

The Terrace of the Leper King, just north of the Terrace of Elephants, is a platform seven meters in height on top of which stands a nude (though sexless) statue (actually a copy). The figure, possibly of Shiva, is believed by locals to be of Yasovarman, a Khmer ruler whom legend says died of leprosy.

The Baphuon

The Baphuon, a pyramidal representation of Mount Meru, is 200 meters north west of the Bayon. It was constructed by Udayadityavarman II (reigned 1050-66) at the center of the his city, the third built at Angkor. The decor of the Baphuon, including the door frames, lintels and octagonal columns, is particularly fine. On the western side of the temple, the retaining wall of the second level was fashioned - apparently in the 15th century - into a reclining Buddha 40m in length.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat, with its soaring towers and extraordinary bas-reliefs, is considered by many to be one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived by the human mind. It was built by Suryavarman II (1112-52) to honor Vishnu(with whom he, as a god-king, was identified) and for use as his funerary temple. The central temple complex consists of three storeys, each of which encloses a square surrounded by intricately interlinked galleries. Rising 31m above the third level and 55m above the ground is the central tower, which gives the whole ensemble its sublime unity. Stretching around the outside of the central temple complex is an 800m long series of extraordinary bas-reliefs. Also located outside the temple is a Bodhi tree which is a symbol of the Tree of Enlightenment.

The most famous scene, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, is along the southern section of the east gallery. This carving depicts 88 asuras (devils) on the left and 92 devas (gods) with crested helmets on the right, churning up the sea in order to extract the elixir of immortality, which both groups covet. I have a picture of it below along with other bas-reliefs of Apsaras and other interesting carvings.

Banteay Srei

In the morning we drove through the lush countryside to Banteay Srei, or the Citadel of the Women, which is a small architectural gem with unusually deep stone relief. Its located some 25km northeast of the main cluster of temples but takes over an hour to get to because the roads are so poorly made. The construction of this temple spanned two kingships - Rajendravarman II and Jayavarman V. The temple was built out of hard pink sandstone. The five structures at the center of the complex are amazing and the carvings are exquisite. The library to the south presents scenes of Ravana shaking Mount Kailusa.

Ta Prohm

The 17th century Buddhist temple of Ta Prohm is one of the largest Khmer
edifices of the Angkorian period and looks like something straight out of Indiana Jones. It has been left just as it looked when the first French explorers set eyes on its over a century ago. Whereas the other major monuments of Angkor have been preserved and made suitable for scholarly research by a massive program to clear away the jungle, this Buddhist temple has been left to the jungle. There is also a 500 years old acorn (last picture in the series below). Don’t miss this one!!