Photos home page
Phnom Penh market
man and water buffalo
ancient kapok tree growing through Ta Prohm temple
Tonle Sap lake
Phnom Bakheng between morning showers
family at Chrong Kneish
boys on outskirts of Phnom Penh
monk and entourage at Banteay Srei
Angkor Wat sunrise reflection
girl at Ta Som
Ponlok Restaurant, Phnom Penh
woman and water buffalo
Tuol Sleng inmate
boy and dog, Banteay Srei
armed guard at Angkor temples, 1999
boy fishing at Srah Srang
chicken amok
silk farm, Siem Reap
Choeung Ek (killing fields)
Vietnamese fishing village of Chrong Kneish on Tonle Sap lake
chickens at Siem Reap market
Chrong Kneish souvenir shop
birds at Chrong Kneish
Butterfly Farm, Siem Reap
Floating restaurant, Phnom Penh
Khmer dancers, Siem Reap
water buffalos at Pre Rup
Reth, our guide in Siem Reap
family on motorcycle, Phnom Penh
Phnom Krom view of Angkor Wat

Cambodia is the ancient homeland of the Khmer people, a peaceful and creative civilization wedged between the much more aggressive Thais to the east and Vietnamese to the west. Most Americans first heard of Cambodia through the shameful secret bombings that Henry Kissinger orchestrated in the 1970's, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians and making Cambodia the most heavily bombed country in history (even though the U.S. never even declared war against them). That's a big part of modern Cambodia's history, but there's a lot more to the story.

The Khmer people built the massive detailed stone temples of Angkor, one of the true wonders of the world, in the 9th through 13th centuries AD. After the collapse of that civilization the temples lay unknown to the outside world for several hundred years, only to be "discovered" by French explorers in the 1700's. The Angkor temples offer an Escher-esque visual clash of concepts: intricately carved man-made structures under attack by the hardy trees and vegetation of the steamy Southeast Asia jungle. Most of the temples have now been restored to their original condition, but Ta Prohm has been left in the state it was found.

Anyone who thinks the U.S. or U.N. will be able to create a lasting peace in Afghanistan or Iraq should take a hard look at Cambodia today. The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) has spent much time and money making Cambodia into a nation with the external trappings of a democracy. A so-called free election was held in 1993, resulting in a coalition government led by Prince Ranariddh of the FUNCIPEC party. This government suffered from widespread corruption until being toppled in a coup by Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) in 1997. A sham election was held in 1998, preceded and followed by execution and torture of members of opposition parties.

It's possible to fly directly to Siem Reap (near the Angkor temples) from Bangkok, and other foreign cities are starting to add Siem Reap flights as well. On our last trip we went through Phnom Penh instead, which offers some dramatic sights and Cambodia's most intense urban experience. From Phnom Penh we took a jet boat up the Tonle Sap River to Siem Reap, a great way to see the monsoon-flooded countryside.