The Kingdom of Cambodia, formely known as Democratic Kampuchea, is a country in the Indochina region (map). It is bordered by Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Cambodia is a successor state of the once powerful Hindu and Buddhist Khmer Empire that ruled most of Indochina between 8th and 14th centuries. The capital of Cambodia now is Phnom Penh (pronounced: Nom Pen). The currency is Cambodian Riel (1 USD = approx 4000 Riel). The population of Cambodia is about 15 million.
The citizens of Cambodia are called Khmers. Most of them are Buddhists and are mainly the descendents of the people who lived during the Khmer empire. There are a lot of Cham muslims also in Cambodia.
The Lonely Planet book on Cambodia summarizes the history of Cambodia as "the good, the bad and the ugly".
Early history: Between the 9th and 13th century AD, the Khmer empire was very prosperous in all aspects - culture, money, religion, etc. The empire's central power was Angkor, which is considered as the world's largest pre-industrial civilization. The Angkor Wat, the most famous and best-preserved religious temples, are reminders of the rich past. Angkor is located in the Siem Reap province of Cambodia. The temples in Angkor are now maintained by collaborations between the Government of Cambodia, UNESCO, a Japanese company Apsara, Archeological Survey of India, Ministry of External Affairs (India) and the Government of China.
Modern history: Like other countries in the Indochina region, Cambodia was ruled by the French. In 1953, Cambodia gained independence from the French, and it became a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk. In 1970, Lon Nol and Sisowath took power with American aid through a coup against Sihanouk.
In 1975, in midst of the Cold War and growing communism, Khmer Rouge seized power in Cambodia. The regime, led by the French-educated Pol Pot, officially named Cambodia as Democratic Kampuchea. With the take-over by Khmer Rouge started the cleansing of the Khmer population. Khmer Rouge advocated agriculture based on 11th century model, discarded Western ideas, destroyed temples, libraries, and everything which they considered "open". Over 2 to 3 million Cambodians were killed during this regime. Many people were first taken to prisons for torture and later moved to the "Killing Fields" at Choeung Ek (about 15 Km from Phnom Penh) for execution. Tuol Sleng or Security Office 21 (S21) was one such torture prison. Once a school under the Norodom Sihanouk kingdom, this was converted into a large torture camp where thousands of prisoners were kept in shackles.
In 1978, with the help of the Vietnamese army (a monument to commemorate the friendship between Cambodia and Vietnam can be seen in Phnom Penh), Khmer Rouge was overthrown and the reconstruction of Cambodia began. In 1993, Cambodia became a constitutional monarchy. In 2004, King Norodom Sihamoni was elected the heir to the throne.Cambodia is considered to be one of most corrupt countries, standing 162 in a list of 179 countries released by Transperancy International (listing) in 2007. Most Cambodians are very poor people. Human trafficking, child prostitution (facts and figures in a study conducted by The University of Rhode Island), drug trafficking, animal killings, etc. are rampant.
Photos are available in the following albums:
(Some photos may be very disturbing; viewer discretion is advised)
[1] Phnom Penh
[2] S21 and Killing Fields
[3] Angkor Wat
[4] Angkor Thom and other temples
[5] Angkor city, Siem Reap
Friends who accompanied me in this trip: Vinod, Arati, Bharat, Ayyappan, Samyuktha, Pavan, Theja, Arjun, Rachit, Harsh and Vamsi [Thanks to all for sharing the photographs!]. [Comments from viewers!].
The Lonely Planet book on Cambodia can be the best companion while traveling to Cambodia. The Cambodian visa can be obtained for USD 25 from the Cambodian embassy in your country. One can take a flight into Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, the two international airports in Cambodia. One can also enter into Cambodia by land (bus) from any of the neighboring countries Thailand, Vietnam or Laos.
USD is a highly-accepted currency in Cambodia, though occassionally you may want to keep some change in Riel, especially for small buys.
Cambodia has tropical weather, so traveling light is the best option. Security can be a concern, and so its better to travel in groups of at least size two. Some medicines/firstaid kits and umbrellas can be useful. Public drinking water is not safe for consumption for foreign travellers, so its advisable to drink only bottled water.
Small children, who speak English in Western accent, and sell many kinds of things will be there everywhere. Beggars can also be a menace sometimes. You may also spot cases of 'prostitution tourism', in which Cambodia has emerged as a front-runner. Pedophiles from mainly Western nations come to Cambodia in search of young virgins. Most countries including USA, Canada, etc. have set up centers where you can inform the authorities in case you spot any such incident.
