Top: Street scene in Phnom Penh.
Second: Crowds "loving" the Temples"
Third: Angkor Thom
Bottom: Angkor Wat
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December 3rd - The temperature in Cambodia, this time of the year: high of around 29C and low of about 26C. Does that seem like winter to you? But it certainly felt much hotter to me than 29C or about 85F.
I was concerned with Malaria, so I got my doctor here in New York to prescribe some medication for me to take before I left for Cambodia and during the time I was there. No one else in our tour group was taking Malaria pills, so it might have been overkill; but I felt safe and, as they say, I didn’t want to feel sorry for not taking it.
Our trip was a five-day trip to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and has a population just a shade over one million, while Siem Reap is a little town, about 200 miles north of Phnom Penh, with a population of under 100,000 people. It is the gateway to the Khmer Temples and hosts, somewhere north, of two million tourists a year. It was, incidentally the area where Khmer Rouge was the strongest, but more on that in a later post.
Cambodia gave new meaning to the term Fourth World Country or Least Developed Country. I don’t think we have seen poverty like that since we were in some of the smaller villages in China some twenty years ago: seriously lacking in infrastructure. A very poor nation by any measure but here is one mesure: per capital GDP (PPP) about US$1800, compared to the US of US$45,000, and Shenzhen, China about US$10,000.
Our primary reason for going to Cambodia was to visit the Khmer Temples built by the Khmer Rulers between 800 – 1250AD. There are hundreds of temples ruins that are now protected by ASPARA, an organization established by Royal Decree in 1993, shortly after the area became a world Heritage Site. Prior to the establishment of ASPARA, these sites were constantly damage through thefts of art and sold worldwide in many cases with the assistance of Cambodian Government Officers. Next time you are in a major museum look for some of this art!
Of all the of temples in the Angkor area, Angkor Wat is by far the most famous and is the only one that is still in use today as a temple and has been used over the years. This temple is so much a part of Cambodia that it is on the National Flag.
All of these temples are amazing and hopefully they will be protected for future generations. But I’m deeply afraid that we are “loving them to death”; that is, there are just too many tourists and many are not following the rules to prevent further deterioration.
These temples are not just works of art, but also an engineering marvel that is hard to believe; some of the temples were constructed more than one thousand years ago. While Angkor Wat, is basically still intact, and while many of the other temples have deteriorated or destroyed due to civil war and thefts, it is still amazing the temples are still here for us to enjoy. For example, Machu Picchu, built around 1450, is basically ruins with little of no walls; although it is a beautiful site to see.
I was concerned with Malaria, so I got my doctor here in New York to prescribe some medication for me to take before I left for Cambodia and during the time I was there. No one else in our tour group was taking Malaria pills, so it might have been overkill; but I felt safe and, as they say, I didn’t want to feel sorry for not taking it.
Our trip was a five-day trip to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and has a population just a shade over one million, while Siem Reap is a little town, about 200 miles north of Phnom Penh, with a population of under 100,000 people. It is the gateway to the Khmer Temples and hosts, somewhere north, of two million tourists a year. It was, incidentally the area where Khmer Rouge was the strongest, but more on that in a later post.
Cambodia gave new meaning to the term Fourth World Country or Least Developed Country. I don’t think we have seen poverty like that since we were in some of the smaller villages in China some twenty years ago: seriously lacking in infrastructure. A very poor nation by any measure but here is one mesure: per capital GDP (PPP) about US$1800, compared to the US of US$45,000, and Shenzhen, China about US$10,000.
Our primary reason for going to Cambodia was to visit the Khmer Temples built by the Khmer Rulers between 800 – 1250AD. There are hundreds of temples ruins that are now protected by ASPARA, an organization established by Royal Decree in 1993, shortly after the area became a world Heritage Site. Prior to the establishment of ASPARA, these sites were constantly damage through thefts of art and sold worldwide in many cases with the assistance of Cambodian Government Officers. Next time you are in a major museum look for some of this art!
Of all the of temples in the Angkor area, Angkor Wat is by far the most famous and is the only one that is still in use today as a temple and has been used over the years. This temple is so much a part of Cambodia that it is on the National Flag.
All of these temples are amazing and hopefully they will be protected for future generations. But I’m deeply afraid that we are “loving them to death”; that is, there are just too many tourists and many are not following the rules to prevent further deterioration.
These temples are not just works of art, but also an engineering marvel that is hard to believe; some of the temples were constructed more than one thousand years ago. While Angkor Wat, is basically still intact, and while many of the other temples have deteriorated or destroyed due to civil war and thefts, it is still amazing the temples are still here for us to enjoy. For example, Machu Picchu, built around 1450, is basically ruins with little of no walls; although it is a beautiful site to see.
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