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CAMBODJA |
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Cambodja (officieel: Preah Réchéanachâkr Kampuchea = het Koninkrijk Kampuchea) is een koninkrijk in Zuidoost-Azië. De totale oppervlakte van Cambodja bedraagt, inclusief een aantal eilandjes, 181.035 km2 en het land is daarmee ongeveer vijf keer zo groot als Nederland. Na Singapore en Brunei is Cambodja het kleinste land van Zuidoost-Azië.
De afstand tussen het oosten en het westen bedraagt 580 km; van noord naar zuid 450 km. Cambodja grenst in het in het noorden en westen aan Thailand, in het noorden aan Laos , in het oosten aan Vietnam , in het zuiden aan de Golf van Thailand.
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Het hart van het Cambodjaanse landschap wordt gevormd door vruchtbare laaglanden die tweederde van de oppervlakte van het land uitmaken. Deze laaglanden worden in het noorden omringd door de laatste uitlopers van de Himalaya; in het noorden het Dangrek-gebergte, in het oosten door de Moi-heuvels, in het zuidwesten door de Olifantsketen of Phnom Damrei en in het westen door de hoogste bergketen van Cambodja, het Cardamom-gebergte of Chuor Phnom Kravanh. Het laagland en de bergen worden vooral in noordelijk Cambodja van elkaar gescheiden door een overgangszone met savanne en laaggelegen heuvels of ‘phnom’. De hoogste top van Cambodja is de Phnom Aural met 1813 meter.
Ca. 5% van het huidige Cambodja bestaat uit rivieren en meren. De grootste rivieren zijn de Mekong, die het land in noord-zuidrichting doorstroomt, en de Tonlé Sap, die in het centrum van West-Cambodja het gelijknamige meer vormt. De Mekong (Cambodjaans: Tonlé Thom, de Grote Rivier) stroomt via Tibet, China, Myanmar (vroeger: Birma), Thailand en Laos naar Cambodja.
Bij de hoofdstad Phnom Penh splitst de Mekong zich naar het westen in de Beneden-Mekong en naar het oosten in de Bassac. Beide armen monden via het zuiden van Vietnam uit in de Zuid-Chinese Zee. De Mekong stroomt ca. 500 km door Cambodja en is op sommige plaatsen 5 km breed.
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Opvallend in het Cambodjaanse landschap is het 2500 km2 grote Tonlé Sap-meer (het Grote Meer). Gelegen in het westelijke gedeelte van de centrale vlakte staat het meer, via de 100 km lange Tonlé Sap-rivier in verbinding met de Mekong. Het visrijke meer van Tonlé Sap is het grootste zoetwatermeer van Zuidoost-Azie.
Het meer heeft als bijzonderheid dat deze twee stroomrichtingen kent, afhankelijk van het seizoen. In het droge seizoen, van november tot april, stroomt het water van het meer in zuidoostelijke richting naar de Mekong. In de regentijd verandert de Tonlé Sap-rivier van stroomrichting en loost het overtollige water in het Tonlé Sap-meer.
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Op het Cambodja Reisforum vind je alle informatie m.b.t. rondreizen, reizen naar, nieuws, wonen & werken, stichtingen & vrijwilligerswerk en algemene informatie in en over Cambodja. Kun je iets niet vinden? Stel dan je vraag in bv het Cambodja Reiscafé, want het Cambodja Reisforum is voor en door reizigers!
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Cambodia Travel Tips - Tourist Information Center
Cambodia Travel tips providing useful travel information to Cambodia including Khmer Culture, Angkor Wat, Cambodian History, Hotels, Flights, Car rental, Transportations, Tourist sites, Tour packages and much more....
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the Phnom Penh Post:
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 | Flicks from around the world to screen at Angkor Wat Film Festival | |
Cannes, Venice, Hollywood, step aside and make way. Siem Reap is the latest destination to become a movie Mecca, as the inaugural Angkor Wat Film Festival comes to town.
Photo Supplied
Posters for three movies screening at the Angkor Wat Film Festival ? Milking The Rhino, Soul Surfer and Climate Refugees.
The festival is the work of Emmy-awarding winning filmmaker, Tom Vendetti. Vendetti, who lives in Maui, Hawaii, said he was encouraged to bring a festival to Siem Reap by newspaper publisher Bernie Krisher. ?I had met Bernie several years ago after working with him building a school in Cambodia,? he said.
?This is the first international film festival in Cambodia with the primary goal of preserving culture and the environment?.
With this idea in mind, most of the films on the program carry an element of environmental or cultural awareness, like Climate Refugees, which explores the impact of climate change on society, or Kipuka, a detailed study of Hawaii?s cultural identity.
?Siem Reap appeared to be the ideal setting for our event considering the monuments and profound history in the area,? Vendetti said. ?Also, ecotourism is taking off in Siem Reap, which is promoting the culture and preserving the environment.?
Along with the movies there will be opportunity to meet some of the filmmakers in the flesh and hear them discuss their work on the final night, at a poolside dinner showing of one of Vendetti?s own works, When The Mountain Calls; Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan.
Vendetti, who also works as a psychologist, said he brings his two passions together to create his style of filmmaking. ?I try to combine my interest in psychology and filmmaking to explore wisdom presented in ancient cultures and share the wisdom to promote happiness.?
He said one of the highlights of the program will be the Opening Gala which will feature Soul Surfer, a highly acclaimed true story about teen surfer Bethany Hamilton. The toast of Cannes last year, the film follows Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack at just 13 but went on to become a professional surfer.
The festival is truly global, featuring films shot in Fiji (Vendetti?s Fiji Firewalkers), the Serengeti (Milking The Rhino) and Iceland (Dreamland) to name but a few.
But of course, the host country takes centre stage with a number of Cambodian-made or based productions.
Born Sweet by Cynthia Wade is an award-winning documentary about a Khmer teen poisoned by arsenic who dreams of being a karaoke star.
Years of Darkness is another film by Vendetti, which tells of story of Sam Khong. After fighting for the Vietcong as a young teen, Khong was marooned in the US when the Khmer Rouge took power. The film follows him on his return to his birthplace in Cambodia almost thirty years later.
And no Cambodian film festival would be complete without the Kingdom?s own iconic filmmaker, Norodom Sihanouk. Two of the King Father?s works will be shown, La Cité Mystérieuse and Une Paysanne En Détresse. The latter, Peasants in Distress, is a love triangle set against the backdrop of war, political upheaval and UN intervention in the early 90s. Mysterious City was shot in 1988 during his time in exile.
The King Father is in good company. Many of the films in the festival have received accolades and acclaim. For a town with no formal cinema, the notion of becoming a destination for touring top films will be a hit with locals. As for the organisers, they?re hoping the Angkor Wat Film Festival will put Siem Reap on the map for more than just its temples.
| | Korean pizza franchise arrives in the Reap | |
Pizza. It?s a contentious issue here in Siem Reap. Everyone has their favourite joint. Thin crust or deep pan, New York or Rome, marinara or calzone ? and that?s before we even get to the cheese.
Claire Byrne/Phnom Penh Post
A Pizza Hand delivery moto.
The new Siem Reap branch, on Samdech Tep Vong Street at the Central Market, is the second in Kim?s mini empire, with his first endeavour opening in Battambang last year.
Despite describing itself as an ?Italian Family Restaurant,? the menu has a decidedly Asian flair. Alongside pepperoni and Hawaiian pizza toppings are bulgogi (a Korean marinated meat dish) and shrimp.
Sweet potato also features heavily on the menu, as a topping and a crust with the "Sweet Potato Byte" (potato-stuffed crusts) coming recommended.
Speaking of the crusts, Pizza Hand?s are rather creative, and divert massively from anything you might see in Rome or Venice. One is stuffed with sausages while another is crammed with gooey cheese.
Burgers and chicken wings are also on the menu, while carbonara, seafood spaghetti and bolognaise add a little more to the Italian element.
For those dining in, the restaurant, while basic, is clean and comfortable, with a couple of tables outside and more within. The staff members are incredibly friendly and eager to please. Though slightly off the tourist dinnertime stomping ground, staff from the children?s hospital and businesses nearby will make for a busy lunchtime trade and perhaps some Hotel de la Paix guests looking for a break from the fine dining will opt for a cheeky room service. Of course, Pizza Hand delivers, but will it just be Temple Town?s Asian contingent ordering or will western Reapers give it a try?
While more along lines of the Pizza Company than Il Forno, it won?t suit a pizza purist?s palette. But if you like dinner on a plate of crusty bread (with a bit of yam and sausage stuffed inside for good measure), then you may just be adding a new number to your speed dial.
| | Man About Town | |
PHOTOGENIC TOUR GUIDE
Congratulations to local tour guide Chansarak Noun for cracking the travel site Viator.com?s Top Ten Private Guides List for 2011.
Topping the list was Irene K of Bangkok who was ?Most Popular Guide (most reservations).? Second was Anthony Jacobson of Barcelona, the ?Top Selling Guide (most revenue).?
Number nine on the list was: ?Most Photogenic Guide (best profile pictures): Chansarak Noun ? Siem Reap, Cambodia.?
Man About is not sure what this is all about. Is Chansarak Noun the best looking guide in the world, profile wise anyway, when it comes to being photographed? Or does it mean the Siem Reap guide takes the best photos, profile wise?
Viator chose not to reply to Man About?s email requesting clarification.
NICK GRIFFIN TRAVEL BAN
Tourism numbers in Siem Reap are up significantly, but there is one visitor who won?t be returning? not for the next five years anyway.
That?s dodgy orphanage founder Nick Griffin, 54, who was expelled from Cambodia last year after a year in the nick for child sex abuse.
Sky News reported last month that a British judge slapped a five year travel ban on Griffin because, "It is absolutely essential to protect children from serious sexual harm."
Griffin was arrested last year on his forced return to the UK by North Wales Police over an old sex abuse allegation by a former scout but the case was dropped in January.
 KIDS SOCCER KICKS OFF
The Globalteer Junior Soccer League kicked off its third year early in January, bigger than expected.
On December 8, 2011, the Post?s sports section reported that league coach and organiser Gary Hodder hoped to have 24 teams in the mix for this year.
But last week Hodder told reporter Claire Byrne that the league now comprises 32 teams, with 450 kids from 14 schools participating.
This year Hodder is also particularly pleased with the number of girls who are now playing.
"The first year I had very few girls, but this year we've got four or five girls' teams plus lots of mixed teams,? he said. ?With society here, girls aren't encouraged to play sports or even have any focus away from family life so for them to get out and experience something like this is really good and a big part of why we do it."
| | Photographer captures the 'disappearing' Cambodia | |
There are many quintessential images of Cambodia; the dawn reflection of Angkor Wat in the lily pond out front; the umbrella-in-hand silhouette of a monk taking a stroll; or the amputee, a modern reminder of the country?s doleful and destructive history.
Photo Supplied
Scenes of everyday life in Cambodia, captured by photographer Peter Oxley (below).
He?s the snapper behind Days of Light, a semi-permanent exhibition at the Angkor National Museum. The exhibit, which is free to the public, features 80 snapshots of what Peter says is ?an often overlooked aspect of Cambodia? ? everyday life.
?I think these are very heart-felt images,? reflects the photographer. ?I see a lot of exhibitions filled with despair, alienation, misery. These people are poor, but you don?t have to make them look poor because they have a natural dignity and a natural happiness.?
Peter describes the images as bucolic, capturing candid moments of Cambodian country life. The ubiquitous naked babies, the elderly men with years of hard living etched in their faces, beautifully-clothed Cham Muslims, and the universal grandmother, kroma-clad, looking over her lot with pride.
?I find the country people in Asia are very welcoming, generous, even if they have absolutely nothing they want to share something with you,? says Peter, who previously lived in Japan for 30 years. ?I try not to get them to pose, but we?d chat away and I?d snap. I?d show them their pictures afterwards. Cambodians love getting their picture taken.?
Peter says while the museum tends to attract mostly overseas visitors, he hopes Khmer people will visit the exhibition. ?I?m trying to encourage Cambodians to come. This is totally free, so I want to share it. We had some Khmer at the opening ? many of them looked at the pictures and said, ?That was me 20 years ago.??
It?s that idea of capturing a moment in time that has Peter so intrigued in his subjects.
?In a way this is also a documentary of the disappearing Cambodia. Like the roadside barbers, the oxcarts. The gasoline you buy in the Johnnie Walker bottles, that?s going, it?s all Sokimex or Caltex now. It?s in transition.?
While many of the pictures were taken on Peter?s tuk tuk trips around the Siem Reap countryside, the exhibition also features locals from as far off as Battambang, Kratie, Kampot and Kampong Cham.
The exhibition, which runs until the end of March, was curated by Peter?s long-term business partner Virgil Calaguian. The pair came to Cambodia originally in 2006 as a writer and photographer team to report on the temples. They now run The Cockatoo Resort in Wat Damnak.
But Peter is more of an accidental hotelier than part-time photographer. He has previously exhibited his work in The Philippines and throughout Japan and has a book, Matsuri ? Call of the Gods, a collection of images of the wild side of Japanese Festivals.
He says he intends to collate Days of Light and other Cambodian images into a hardback too.
And judging by the guestbook at the exhibition ? crammed with scribblings of great acclaim in a multitude of languages and scripts ? he may just be on to a best seller.
| | Quaint and comfy Café Upstairs takes the cake | |
Note to Siem Reap business owners; I don?t take bribes. But I do take cake. All journalistic integrity goes out the window when baked goods are involved.
Claire Byrne/Phnom Penh Post
Sarah Cantero at her cosy joint Cafe Upstairs.
Ascending the steps to Sarah?s cafe you instantly feel warmed; kind of like going to visit your Gran. White picket fences, comfy sofas, vintage décor and truly personal touches make for a comforting experience.
?I just want people to feel at home,? says Sarah of her cosy establishment. ?I love to bake. To have my friends around, drink tea, eat cake. And I miss that from home. So I thought, why not open a café? It?s simple recipes from my mum, my grandmother, from my friends, nothing fancy.?
While they may not be ?fancy?, Sarah?s homemade goods are pretty divine. From rich chocolate fondant to comforting carrot cake, they all have that distinctive just-like-mum-used-to-make quality.
Along with the sweet treats, the cafe does a popular weekend breakfast, soups for lunch and has a wide, Western-style coffee and tea menu. And, if you smile at the waitress, you might get a marshmallow on the side.
The Upstairs Café is also a place Sarah can play around with her love of decoration. Originally planning to open an interiors shop, Sarah figured a café would be a better fit for Siem Reap, while still allowing her to be creative. ?It?s a place I can play around with decoration. I had seen a few places before, but I just got a feeling when I stepped in here. I had all these things, I knew exactly what I wanted. It?s a bit selfish, all my own style, but I love it.?
The café, above Madame Beergarden on Wat Bo, is very different from its downstairs neighbour. While the bar below is known for its dark chalk board walls and industrial accessories, the café, in contrast, is bright and airy, dotted with whimsical ornaments. There?s a decidedly European countryside feel to the café, from the French flea-market finds to English afternoon-tea cups and saucers, rustic Alpine timber work, to Scandinavian style fabrics. Check out the bathroom too, it has a pretty quirky take on the concept of the "eco-loo".
The café, which opened its doors mid-December just in time for the festive spirit, has already garnered a cake-craving following. In the future, Sarah hopes to expand the enterprise to create a nail bar in one portion of the coffee shop, adding an extra element of indulgence for those who like something sweet with their mani-pedi.
A true perfectionist, Sarah constantly asks customers for critique on her regular cake experiments. Don?t tell Sarah, but she doesn?t need it. But hey, lets all play taste testers until she finds that out.
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Cambodja
