Our guide Sokhoum came from Siem Reap and legally can only guide there, however a trainee young girl accompanied us as she had Phenom Penh license which could be shown to the authorities if needed. There is a uniform of peach shirt with badges and black trousers that official guides have to wear.
The first thing we learned upon arriving in Phnom Penh was the greeting – Hands together like lotus bloom and slight bow.
Today Cambodia has a population of 18 million and is principally made up of 90% Khmer people with 3/4 million Chinese and Vietnamese and some minorities such as the Chams (Khmer Islam) and hill tribes. Phnom Penh has about 3 million people. The official religion is Theravada Buddhism with a few minority Islamic and Christians.
Khmer is the official language although many of the older people also speak French due to France domination of Indochina. Today, the second language after Khmer that is being taught and spoken is English. 70% of the economy is agrarian based – rice, rubber, cassava, pepper and hard wood – Teak and mahogany.
The 181,035 sq km Kingdom of Cambodia was part of the ancient kingdom of Funan. It consists of 20 provinces and 4 major cities – Phnom Penh (the capital), Palin, Sihanoukville, and Kep.
The story goes that Phnom Penh got its name in 1773 when a Lady Penh had a house near river that had a tree in front which she wished removed. When it was taken out they found within the roots, 4 wooden and one stone Buddha. They then formed the central relics of a Buddhist monastery. Phnom is hill as there is a small (27 meter high) hill (which was near our hotel that was opposite the heavily fortified US Embassy) that has a temple built at the summit and statues of Lady Penh, monkeys and people praying.
The Palace
Tiered roof is a symbol of good luck, with the Top of the building having snakes as Vishnu. As the Blue flag was flying it indicated that the king is in residence. The King always used a very large white elephant, but they are now all but extinct.
The first building one encounters upon entering the Royal Palace Compound is the Khmer throne hall which was built in 1866 and serves as a venue for court ceremonies and receiving dignitaries. During our visit the hall was closed to the public as it was being readied for the New Year Celebrations (Feb 19).
A little about the (Chinese) New Year which is celebrated on the 30th day of the last lunar month and continues until the 15th day of the first lunar month (Feb 19 – March 6 in 2015), with 2015 being the year of the Goat. According to the myth the beast Nian emerged on the first day of the New Year to eat livestock, crops and its favorite delicacy – the villagers children. In order to appease Nian, the villagers would leave food outside their homes, but one year a curious child dressed in red pajamas went out to look at Nian, who left him alone. The next year the villagers hung red banners and lanterns on their homes and Nian left them alone and never returned. Thus today all houses have red lanterns and banners as good luck.
There are Many sculptures of Buddha sitting on coiled snake with cobra head as roof while Buddha meditated and achieved enlightenment and was not frightened by the Cobra.
Next to see was The Silver Pagoda located within the Palace grounds is so named as it’s floor has 5,329 silver bars. Other key features in the Pagoda include the 90 Kg gold, 9,584 diamond cast Buddha Dating from 1906. The other “mind boggling” artifact is the solid emerald Buddha (about 18-24 inches high) on a tiered gold leaf throne. Some other 500-600 gold Buddhas and similar artifacts are on display . Unfortunately no photographs and no shoes are permitted in the Pagoda and as cameras are omnipresent with “big brother” watching and ready to confiscate cameras, it is wise to obey the regulations.
It was a major shock to go from the opulence of the Royal Palace to “The Killing Fields” museum / Prison.
The visit to the Genocide Museum which was a school and during the Pol Pot / Khmer Rouge regime of terror was one of the prisons / interrogation / torture locations. Two of the surviving prisoners were there selling the book they wrote about their adventure and the other his paintings.
A little about the Pol Pot regime. He held government office from February 1963 – 1981; he was Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia) and In office (as dictator) from 25 October 1976 – 7 January 1979. He was Born on 19 May 1925 in Prek Sbauv, Kampong Thom with the name – Saloth Sar and Died on 15 April 1998 (aged 72) in Anlong Veng, Prey Veng where he is buried. He led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until 1997 killing brigades that set about to eliminate all who did not agree with his ideology. He imposed a radical form of agrarian socialism on the country forcing city dwellers to move to the countryside to work in collective farms and forced labour projects. According to our guide, Sokhoum, schools were stopped, teachers like his father were searched out and killed as well as all their families for the “sin” of being intellectual. Sokhoum escaped, being put into an orphanage sponsored by the government which was run by his mother’s friend. All photographs of his family – 11 children – were burned so the Khmer Rouge would not know who the rest of the family were. He indicated that there were 343 killing fields and 188 prisons but the numbers are from memory and could be the other way around.
Under Pol Pot the executions, forced labour, malnutrition and poor medical care caused the deaths of approximately 3 million people (out of a population of slightly over 8 million) died during his four-year rule of terror.
In 1979, after the Cambodian–Vietnamese War, Pol Pot fled to the jungles of southwest Cambodia, and the Khmer Rouge government collapsed. From 1979 to 1997, he and a remnant of the old Khmer Rouge operated near the border of Cambodia and Thailand, where they clung to power, with nominal United Nations recognition as the rightful government of Cambodia. Apparently, Pol Pot committed suicide in 1998 while under house arrest by the Ta Mok faction of the Khmer Rouge. Since his death, rumours that he was poisoned have persisted, however the official story is that he died of malaria. The museum itself held interrogation rooms (previously classrooms) some individual cells, torture devices and pictures of prisoners being tortured, skulls and bones of killed prisoners, and thousands of pictures of prisoners (men, women and children). They fully documented with pictures all the prisoners.
Next on the agenda was the National Museum Where there was a large collection of stone sculptures from Angkor Wat. Magnificent Indian influenced art.
Lunch was at Friends restaurant similar to the one we went to in Vietnam where at risk youth are trained in the restaurant business.
The Central Market (Phsar Thmei) consists of a central Art Deco building with a high domed central round area full of jewelry and six spokes all filled with artisan goods, stoves, kitchen wears, clothing, shoes and almost anything one can imagine. The most interesting section involved the fruit and vegetables as well as prepares food – tarantulas, BBQ octopus and a series of other delectable items.
After a short afternoon rest, Dinner was at the Foreign Correspondents Club overlooking the river.
Note – The wonderful guide at times was a bit difficult to follow so some of the above facts are checked / obtained through web and literary sources.
Roger & Anne Travels 