Cambodia: Wrath of Pol Pot in the Killing Fields

The most saddening yet meaningful part of our trip to Cambodia was our visit to the Killing Fields and S-21 Prison.

To give a brief historical background (geek mode!) - during 1975-1979, Pol Pol whose real name is Saloth Sar (notice how sinister his name sounds), rose to power as Prime Minister of Cambodia. This was the beginning of his implementation of his Year Zero concept wherein all culture and traditions within a society must be completely destroyed and a new revolutionary culture must replace it, starting from scratch. All history of a nation before Year Zero is irrelevant, as it will (as an ideal) be purged and replaced from the ground up. The merciless killing and harsh methods of torture led to the deaths of nearly 2 million people.

The mass graves and fields where thousands of men, women and children were brutally killed are now called the Killing Fields.


Skulls found in the commemorative stupa in the Killing Fields

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Cambodia: Trees Overpower Ta Prohm Temple

One of the highlights of our Vietnam-Cambodia trip was the Ta Prohm temple. To sum it up in one word, it is breathtaking. The sight of trees overpowering this ancient temple really takes you back in time. (Just remember to ignore all the other tourists doing tourist-y things.)

Our guide Mr. Swan (We never really did get his first name, I hope it isn't Silver? haha.) did a good job of explaining how all the other temples discovered originally in Siem Riep in the same state as Ta Prohm which is overrun by huge trees. But only the Ta Prohm temple was retained in it's original state, the other temples had the trees cleared to make way for the temple structures.

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Cambodia: Angkor Wat

A very stunning view! Used to be the 2nd wonder of the world.We woke up 4:30 in the morning just to catch the sunrise in Angkor Wat. The sunrise wasn't that good, but it was still worth the wait



Afternoon view of Angkor Wat from the back side, reflecting its image on the moat surrounding it. Astonishing creation by the people from ancient period. Having very defined carvings all over.
The green part on the right side is one of the small part that is under restoration.

Cambodia: Our Highly Recommended Tour Guides

During our trip in Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Siem Reap), we had very wonderful tour guides. They are Soryar (man standing 3rd from right, wearing checked shirt) and Mr.Leak (man kneeling down). The service that they provided us was very very excellent. Their price was very affordable considering the quality of service, accomodations, and transporation they arranged for us.



I highly recommend them to everyone who plans to take a vacation in Cambodia!

In case you would like to contact them, here are their contact details:
Website: http://www.kimsoryar.com/
Email Address: kimsoryar@yahoo.com
Mobile No.: (855) 12 221 883

Thank you very much Soryar and Mr.Leak for the very wonderful trip!

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Itinerary: Vietnam-Cambodia

In our vacation trip last April 2010, we tried to make our own itinerary to have more flexibility with our own time and control on what sites we want to visit.


Day 1
Depart from Philippines going to Vietnam (11:00PM flight)

Day 2
[AM]: Go straight to hotel and rest for the whole morning
[PM]: Ho Chi Minh City tour (Reunification Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral, War Crime Museum, City Hall, General Post Office)

Day 3
[AM]: Bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh-Cambodia
[PM]: Tour Killing Fields, Toul Sleng Museum

Day 4
[AM]: Visit Royal Palace, SIlver Pagoda, National Museum
[PM]: Minivan ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap-Cambodia
Stop-over at Skun (picture taking of spiders and crickets)

Day 5
[AM]: Start early for sunrise view at Angkor Wat
Go to Angkor Thom (South Gate, Bayon Temple, Terraces of Elephant and Leper King, Bapuonm Golden Palace, Phimeanakas)
Visit Ta Prohm (temple in Tomb Raider movie)
[PM]: Explore Angkor Wat temple
Boat ride at Tonle Sap to see Floating Villages

Day 6
[AM]: Bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
[PM]: Bus ride from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City

Day 7
Free day and shopping at Ho Chi Minh City

Day 8
[AM]: Rest time
[PM]: Go to Saigon Zoo, Botanical Garden, Historical Museum

Day 9
Depart from Vietnam going back to Philippines (1:00AM flight)

Will be posting about the note-worthy places individually soon! Wait for it! =)