Cambodia (Asia) Vacation Travel Video Guide

[Music] [Music] the kingdom of Cambodia one of three nations within Indochina the mysterious former jungle Realm of the k who were based in Anor that was once the largest city in the world features many fascinating Stone sculptures of various Gods a fertile country and a friendly nation that appears to have forgotten its recent dramatic history that comprised French colonial times Vietnamese occupation and the cruel rule of the CH Rouge the former palaces of the gods have now been transformed into tourist attractions and Regal Splendor and Shining pagodas indicate that a new era has [Music] begun it's a country willing to forget its past and eager to enter into a bright and exciting [Music] future pomen the reawakened capital of Cambodia and former land of the May a wonderful sight with all the charm of a bygone age along with its temples and religious sanctuaries the former pearl of Asia has witnessed much suffering caused by War famine and disease The Splendid Royal Palace is surrounded by a high [Music] wall there was once a citadel here that was subsequently replaced by a palace constructed of Timber today's Stone structure was built in 1927 but during the rule of the red Kamar it fell into decay under the rule of King Sanuk the palace was returned to its former glory in 1991 directly next to the king's residence is cambodia's finest Temple complex the wat pre k morat [Music] the silver Pagoda is at the heart of the complex it resembles the watra in Bangkok it's aptly [Music] named its internal floor is covered with 5,000 silver tiles each weighing a kilogram the altar is decorated with a life-size Golden Buddha at the rear of the silver Pagoda is a replica of the anoat [Music] temple surprisingly no monks have ever lived within this Monastery complex and it's quite remarkable that the Temple's many cultural Treasures have [Music] [Applause] survived around the Goda are several small temples and Royal stupas that contain the ashes of former norodom [Applause] [Music] Kings the decorations on the tombs feature an interesting number of both Buddhist and Hindu [Music] symbols between the sters is a small open pav pilion that contains an equestrian statue of king [Music] norodom without a doubt the Royal Palace and silver Pagoda are this City's pride and joy and are of much historic and cultural interest in the gardens there's a reminder of the Court ceremonies that were once held here a splendid Royal carriage pulled by huge elephants made of gypsum caat key is a road that follows the tones saap River for 4 km it's where most of pom Pen's tourists are to be found due to its numerous bars and restaurants during the Festival of the water turn this the junction of the tonle sap and Mong is a place of much festivity after the rainy season the tonle sap changes its course then the king and his guests will be duly Seated on a grand stand rowing teams and their followers from all over the country are an important part of the Annual Festival when thousands of Spectators cheer for their respective [Applause] teams the richly adorned and colorfully painted longboats take 65 oresman who stand kneel and sit within them they train throughout the year and before the event each boat is blessed by [Music] monks the wat unom monry is the center of Cambodian Buddhism this is the home of the patriarch and around 200 [Music] monks the Monas once contained more than 40 buildings that were either damaged or totally destroyed by the red K including the precious Buddhist [Music] [Applause] [Music] Gallery the temple complex was built in the 15th century before the CH left Anor various unchanged wall reliefs depict numerous battle [Applause] scenes [Music] the name of the Pagoda indicates that an unalam is stored here a hair from Buddha's eyebrow a precious Sanctuary [Music] [Music] indeed due to the fear of theft the Pagoda is only open during the early hours of morning so only early risers are able to visit it the temp Temple is visited by many faithful Buddhists who come here to pray for the fourth patriarch who was killed here by the K Rouge during the second half of the 19th century panon pen became a French Colonial Town with wide streets shops government buildings hotels and Villas all in colonial style within its park-like surroundings the Temple of the blooming Lotus Blossom features perfect harmony with nature the wat Bodom is a tranquil Oasis in the Heart of the City the tall outer columns and edges of the pitched rofes copy the Siamese style of the aaya epoch combined with traditional local architecture in common with traditional Buddhist architecture numerous small colorful sters surround the Pagoda they contain the ashes of high ranking monks the tallest and most elegant stuper commemorates a brother of King norodom his n is stored here and is guarded by four Monumental faces the northern area of the city is inhabited by various immigrants chinese vietnamese Siamese and Indian in the middle of this district is the sa May the Central Market it's all rather confusing and chaotic in fact it's so higgledy piggledy that it's quite difficult to see the numerous items that are offered for sale both inside and out this OD Deco building was built by the French in 193 37 and its four adjoining Market Halls point in all four directions of the compass the market is a hive of activity with many people and much [Music] traffic close to the banks of the ton sap is a 27 M High Hill that contains a special Sanctuary from which the city derived its name what plom according to Legend in 1372 a woman named Penn came across four Buddha statues on the banks of the nearby River she ordered that a hill be built on which would stand a pagoda that could store the statues the settlement that developed around the temple was called panom pen or the hill of Mrs pen both Hill and Temple became the city's main landmark [Music] at weekends many of the local people visit their City Temple in order to have their Fortune told or to pray for almost anything a colorfully decorated Shrine behind the Pagoda contains the smiling benevolent image of the legendary Mrs Penn the golden statue next to a large floral clock on the southern side of the Hill features King Caesar wats accompanied by three women who symbolize the three provinces that were regained during his Reign the mighty Monument of Independence is situated south of the palace District at the junction of two boulevards the red colored Monument is similar to that of an Anor Temple and commemorates France's Independence the TW slang Museum features cambodia's dramatic past following pole pot's rise to power a torture chamber was built [Music] here the cells and torture devices are only a hint of the cruelty that once took place here photographs of various terrified prisoners hang on the walls [Music] [Music] it's believed that 20,000 prisoners were interrogated and tortured here by popt K Rouge the regime selected its victims virtually at [Laughter] [Music] random when the Vietnamese Army eventually reached this prison the dead were lying fing [Music] everywhere Killing Fields was the name of the area outside the city where the regime's enemies were executed and thrown into common [Music] Graves the history of Cambodia is somewhat maab when the Americans demonstrated their awesome Firepower during the Vietnam war the city's inhabitants were at first grateful when the K Rouge marched in in [Music] 1975 however then the slaughter [Music] began what Maha montree the ministerial Monastery this one of the city's most interesting Watts derived its name from a royal minister who suggested its [Music] construction pom pen contains more than 20 pagodas that were renovated following the devastation caused by the pole pot regime this one is particularly impressive the altar of the main Temple is decorated with several seated Buddha figures and the walls contain descriptive images of the life of Buddha [Music] holy nagas and the heads of gods protect the abundantly decorated entrance of the golden temple today more than 300 monks and lves live in this Monastery [Music] school on the Headland of the confluence of both the tond sap and Mong rivers are several small boats of the country's boat people these people live on their tiny boats and earn their livelihood from [Music] fishing tonle sap is the heart of Cambodia its most important Lifeline being the Mong the longest river in Asia and the fifth longest river in the world [Music] for more than 4,900 kilm it crosses China Myanmar L Thailand and [Music] Vietnam today one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in Asia is gradually recovering from the tragic events of the past it is as though blomen is now Keen to enjoy everything that was forbidden during the Vietnam War and the Savage rule of the C [Music] Rouge next we travel North to cambodia's ancient Capital the busy city is Left Behind and replaced by a fascinating [Music] landscape at the foot of pom udong Hill is a new Pagoda District the vipasana turak Buddhist center a project that will most likely last forever because Buddhists believe they can improve their karma by having further new sanctuaries wealthy patrons donate large sums of money to the cause [Music] the entrance is lined with towers that contain the large heads of demons that resemble those at Anor Tom the monks and nuns who live here plan to make this sanctuary as large as that of the old Temple Town of Anor with huge temples water BAS and gilded figures of the [Music] Gods Street donations along with the help of voluntary workers assist in assuring the future of this bold and highly enterprising [Music] [Applause] scheme in 1618 udong became the capital of Cambodia for several years indeed there were once hundreds of dwellings and temples around the hills of udong the hills were acquired by the monarchy who had sters built to contain the [Music] dead wild steps led to a wonderful View and the beauty of the surrounding landscape is PL to see in each [Music] Direction despite the various sters chedis and shrines on the mountain of good fortune there is nothing here of the Splendor of the old capital city in 1866 King norodom was persuaded by the French to make pomen the capital of Cambodia for strategic [Music] reasons more than 10,000 subjects followed their King to the junction of the Mong and tonle sap and udong was abandoned and fell into [Music] Decay the fertile Plains around udong had been favored by the monarchy for many [Music] years King Ang Jan was a powerful Monarch who ruled in the middle of the 16th century following the loss of Anor he settled in this fertile area that is rich in [Music] water as in Anor here water was also an important source of power the king selected the Sacred Water that was vital for the survival of his subjects hostilities between various sovereigns were common so the people needed a strong King who was able to rule over [Music] all and the Portuguese and Spanish did much to have their missionary work [Music] authorized the old Garrison town of long wac is only a few kilometers from the palace its entrance is guarded by Stone lions and golden nagers flank the Steep staircase that leads to the main [Music] [Applause] [Music] Temple because the army of King Ang Jan was based there the town was thought to be secure so people were attracted to settle [Music] nearby in the town were two statues preo and preen their sacred golden text were said to impart the wisdom and knowledge of the entire world during one of the frequent attacks by the Siamese both statues were taken to aaya where the sacred texts were [Music] translated each day at the crack of dawn people arrive from all four points of the compass at the harbor of the tonle sap River they're about to embark on a journey on the Royal [Music] Express the deck of this Speedy boat is mainly crowded by tourists from all over the world The Adventurous journey to sim reap takes about 5 hours The Boat Leaves the harbor on schedule and travels slowly along the Caesar wat key for several kilometers the boat passes the important Troy janga Bridge the busy road that leads across it travels to the peninsula and also to Anor the boat speeds up and it's easy to see how it derived its name the Royal Express the Riverbanks contain several settlements of the cham [Music] tribe today around 250,000 Cham live in Cambodia they came here from the kingdom of Champa that extended from the central Vietnamese Coast to as far as Southern Lass the descendants of this proud people are also known as the K Islam because originally the cham were Hindu but influenced by Muslim Sea farers from Jabba and samatra they subsequently converted to Islam although the cham and CH tribes live peacefully together mixed marriages are much frowned upon after several hours the river opens up into a huge area we've arrived at the lake that also has the same name as the river the T sap Lake seems to be without [Music] end the melting snow in the mountains of Tibet raises the level of the Mong River the river would overflow dangerously if it were not for the ton sap [Music] it absorbs the extra water from the meong and directs it into the muddy Lake a huge shallow and fertile [Music] area the Striking Hill in simap Bay comes into view and we duly make towards it the local inhabitants are well used to the annual increase in the water level and even make their living from it for wherever there's water there is fish the boat is maneuvered skillfully around many fertile Islands soon we arrive at a small Jetty in Sim rehab Harbor [Music] [Music] there's plenty of hustle and bustle here a reception committee is ready and waiting tourist guides Porters and hotel staff Sim rehap is a relatively small town 315 kilm North of pomen the capital of [Music] Cambodia growing tourism is gradually creating a Boom Town here because simap is close to Anor the ancient capital of a huge and mysterious jungle [Music] [Applause] Realm although this is the height of the tourist season it's all very laidback the relaxed atmosphere is also enjoyed by the king who has a residence [Music] here on the pleasant Riverbanks of the stung Sim rehap there is no sign of the event that gave the city its name the place where the Siamese were [Music] defeated [Music] the park and the old and honorable grandel donor are a reminder of the legendary colonial times of the 1920s when nobility from all over the world came here to [Music] Holiday welcome to Artisan the city also possesses a fine institution Artisan encore an art school for young cambodians here artist to be learn the traditional skills of the [Music] ceha the project is designed to provide both girls and boys from rural areas with various artistic skills based on age-old [Music] Traditions the painting of Divine Images and gold leaf decoration skills that would have fallen into Oblivion if it had not been for the French thanks to the them the Cambodian government was able to establish a training center for stonemasons in [Music] 1992 subsequent years saw further schools for wood Carvers silk Weavers artists wood varnishers and many other Specialists it's been a highly successful [Music] project in 1998 the European Union subsidized a three-year project for professional training at the school today the school's Creations are sold all over the [Music] world next the temple District of taprom it was built by King xaan and is dedicated to the god Shiva the temples of Anor are the remains of various religious buildings that were built by more than 10 Kings of the CH realm between the 7th and 16th centuries ad the taprom monastery was built in 1186 in honor of the King's mother and was the center of the health care of those times for the entire [Music] country the fast growing Capo trees grow quite tall and cover the impressive architecture beneath a thick covering of leaves [Music] this is a good example of how the encroachment of the dense jungle vegetation has affected various [Music] buildings and the pale and gigantic roots of the trees cling to the the moss covered walls of the temple complex everything is dominated by the encroachment of [Music] nature this jungle temple is reminiscent of one described by Kipling in his Jungle Book nature usually claims back its [Music] own over the centuries moss lyen and ferns have covered the numerous walls delicate reliefs broken columns and stone objects that are scattered on the [Music] ground the monastery was once home to 5,000 including more than 2,000 monks and 615 female dancers [Music] in addition more than 66,000 men and women from the surrounding Villages actively served the [Music] monastery well well preserved Stone reliefs decorate the walls of the sanctuary and illustrate various stories Stone figures located in niches indicate the Artistry of those bygone [Music] times to prom demonstrates the fragility of man's Creations compared to the constant forces of [Music] nature the French explorer muo once described it as a melancholic Monument of Decay the fisherman on the tributaries of the tonle saap live peacefully together in large families they're not particularly interested in Commerce or trade as their lives are dominated by [Music] Buddhism along the Riverbanks are several plain wooden Huts whose Interiors are divided into a living room and cooking area plus sleeping [Music] quarters many families including their household pets live on small houseboats perfect for those who appreciate an occasional of [Applause] [Music] scenery close to simap the ton sap lake is a good place for a boat trip every 6 months the direction of the water changes an excuse for much celebration and [Music] festivity in former times the king of the day severed a ceremonial rope that spanned the river and thus awarded the the water its [Music] freedom this is a strange and fascinating world of floating villages forests and a countless variety of colorful [Music] [Applause] [Music] birds the floating villagers and their houseboats that move according to the water level are an intriguing [Music] sight Chong n is situated in the harbor Basin of sim rap ferry boats from pom pen come here a good source of income for the local Tradesmen life here is dependent upon the watery Landscape tleap Lake contains an abundance of fish like nowhere else on earth a fact much appreciated by the local fishermen they've adapted their lifestyle to the constantly changing water level and if necessary the floating villages can easily be moved to another location [Music] during the rainy season the Mong travels through to the tonle saap river and brings with it huge masses of water that increase the surface of the river [Music] Sevenfold for the local people the tonle sap Lake provides water a traffic Route flood control food and also so a [Music] [Applause] [Music] home the fishermen belong mainly to the nomadic tribe of Vietnamese people who move around the lake and live in various floating villages according to the time of year some of them also live in primitive dwellings alongside the roads of numerous [Music] dams the street of the Giants leads to the entrance of Anor Tom the fourth and final capital of the ancient CH realm surrounded by a mighty defensive wall from here one can enter the inner Royal City via a large Southern gate that contains huge Stone heads [Music] [Applause] the area was once inhabited by priests functionaries and military men the king once used this large city as the administrative center of his realm with palaces and Temple [Music] complexes at its Zenith more people lived here than in any other European city of the 20th century it covers an area of over 9 square kilometers to the north of this area there was once a palace of which only the teris of the elephants has survived to the present [Music] day each of its once Splendid wooden buildings has long since perished the route leads through a huge Stone Gateway into the five inner Courtyards of the palace complex again nothing remains of the various wooden buildings that once stood here most of the temple pyramid that was once decorated with precious stones has been overrun by the jungle only the King was permitted to set foot on it according to Legend each night at midnight the king had a meeting within the Temple's lower Tower with a snake goddess who was in the form of a beautiful woman now there is a new attraction for the increasing numbers of visitors to the old Temple Town a ride on the back of an elephant around the Bon a Buddhist temple that was never completed it's quite an [Music] experience from a distance it looks like a strange structure in the middle of the Jungle however closer inspection reveals it to be an architectural Masterpiece that contains a large variety of [Music] rooms the external walls of both galleries are decorated with impressive flat reliefs that illustrate the daily life of bygone [Music] times the world of the CH people of the 12th and 13th centuries is featured at as in a picture book a sacred place in which they worship their [Music] King but most impressive are the 200 huge smiling faces that are set in [Music] stone archaeologists believe that each of the faces depicts a bodh satra a being that has attained the highest level of Enlightenment on the threshold of [Music] [Applause] Nirvana 20 km Northeast of Anor Tom are the remains of the ancient sanctuary of banti shre also known as the woman's [Music] Citadel to many visitors to Cambodia this unique and Atmospheric Temple site is the most impressive of all the country's historic [Music] [Applause] monuments the temple captivates not So Much by its size but by its exceptional [Music] charm the sanctuary is also in extremely good condition taking into account that these buildings are more than a thousand years old [Music] today the bantti Shri Temple is known for its magnificent decorations and filigre Bas [Music] relief the way in which this complex differs from many of cambodia's other sacred sites is that this one was not ordered to be built by a king [Music] in the 10th Century the Shiva Temple was the exception to the rule as the K usually favored a totally different [Music] design picturesque water ladies in the eastern and western Mo of the complex augment the Tranquil and idilic atmosphere spere of this captivating Temple site a double wall follows the moats that once symbolize the oceans and enclose the rectangular center of the [Music] sanctuary even though the temple does not contain any original elements within either its architecture or sculptures its decoration is unique [Music] why banier shre was forgotten and how long the buildings were hidden within the jungle is still a [Music] mystery it was by accident that these ruins were discovered in 1914 it took decades for the buildings to be [Music] reconstructed the decorative stone masonry of the sanctuary's three Central Towers is considered to be a unique treasure that dates back to the CH period in spite of numerous decorations on the walls Gables and freezes of the inner Sanctuary no two images are the [Music] same everywhere there are enchanting goddesses and dainty dancers surrounded by artistically arranged plant life this place is an artistic highlight in the cultural history of the Kam [Music] people a visit to Cambodia would not be complete if one did not experience a traditional dance performance women perform the ancient absara dance that also appears in various paintings on the temple walls of Anor abaris the Divine female dancers who once entertained the Royal Court Anor contains thousands of [Music] [Applause] them even today they battle against evil spirits and demons and Triumph over them driving them [Music] away various traditional religious dances are still performed by a number of female dancers however the Royal Court of old boasted no less than 3,000 of [Music] them under Royal rule the absara dancers performed solely for the Royal Court but today it's mainly for the tourists how times [Music] change the dancers often feature the story of CA the wife of the Mystic hero Rama she was kidnapped by The Demon King ravana and later set [Music] free the folk dancers describe the natural faith in daily life of the rural population ritual dancers associated with ceremonial Acts the rice dance is extremely popular it depicts daily work and bountiful harvests there's also the cardamon dance during which fruit is gathered for the production of [Music] tea these folk dances are in stark contrast to the ones that were performed for the Kings and are more Dynamic and full of passion they exude much ziv each gesture has its own special meaning even the gracious movements of the fingers are full of [Music] expression according to tradition these dances are performed only by [Music] women classical absara dances and folk performances have always played an important role in the lives of both the Royal household and the CH [Applause] [Music] people Anor was built by King Su of Aran II in the 12th century at that time it was the largest city in the world and covered an area the size of Manhattan [Music] the city's Temple mountain of Anor wat is a veritable Masterpiece of architecture and Chim reliefs it's also the largest sacred building in the world the huge complex is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Vishnu and extends over a larger area than Rome's Vatican City a water Ditch fends off the hustle and bustle of the Town only the Stone Temple buildings have remained of this once huge City none of its wooden buildings have survived yet the city's Sandstone has withstood the test of [Music] time this large Courtyard is surrounded by a Labyrinth of corridors each of the walls contains artistic reliefs that feature the wonderful absara [Music] [Applause] [Music] dances the Divine dancers were trained in the Royal Court and were only allowed to dance for the king many illustrations indicate their esteemed position in the Royal Court [Music] it took 37 years to build this Temple complex and it stood for a thousand in the middle of this large Courtyard are five multif fled Towers representing the five Summits of Mount meow home of the Hindu gods and the center of the universe there are still many questions that remain unanswered with regard to the purpose of this sacred building was it the country's largest temple built in the largest city or did the king have a melum built here the latter seems to be the most likely as only a Chosen Few were permitted to enter the temple complex [Music] along seemingly endless corridors are illustrations of ancient Hindu mythology they extend for 100 meters Chieftain with horses and battle chariots and armor-clad soldiers brandishing Spears the battle between good and [Music] evil over the centuries each of the K kings regarded themselves as incarnations of Vishnu apsaras and Divas female dancers and goddesses Adorn the walls of the sanctuary's inner Courtyard eventually the C would defeated by their enemy the Siamese the city was conquered and a golden era of culture came to an end however this architectural gem that was thought to have been lost now shines out once again in all of its [Music] [Applause] Splendor female dancers Majestic Temple complexes and farmers who work peacefully in their Patty [Music] Fields the wounds of this country are gradually healing and a new Spirit of Hope is in the air Cambodia is a country that is slowly Awakening with a population that is willing to forget its past and now looks optimistically into a bright new future after 30 years of strife and deprivation this South Asian jungle realm is today a fine tourist destination friendly natural and [Music] unspoiled [Music]

Channel: Expoza Travel

Views: 567,079

Keywords: travelguide, Tourism (Industry), Asia (Continent), travel, Travel Channel (TV Network), vacation, Tourism (Interest), videos, Landmark, guide, cityguide, Cambodia (Country), world, video, holiday, documentary, Destination, Culture, Nature, trip, essentials, Video, tavel, adventure, highlights, expoza, discovery, arcadiaentertainment, visit, tips, tour, guides, Adventure, yt:stretch=16:9, guided, Museum, channel, كمبوديا, اسيا, الحياة في كمبوديا, العمل في كمبوديا, عاصمة كمبوديا

Id: 5x8nf8CWzNY

Length: 51min 33sec (3093 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 14 2013