A daytrip from Phnom Penh

[genghis61]

hi - route map - no, sorry, just a guide. From central PP we headed to a rail line and followed that for (he said) 9km before heading into farmland/ricefields. We went past the entrance to PP golf club and along it's boundary, after that next stop was at pic #2 in post #23 (any clues?), from there we could see some hills with a temple on top, but we headed past those to Oudong.

Rural life - we live just over the border sth of Aranyaprathet/PoiPet - similar looking land though more sugar, cassava and eucalyptus than rice locally. Something that surprised me was the reliance on the buffalo for farming and transport pulling the carts when here it's all the little Kubota engines providing the power. And horses - very rare around here in fact I haven't seen one since a tourist ride place in Phuket last year.

Have you ever seen those boat races? Huge compared to the ones here we had regional/province champs 2 months ago,either 5 or 10 seaters the Cambodian ones appeared to seat about 30?

[genghis61]

just one more. Do you fish? - saw plenty of people along the riverbanks in the evenings but not at the right time to see anything caught. Had a couple of very good fish meals but unsure if locally caught.

[khmen]

Yeah, cheers mate thats helpful I have an idea now....I have rode down the railway tracks a few times for work, luckily I once had a job that was 50% office based and 50% riding my bike around checking out various things so that gives me a rough idea!

The rural life in most parts of Cambodia is still not mechanised, bloody hard work for the farmers but it sure does make for some idyllic scenes. I imagine the country scenes are pretty much unchanged from what they would have looked like hundreds of years ago, enjoy it while it lasts cos those tractor type things are becoming more common every year and give it twenty/thirty years it'll probably be similar to where you are and in Isaan.

Yeah, I've seen the boat races in Phnom Penh a couple of times. They happen at the annual Bonn Om Touk Water Festival in November, where this year the tragedy on the bridge occured. (Not to be confused with Ch'nam T'mei Khmai,Khmer New Year, which is the same as Thai Songkhran).

The races start from the Japanese Bridge in the north and the finish line is in front of a pavilion outside the royal palace where the King and important folk sit. The boats are built throughout the year at various temples all over Cambodia, you can see another one in the temple grounds of Wat Sarawan on st.19, right next to the National Museum.

Definitely worth a trip over for if you havent seen them, a couple of million countryfolk descend on Phnom Penh from all over Cambodia for the event which celebrates the start of the wet season and an increase in the volume of the Mekong, reversing the flow of the Tonle Sap river which in turn quadruples the size of the Tonle Sap lake which in turn irrigates the whole of central Cambodias agricultural land!

Quick tip if you do visit then, book hotel well in advance and, as a foreigner you are allowed access to the pavilion outside the palace, which is useful as it can be hard to get a decent view of the races as the crowd can be 5 deep all along the riverfront! Oh, and be careful of your belongings in the crowds as pickpockets operate there, as I know to the tune of $10!

Photos of the boat racing teams waiting to race, not sure how many to a boat but I'd say at least 40 or 50:






Re Fishing- I dont actually fish myself but you wont find many better places to fish than Cambodia if thats your thing, half the country is rivers and lakes! You can also guarantee that any freshwater fish you eat will have come from within a few miles of where you are. I know some lads that do fish and they inform me that the Tonle Sap lake is one of the richest lakes in terms of abundant marine life in Asia, if not the world. And, there is also the Mekong....So, happy fishing!

[khmen]

Right, so as I've lost some shots of trips around Phnom Penh I thought I'd include some shots of a trip to Ream National park, about 30kms from Sihanoukville.

I'm not really much of a beach person, its OK to relax for a few days but I'm not into sunbathing so after a few days I get bored and want to do something else. So, me and a friend were sitting at the far end of Otres beach, Sihanoukvilles most unspoiled beach, and decided to take a ride to Ream National Park, but not before taking the oppurtunity to have a ride of our bikes on the beach.

Me on Otres beach on my bike:


And a cute little girl and her little bro in the background who ran out to see what the crazy barang were up to:


To get to Ream national park you head to the port from Victory Hill monument and turn right up to Sihanoukville mountain. On the way there is a temple on top of the mountain with nice views over the town to the coast and also the Angkor brewery for the beer fans out there!

Carry on for a bit after the brewery and you get to a junction with the road North to Phnom Penh on the left and Sihanoukville airport on the right. Take the right turn and its another couple of Kms to Ream. Its a nice little drive on this road with typical country scenes.

Some buffalo on road to Ream:


When you reach the end of the road you come to a nice little crescent shaped beach and youre now in the National park:


For some reason all the beach shacks here have been abandoned so there is quite a spooky atmosphere to this place. Anyway, I think the main beaches in the park are to the right when you reach this beach but me and my mate not having a clue decided to turn left and followed the coast road around. (I think most people do this trip on tours in a boat to reach inaccesible beaches and islands. There is also some mangroves to visit and walking trails to th interior forest and mountains, where there is supposedly loads of wildlife but we didnt do any of that!).

As we rounded the coast we came to a small settlement which I think is Ream town. We stopped at a beach shack for a beer then had a little drive about. There is a temple here and a few houses and thats pretty much it, when you reach the end of the coastal road you reach a Naval base, so we were thinking "This national park is a bit shit", not realising we werent really in the best part of it!

Anyway, it all worked out OK in the end cos on a random whim I decided to turn off the road up a dirt track heading towards the coast on a headland. Im glad I did as after a couple of minutes of following a trail we got to the top of a small cliff. On walking down the gentle slope we came across a fantastic secluded cove immediately to the right:



The water was crystal clear and the beach spotlessly clean, I'm not one for swimming in the sea but I just had to dive in!
In this shot you can see some of the mangroves further up the coast, It's possible to walk around the whole coast back to the first beach on these narrow beaches:


This shot shows a worn away rock outcrop that can be seen in the previous photos. Also, notice the handy completely level ledge to the left which is ideal for sitting and having a beer, which my mate went and grabbed while I rolled a quick doobie! No pushy vendors here! Its also shaded by overhanging trees so its ideal really!:


After we'd had a couple of beers, we heard some kids playing and after clambering back up the rocky outcrop we met these novice monks and friends from the local temple who'd came to the wider beach to the left for a game of beach football:


On spotting us they all ran up eager to practise their English and each one in turn started firing off questions such as "What country do you come from? What is your name? My name is... How old are you? Do you have wife? Why you come Cambodia? What football team you like?" etc etc. Suffice to say they all supported Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea and they found it amusing I support Newcastle, cos we'd just been relegated! "Ha! Newcastle no good!" BTW, the structures behind them are a spirit house and small shrine at the base of the cliff path.

So after we'd had a little kick about with them we took a little wander down the beach, this is the view down the beach:


And heres a couple looking back up the beach:




We might have not actually been to the main bit of the park, but this place was a really nice accidental discovery and a great secluded spot if you can find it! All I can say is get to the headland and keep an eye out for a small avenue of trees to the right. If you get to the gas station youve gone too far.

Thats me done for this off-topic and off-on-a-tangent thread unless my memory card turns up so if anyone else has anything to add, feel free!

[Bower]

Great thread guys, thanks.

[genghis61]

thanks for the info on beaches; and I'll make time for some fishing next trip

this article in yesterday's Bangkok Post

Phnom Penh - A City Revitalized
Visitors to Phnom Penh can discover its tragic past and experience creativity of a youthful population intent on building a more positive image

Published: 31/12/2010

Phnom Penh is a city revitalized. The skyline of Cambodia's once sleepy capital is being pierced by its first high-rise, and the red dirt roads, now sealed, swarm with SUVs and motorcycles. For a city that has endured more than its share of bloodshed and destruction, today's youthful exuberance and palpable energy are a welcomed by locals and visitors. Yet despite the positive change being witnessed today, any time spent in Phnom Penh must still include reflective visits to the sites of the country's horrific past. Two of the most visited places in Phnom Penh are still Camp Cheoung Ek, one of many infamous Killing Fields sites, and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a former high school that became a torture centre known as S-21.



Camp Cheoung Ek lies 15 kilometres southwest of the city and was the burial site for those tortured and killed in S-21. In 1980, 129 mass graves were found here and 8,985 corpses unearthed. Today, a large stupa contains the bones and remnants of clothing as a memorial to the victims. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum is located in a suburb of Phnom Penh. The building is thought to have witnessed over 20,000 citizens pass through its doors to be tortured and murdered by the Khmer Rouge. On the ground floor, rooms with a single bed and leg irons where torture was carried out now envelop visitors in an eerie silence. One of the most haunting experiences, however, is looking at the thousands of black and white images of victims displayed on boards throughout the building. Like all regimes that committed genocide, the Khmer Rouge was meticulous in documenting those it killed.


Rediscovering Khmer arts

It's hard to comprehend but the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge wiped out so many artists and craftsmen that the country's traditional arts were almost lost. Today, following a concerted effort to retrain young people Cambodian crafts have emerged as some of the finest in the region.

Artisans d' Angkor was established in 1998 and has played a significant role in saving and promoting the country's rich cultural heritage. Originally under EU funding, the business is now totally self-financing and trains dozens of artisans each year, many of whom set up on their own. In Phnom Penh, Artisans d' Angkor have a boutique in front of the post office on Street 13, and at Phnom Penh International Airport. The shops sell lacquerware, stone carving, high quality hand woven silk, silverware and much more. Visit Welcome to Artisans d'Angkor for further details about the inspirational projects.

The recent blossoming of Khmer arts and crafts has also seen many other boutiques open in Phnom Penh. There are several clustered on Street 240 and a host of art galleries close to the National Museum on Street 178, commonly referred to as Art Street.

One of the joys of travelling in Asia is visiting the vibrant markets. Phnom Penh is no exception and is home to the fabulous Psar Thmei, also known as the Central Market, a striking art deco building dating back to 1935. Here you can buy just about anything from shoes and clothing to souvenirs and jewellery. In Phnom Penh there are also many sprawling fresh markets to explore. Colourful, chaotic and not for the squeamish, they are the heart of the city. Check out the old market of Psar Chas on Street 9 and 11 which is open throughout the day and in the evening. For a colourful fresh market, head over Monivong Bridge in the early morning and you'll discover the wonderful Psar Chhbar Ampoeu.

Former glories

Despite wanton destructive within Phnom Penh during the Khmer Rouge years, much of the capital's former glories survived. The Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda within its compound are well worth a visit. The complex dates from 1866 and is filled with Buddha statues, and religious and royal artefacts including an emerald Buddha encrusted with jewels. Entry is $3, plus $2 if you wish to use a camera. It is open every day from 8 a.m. - 11.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Nearby, the beautiful red building of the National Museum houses a wonderful collection of over 5,000 Khmer art and sculpture.

Getting around Phnom Penh

The moto-romuak, Cambodia's answer to the tuk-tuk, are an excellent way to get around, and preferable to the confines of a car. You can hire a moto-romuak and driver for between $10- 15 a day for running around town. For longer trips to places outside the city expect the fee to rise. Drivers usually wait around near hotels and the concierge should be able to assist with negotiations.

[ericksonusa]

Great information. Thanks for sharing.

[splitpin100]

Thanks for the great pictures, i am going for the first time in a couple of weeks

[Frank68]

Very nice pictures !!
Thanks !

[flyinghigh]

great post ,i am thinking of going next month