Nick Ray - Cambodia

NICK RAY Coordinating Author

This photo was taken at Prasat Preah Vihear (), the king of the mountain temples, and has to be one of my favourite views in Cambodia the extensive plains of lowland Cambodia melting into the infinite horizon. Border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia means almost no tourists are visiting at this time. A motorcycle adventure from the Cambodian side remains a real adventure, although a risky one with the two armies facing off over barbed wire. Preah Vihear was where the Khmer Rouge made their last stand, so you still need to be careful of land mines, but equally dangerous are the ferocious winds that whip across the ridge. Careful how close you stand to the edge.

DANIEL ROBINSON

This enormous jackfruit, for sale on an upturned roadside basket, made my mouth water as I anticipated its sweet, spongy, fragrant flesh. The local kids this was on the car-less Mekong island of Koh Paen () were as captivated by me as I was by the monster fruit.

GREG BLOOM

The notorious 57km road from Koh Nhek to Lumphat is a convoluted maze of rutted single tracks bisecting the backcountry of Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri. Here Im standing at the point where the trail empties into the Srepok River in Lumphat (), having just survived the four-hour trip on the back of a moto. From there, it was on to Ban Lung for a well-deserved frosty beverage.

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For a relatively small country, Cambodia packs in the highlights, offering everything from ancient jungle temples to sophisticated designer restaurants, from isolated and windswept national parks to a pristine coastline peppered with tropical islands.

Angkor is a tour de force of temples, but even Phnom Penh is no slouch with its iconic Silver Pagoda. Provincial destinations provide charming escapes, including the chance to ride the bamboo train in Battambang or chow down on crab in Kep.

Wherever you go, the welcome is warm and the smiles are wide, as the Cambodian people are some of the friendliest in the region.

BAYON, ANGKOR

Ever get the feeling youre being watched? More than 200 carved stone faces, thought to be portraits of the Khmer King Jayavarman VII, gaze down from the lofty towers of Bayon (), giving visitors a distinct inferiority complex.

Laurakb, Traveller

THE PEOPLE OF CAMBODIA

Cycling around Cambodia gave us the opportunity to visit the main attractions as well as smaller towns and villages. Wherever we went, one thing remained constant: the Cambodian people love to chat! We were greeted with smiles and a chorus of hellos wherever we went, and the high standard of English among the young enabled more in-depth discussions. Although some were shy at first, we found that stumbling through a sentence in Khmer () soon broke the ice, and before long the conversation was flowing.

Claire Dann and Tabitha Langford, Travellers

TA PROHM

The temple of Ta Prohm (), in the middle of the jungle at Angkor, is one of the most awe-inspiring places I have ever been in. Walk through the ruined temples, half devoured by the giant roots of the trees, and pull a Lara Croft if you can!

Crisonthemove, Traveller

ROYAL PALACE & SILVER PAGODA

Angkor Wat is impressive, but head to the Royal Palace () in the nations capital for a truly rich experience! The Silver Pagodas temple floor, covered with gleaming silver tiles, seems out of place in the weathered Cambodian landscape. The Royal Palace grounds are equally remarkable. Cambodia is a land of extremes, and this is the lush, royal end of it.

moontorch, Traveller

BATTAMBANG

I had an awesome day exploring the countryside around Battambang () on the back of a motorbike. We hired moto drivers for the day who took us to visit local villages we saw the muscle-straining way that rice noodles are made, watched chillies drying in the sun and smelled the unforgettable stench of giant vats of maturing fish paste. Caked in dust by the end of the day, we then climbed aboard the ingenious bamboo train for the ride back to Battambang.

Sasha Baskett, Lonely Planet Staff

BOKOR HILL STATION

Walk among the ruins of the ghostly Bokor Hill Station (), an old colonial retreat built by the French in the 1920s and later occupied by Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese forces in the war. The eerie hotel has been likened to the one in The Shining, but this one has bullet holes in the walls.

cheryn, Traveller

BAMBOO TRAIN

Take one engine and an axle, place on railway tracks and balance fence panel on top welcome to Cambodias bamboo train (). Take your seat and hold on tight, relying on your 10-year-old driver to suss whether theres a train coming in the opposite direction. Short prayer optional.

providores, Traveller

CRAB IN KEP

The seaside town of Kep () is slowly waking up from its post-war slumber and is fast becoming a fresh-seafood mecca. Picking our own sea creatures and having them prepared before our eyes made this a real highlight. We joined the banter and bought crab from the women keeping the crustaceans fresh in floating baskets the competition is fierce and its a lot of fun. We were spoilt for choice, but the omnipresent crab with Kampot pepper is surely not to be missed. We left Kep licking our lips.

Annelies Mertens, Lonely Planet Staff

MASSAGE IN SIEM REAP

After sweltering among the temples, we opted for a soothing massage with Siem Reaps blind masseurs (). Have you ever conversed with someone where neither of you spoke the same language and they couldnt interpret your visual clues? Despite comic misunderstandings, we finally donned loose pyjamas and lay down. An elderly woman, with an astonishing amount of strength in her small hands, began pummelling me. It may not have been the soothing experience I was looking for, but I was inspired on so many levels ability despite disability; determination in spite of circumstance.

Jennifer Garrett, Lonely Planet Staff

Theres a magic about Cambodia that casts a spell on many who visit this charming yet confounding kingdom. Ascend to the realm of the gods at the mother of all temples, Angkor Wat, a spectacular fusion of symbolism, symmetry and spirituality. Descend into the hell of Tuol Sleng and come face to face with the Khmer Rouge and its killing machine. Welcome to the conundrum that is Cambodia: a country with a history both inspiring and depressing, an intoxicating place where the future is waiting to be shaped.

The years of fear and loathing are finally over and Angkor is once more the symbol of the nation, drawing pilgrims from across the globe. Peace has come to this beautiful yet blighted land after three decades of war, and the Cambodian people have opened their arms to the world. Tourism has well and truly taken off, yet a journey here remains an adventure as much as a holiday.