Photo MH

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a special country, formerly known as Kampuchea. It witnessed one special civilization, Khmer Empire. A civilization which flourished in the area from the 9th century to the 13th century. The Khmer Empire declined yet remained powerful in the region until the 15th century. The empire’s center of power was Angkor, where a series of capitals was constructed during the empire’s zenith. Angkor Wat, the most famous and best-preserved religious temple at the site, is a reminder of Cambodia’s past as a major regional power.

After the brutality of the 1970s and the 1980s, and the destruction of the cultural, economic, social and political life of Cambodia, it is only in recent years that reconstruction efforts have begun and some political stability has finally returned to Cambodia. Don’t know why, but always when i hear Cambodia, a movie “Apocalypse now” springs to my mind… That river. That rain.

Even the first contact with Cambodia is interesting. The border crossing that majority of us are not used. And then the first larger town, Stung Treng. Yep, you can clearly see, that this is completely different country that Laos. A lot of garbage on the streets and extremely bad road. It seems that time has stop in 80s and only now rebuilding begins…

Phnom Penh is a bustling city. But two decades of brutality left also some scars to the city itself. If Vientiene in Laos was busy, this was incredibly alive. And dusty. Tuk-tuk galore. Tout galore. Even though i was there in »a winter«, it was hot and humid…

Siam reap is the center of the tourism. Yep, as Angkor was a center of power a few decades, Angkor is today a tourism headquarters. Incredible number of temples, big, small. Here you can see, how strong the nature is (for example Ta Prohm). Unfortunately, people are just flying in, for day or two, to experience the magic of the khmer. And then they fly away. And just a few kilometers away, on the rim of the Tonle Sap lake and on the floating villages, people are living traditionally, far away from the dollars of the tourism.

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a special country, formerly known as Kampuchea. It witnessed one special civilization, Khmer Empire. A civilization which flourished in the area from the 9th century to the 13th century. The Khmer Empire declined yet remained powerful in the region until the 15th century. The empire’s center of power was Angkor, where a series of capitals was constructed during the empire’s zenith. Angkor Wat, the most famous and best-preserved religious temple at the site, is a reminder of Cambodia’s past as a major regional power.

After the brutality of the 1970s and the 1980s, and the destruction of the cultural, economic, social and political life of Cambodia, it is only in recent years that reconstruction efforts have begun and some political stability has finally returned to Cambodia. Don’t know why, but always when i hear Cambodia, a movie “Apocalypse now” springs to my mind… That river. That rain.

Even the first contact with Cambodia is interesting. The border crossing that majority of us are not used. And then the first larger town, Stung Treng. Yep, you can clearly see, that this is completely different country that Laos. A lot of garbage on the streets and extremly bad road. It seems that time has stop in 80s and only now rebuilding begins…

Phnom Penh is a bustling city. But two decades of brutality left also some scars to the city itself. If Vientiene in Laos was busy, this was incredibly alive. And dusty. Tuk-tuk galore. Tout galore. Even though i was there in »a winter«, it was hot and humid…

Siam reap is the centre of the tourism. Yep, as Angkor was a center of power a few decades, Angkor is today a tourism headquaters. Incredible number of temples, big, small. Here you can see, how strong the nature is (for example Ta Prohm). Unfortunately, people are just flying in, for day or two, to experience the magic of the khmer. And then they fly away. And just a few kilometers away, on the rim of the Tonle Sap lake and on the floating villages, people are living traditionally, far away from the dollars of the tourism.

From Luang Prabang to Don Det. Laos is still pristine and undiscovered. Ok, Luang Prabang is swept with tourism. But still, it has a special charm… an unbelievable number of Wats, lively markets and bustling river. There is lots to do around, from sightseeing trips to nearby “caves” to amazing waterfalls… And don’t forget to try the food specialty, “mekong algae”… eh, crunchy but not really to my taste…

Vang Vieng is a “drunken” backpacker paradise… From watching TV shows to getting drunk on and off the nearby river. Yep, tubing is the main attraction, though i kept away from it. But if you rent a bicycle, you can go and see amazing scenery and villages by yourself… drunken backpackers do not stray far away from the river…

Vientiene is a capital, one of the most laid back capitals i have seen.. Nice to relax, though probably one can get really bored after a few days… But for me, probably the most enchanting place were the 4000 islands down in the south, near the border with Cambodia. Don Det was the place (although with lots of tourist) that still kept some tranquility with the breathtaking sunsets over mekong…

Yep. There is still lots to see in Laos. And it is a safe and friendly country. And if you stray away from the tourist path you will definitely encounter one of the most pristine countries in the world… Definitely still on my list to re-visit it some day… as i haven’t seen some places, especially in the north-west of the country…

Link to more photos: http://matty.breg.si/photo/asia/laos/index.html