The Travelling Life of Silvan Colani
May 2001 - Cambodia
This was my second visit to Cambodia, this time with our Chairman, Prince Philip of Liechtenstein
and three of my colleagues from Hong Kong. We departed for Phnom Penh on a Thursday afternoon
and stayed at the beautifully restored Hotel Le Royal. The capital of the country is very
enjoyable and I recommend everybody not to skip it on the way to Angkor. It has a laid-back,
relaxed atmosphere with a lack of honking cars otherwise found in every major city around the region.
The royal palace is exquisite and, in my humble opinion, more pleasing to the eye than the one in
Bangkok. Having a drink at the large open windows of the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club) is a
must. Soak up the historic significance while you watch the activities on the promenade and river
in front. Phnom Penh has a good selection of colonial style buildings and lacks the high rise
mayhem of other Asian cities. A visit to Tuol Sleng, the former Khmer Rouge prison/torture camp
is on every agenda and is not for the faint-hearted. Nevertheless, it helps to put the Cambodia of
today into the context of the Pol Pot madness which caused up to 3 million deaths.
After a day in Phnom Penh, we flew to Siam Reap, the gateway to Angkor - Cambodia's major attraction.
Here we stayed at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor which, like the Royal in Phnom Penh, is a restored
colonial-time building run by the Raffles Group of Singapore. This place does not come cheap, but
apart from every 5-star amenity, you get to ride in an old-fashioned wooden elevator straight
out of the 1920s.
The temples of Angkor are awesome, even for a second-time visitor. The beauty of Angkor Wat at dusk,
the magic of the Bayon's over 200 stone-carved faces adorning its 54 towers or the other-worldly
experience of Ta Prohm, a temple left entirely to the natural forces of the jungle, are all
breath-taking.
It is way beyond the capacity of this website and its author to give you an
in-depth report on the historic significance of Angkor, suffice to say that at the height of the
Khmer Empire in the 12th and 13th century, Angkor counted a population of close to one million
people. Over 100 magnificent temples were built in various styles between the 8th and 13th century
by numerous kings. It is the architectural splendor coupled with the intrinsic details of the many
sandstone carvings that justifies Angkor's rating as one of the architectural wonders of the world (not,
however, as one of the Seven World Wonders, which were all built BC).
In two days, we visited all the major temples, including the smaller but beautiful Banteay Srei,
which is somewhat further out but definitely worth the visit. The greatest attraction of Angkor
is that it is still not crowded at all. Surely, it is somewhat busier during the high season
(Nov - Mar), since the heat in May keeps some travellers away. Nevertheless, we had plenty of
time and space to stroll around these ruins undisturbed, which adds tremendously to the overall
experience. There are the occasional kids who follow you around with offers of drinks, postcards,
t-shirts and other trinkets for "one dallah", but they tend to be cheerful and good-spirited.
The people, in general, are very friendly with a positive, forward-looking attitude. This is
remarkable, considering the hardship and terror this country has been through, and the fact that probably not one person
alive has not been touched or affected by the horrors of the Khmer Rouge time in the 1970s.
Our tour was organized by Diethelm Travel whom, together with our guide Pen Kong (tel.
012 967 945) I can highly recommend.
In terms of nightlife, there is not much to report from Siam Reap. The only disco we came across
is a dark dungeon that blasts out local pop music. We rather occupied the pool table in the
Elephant Bar of the Grand Hotel.
One worth-while visit, however, is to the local children's
hospital, set-up and run by a Swiss doctor, Beat Richner. In his hospitals (there are three in
Cambodia) they treat close to 500,000 children annually, mostly for free since they are all too
poor to pay. Dr. Richner plays the cello at 7:15 pm every Saturday and will tell you the story
of his hospital. While he comes across as somewhat negative and depressing (he plays mostly Bach)
his is a remarkable story of good work and deserves every support. Visit his website at
www.beat-richner.ch.
In conclusion, to me Cambodia is still one of the most fascinating destinations I have ever
visited and I urge you to go - the sooner the better. As its reputation improves (i.e. less people
associating it only with the movie The Killing Fields), tourist numbers are destined to explode.
A three- to four-day visit will give you plenty of opportunity to saviour the splendor of this
magnificent country.