My first stop in Cambodia was the most famous: the temple ruins at Angkor Archaeological Park, just north of Siem Reap. The site sees over two million visitors per year. Admission is steep but that number is only rising and it's easy to see why: these thousand year old ruins are impressive.
I met a couple other travellers and we shared a tuk tuk for the day. A number of the more connected drivers have taken to Facebook to find customers, and that's where we found ours.
We set off at 4:30am in hopes of getting our own shot of the sun coming up over Angkor Wat, the Khmer Empire's capitol and largest temple. The drive through the woods in almost total darkness was nice and cool, and things were already coming to life before 5am. Locals were out and about, with vendors setting up shop. Crowds of early birds showed up in the darkness as they do every morning, but the sun did not. Even with the clouds, it was still a treat seeing that famous silhouette emerge from darkness.
From there we explored the extensive grounds of Angkor Wat, equally in awe of the fact that they're still standing and the original craftsmanship.
Our guide spoke great English and could offer plenty of Cambodian history as well as insight to the Angkor ruins. Without a little bit of guidance or research it can be tough to appreciate one temple from the next after seeing a few. He was full of facts and could interpret carvings, rattle off dates, king names, and battles with ease.
I knew the temple complex covered a large area, but that really sunk in when we would cruise on the road for 30 minutes between temples (Angkor Wat is just one of many). In between are rural villages and never ending rice paddies that can make nearby Siem Reap feel miles and years away.
The tuk tuk rides alone from one temple to the next were pleasant-a chance to rest the legs while catching some shade. Our driver knew when all the bus tours hit each temple and avoided those crowds for the most part, but by the size of some restaurants, peak season at high noon must be nuts. A less visited ruin early in the morning was a real treat to have all to ourselves.
Ta Prohm is famous as the setting for the film "Tomb Raider." Unlike most temples, limited conservation work has been done to clear the vegetation, resulting in moss-covered ruins engulfed in tree roots and strangled by vines, similar to when it was first discovered.
After a steep climb up one temple, this view was one of my favorites.
Even with breaks, we were exhausted at the end of each day. Lots of walking and climbing-I'd have to believe there's been some broken legs. The original steps were tall, uneven, and steep to climb with nothing to cling onto. Two days was perfect; half of a third day was more than enough for me, especially since sunrise was still cloudy.
While at nearby Battambang planning my next move, I came across a destination I hadn't heard of before. The commune of Banteay Chhmar contains the fourth largest temple from the Khmer Empire, well on its way to gaining UNESCO World Heritage status. While impressive, being "not Angkor Wat" and its location 60 miles northwest of Siem Reap have kept it off the beaten path. For me, the appeal of this place was an interesting experiment in Community Based Tourism (CBT). CBT is a way for rural communities to engage in long-term responsible tourism. When done well, CBT can "help villagers control the impacts of tourism while also generating income, diversifying the local economy, preserving culture, conserving the environment and providing educational opportunities."
My travel time from Battambang tripled due to a broken down bus coupled with a miscommunication that brought me to the Thailand border crossing, but upon arrival I was greeted by friendly English-speaking CBT staff. They've been going since 2007 with visitor numbers slowly but surely climbing; last year they hosted 1,500 guests.
CBT in Bancheay Chhmar has nine households participating as homestays for visitors. They rotate hosting so as to share equally in the benefits. The rest of the community benefits as cooks, drivers, and tour guides. The bulk of payments go directly to the locals, with a small cut set aside to fund the program (there's an office/restaurant that organizes guests and transportation).
The village itself is mostly simple wood or concrete houses along red dirt roads. Electricity is new to homes as of 2013, but still limited to those who can afford it. These people truly live off the land. Chickens and cows are everywhere, and the surrounds are full of their livelihood--mango trees, pepper trees, corn, long green beans, cucumbers, bananas, papaya, coconut, rice, and tapioca. Lots of tapioca. Parents recognize the importance of education and most kids attend school. One Peace Corps volunteer is stationed here as a teacher at a local school.
My host family was a teacher/farmer couple using this supplemental income to send their two kids to university. I slept fine in a basic bedroom of their wooden house with the occasional rooster call and dog fight outside, and the nearby monestary's morning call starting at 5am.
No other tourists were visiting at the time I was there, except a group from Operation Groundswell volunteering for a week. They focus their resources on small-scale community driven programs as opposed to trying to "change the world in a month." This was one stop on their six week journey through Thailand and Cambodia which included building a roof and planting trees. They invited me to join for dinner and a surprise birthday party for one of their members.
In the morning I set out by motorbike with a local guide to explore the ruins and countryside. He grew up working in the fields and hunting, and had to quit school in eighth grade to support his family's farm, though he had always dreamed of a better job outside of agriculture. His uncle returned from a refugee camp in Thailand with English skills, and taught kids so he wouldn't lose it. With that kickstart, my guide had an opportunity to study in Siem Reap and scored a gig with CBT, where he is now living out his dream.
Built by King Jayavarman VII in the 12th and 13th centuries, Banteay Chhmar is an important but not fully understood temple. The Global Heritage Fund stepped up in 2008 to study, restore, and conserve the ruins using local labor. While the ruins themselves don't compare in scale to the 400 square kilometers at the main Angkor complex, there's something special about rock scrambling over ancient ruins with no one else around.
There were also a number of smaller satellite ruins in the surrounding jungle, which have hardly been touched save some timber and cables to prevent further collapse. We would drive til the mud got too deep, and trek a little further til we were treated with a nearly undisturbed ruin. One in particular wouldn't be found without a guide-many locals don't even know it exists. It's not visible from the road, and after a short trek in, a Buddha face carved in stone emerged from the green.
On my last night I joined in the OG group's farewell. These local Khmer people may not have a lot, but they sure know how to throw a party. I like this place, and I hope it continues to grow and succeed. There's another (unrelated) CBT in southern Cambodia, and I can't wait to check it out.
I met a couple other travellers and we shared a tuk tuk for the day. A number of the more connected drivers have taken to Facebook to find customers, and that's where we found ours.
We set off at 4:30am in hopes of getting our own shot of the sun coming up over Angkor Wat, the Khmer Empire's capitol and largest temple. The drive through the woods in almost total darkness was nice and cool, and things were already coming to life before 5am. Locals were out and about, with vendors setting up shop. Crowds of early birds showed up in the darkness as they do every morning, but the sun did not. Even with the clouds, it was still a treat seeing that famous silhouette emerge from darkness.
I knew the temple complex covered a large area, but that really sunk in when we would cruise on the road for 30 minutes between temples (Angkor Wat is just one of many). In between are rural villages and never ending rice paddies that can make nearby Siem Reap feel miles and years away.
After a steep climb up one temple, this view was one of my favorites.
Even with breaks, we were exhausted at the end of each day. Lots of walking and climbing-I'd have to believe there's been some broken legs. The original steps were tall, uneven, and steep to climb with nothing to cling onto. Two days was perfect; half of a third day was more than enough for me, especially since sunrise was still cloudy.
While at nearby Battambang planning my next move, I came across a destination I hadn't heard of before. The commune of Banteay Chhmar contains the fourth largest temple from the Khmer Empire, well on its way to gaining UNESCO World Heritage status. While impressive, being "not Angkor Wat" and its location 60 miles northwest of Siem Reap have kept it off the beaten path. For me, the appeal of this place was an interesting experiment in Community Based Tourism (CBT). CBT is a way for rural communities to engage in long-term responsible tourism. When done well, CBT can "help villagers control the impacts of tourism while also generating income, diversifying the local economy, preserving culture, conserving the environment and providing educational opportunities."
My travel time from Battambang tripled due to a broken down bus coupled with a miscommunication that brought me to the Thailand border crossing, but upon arrival I was greeted by friendly English-speaking CBT staff. They've been going since 2007 with visitor numbers slowly but surely climbing; last year they hosted 1,500 guests.
CBT in Bancheay Chhmar has nine households participating as homestays for visitors. They rotate hosting so as to share equally in the benefits. The rest of the community benefits as cooks, drivers, and tour guides. The bulk of payments go directly to the locals, with a small cut set aside to fund the program (there's an office/restaurant that organizes guests and transportation).
The village itself is mostly simple wood or concrete houses along red dirt roads. Electricity is new to homes as of 2013, but still limited to those who can afford it. These people truly live off the land. Chickens and cows are everywhere, and the surrounds are full of their livelihood--mango trees, pepper trees, corn, long green beans, cucumbers, bananas, papaya, coconut, rice, and tapioca. Lots of tapioca. Parents recognize the importance of education and most kids attend school. One Peace Corps volunteer is stationed here as a teacher at a local school.
My host family was a teacher/farmer couple using this supplemental income to send their two kids to university. I slept fine in a basic bedroom of their wooden house with the occasional rooster call and dog fight outside, and the nearby monestary's morning call starting at 5am.
No other tourists were visiting at the time I was there, except a group from Operation Groundswell volunteering for a week. They focus their resources on small-scale community driven programs as opposed to trying to "change the world in a month." This was one stop on their six week journey through Thailand and Cambodia which included building a roof and planting trees. They invited me to join for dinner and a surprise birthday party for one of their members.
In the morning I set out by motorbike with a local guide to explore the ruins and countryside. He grew up working in the fields and hunting, and had to quit school in eighth grade to support his family's farm, though he had always dreamed of a better job outside of agriculture. His uncle returned from a refugee camp in Thailand with English skills, and taught kids so he wouldn't lose it. With that kickstart, my guide had an opportunity to study in Siem Reap and scored a gig with CBT, where he is now living out his dream.
Built by King Jayavarman VII in the 12th and 13th centuries, Banteay Chhmar is an important but not fully understood temple. The Global Heritage Fund stepped up in 2008 to study, restore, and conserve the ruins using local labor. While the ruins themselves don't compare in scale to the 400 square kilometers at the main Angkor complex, there's something special about rock scrambling over ancient ruins with no one else around.
There were also a number of smaller satellite ruins in the surrounding jungle, which have hardly been touched save some timber and cables to prevent further collapse. We would drive til the mud got too deep, and trek a little further til we were treated with a nearly undisturbed ruin. One in particular wouldn't be found without a guide-many locals don't even know it exists. It's not visible from the road, and after a short trek in, a Buddha face carved in stone emerged from the green.
On my last night I joined in the OG group's farewell. These local Khmer people may not have a lot, but they sure know how to throw a party. I like this place, and I hope it continues to grow and succeed. There's another (unrelated) CBT in southern Cambodia, and I can't wait to check it out.