Word: angkor
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Cambodia presents a few problems for people traveling with children. All those skulls at the Killing Fields near Phnom Penh will induce nightmares, and hiking untold acres of stone temples near Siem Reap could elicit as much whining as wonder. But 30 km beyond Angkor Wat is an exquisite mountain region of waterfalls, ancient wreckage and riverbed carvings that leave visitors of any age in awe?although trying to explain the thousand stone phalluses to the youngsters might present a challenge...
...Phnom Kulen is the holiest mountain in Cambodia and a picnic destination for Khmer families. But few foreigners visit. On this peak in 802, King Jayavarman II declared himself a Hindu god-king and kicked off the four-century Angkor period of Khmer history that produced the Angkor temples, constructed of Phnom Kulen's sandstone. The Khmer Rouge used the mountain as a final stronghold for two decades after losing power in 1979, so it's only been three years since visitors have again been able to enjoy the cool waters and artistic treasures...
...Mindful of the pillaging of Angkor Wat, the locals in and around this magical Cambodian mountain want to keep the hordes away. Some Siem Reap guesthouse managers warn that Phnom Kulen is riddled with land mines, even though the paths are well worn and thousands of Khmer visit every year without incident. Motorbike drivers, too, routinely discourage travelers by insisting it's too far, too expensive and there's not enough to do for the effort. They're partly right; it's too bum-numbingly far on a motorbike and, at about $150 for a day trip in a four...
...peaceful garden, studded with weathered cannons. One cannon in the fort's northeastern corner has taken on the unlikely role of fertility symbol. Local women place floral offerings on its barrel in hopes of improving their chances of conceiving. "George Town isn't one big monument like Borobudur or Angkor Wat," says local historian Khoo Salma Nasution. "It's more about vernacular heritage?the living culture such as food, the multicultural heritage and the tangible architecture. That's what makes Penang special...
...revelation to look into the faces of these Khmer Rouge soldiers as they secured the broad boulevards of the capital and confiscated the weapons of the defeated army. Some are the faces of peasant children. Others, classically Khmer, are weathered and determined, like the busts on the walls of Angkor Wat. The body language of a few, clearly the bosses, is menacing. No need to read the captions: the atmosphere in these pictures portends the forced evacuation of the city and the beginning of the Cambodian holocaust...