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CROCODILE FARM & THE ROYAL PALACE PHOTOS: ANNA KHUN REMAINING PHOTOS: VINH DAO<br />
captivated by the big bright lights<br />
and beautiful water fountains.<br />
Phnom Penh appeared surreal,<br />
eccentric and fl amboyant — a<br />
complete contrast from the Pol<br />
Pot years. My mum, Peter and I<br />
stopped at Naga and had a couple<br />
of fancy cocktails.<br />
A tour is the best way to cover<br />
a lot of ground in a short time.<br />
Venture out to the Killing Fields<br />
situated 15km from central<br />
Phnom Penh. Here at Choeung<br />
Ek, thousands fell during the<br />
Khmer Rouge regime. While<br />
here, remember to keep your<br />
voice down and wear appropriate<br />
clothing to demonstrate respect.<br />
We visited Phnom Tamao, a<br />
wildlife sanctuary with native sun<br />
bears and went to Wat Phnom,<br />
which is situated in an area fi lled<br />
with rugged bush overgrowth,<br />
romantic old temples and stray<br />
monkeys. Locals come here to sit<br />
Battambang<br />
attambang g<br />
ngg<br />
ca captures aptures pt<br />
the th the he<br />
es essence ssence<br />
essence<br />
s of<br />
of of<br />
everyday veryday y d y life lif life in i iin<br />
in<br />
ru rural ural<br />
rural<br />
Cambodia<br />
Cam Cambodia<br />
CCambodia<br />
Cambodia<br />
down for lunch or have a break<br />
from their studies. My mum<br />
told me when she was younger<br />
there used to be hundreds of<br />
monkeys here. She emphasised<br />
that Cambodian monkeys are<br />
mischievous and very naughty in<br />
character but still valued among<br />
Khmers. She told me a story of<br />
a monkey (swar) that set her<br />
neighbour’s house on fi re. It got<br />
hold of a lighter and that was the<br />
end of the house and the monkey.<br />
After dinner, we headed out to<br />
The Heart of Darkness nightclub,<br />
which plays the latest English<br />
tunes until the early hours of the<br />
morning with the DJ fusing the<br />
latest ’90s dance hits of Britney<br />
Spears and Lady Gaga with<br />
traditional Khmer music. Locals<br />
love the fl aming shots (I had fi ve).<br />
Our friendly front desk staff<br />
had booked us bus tickets for<br />
Battambang, 290km from Phnom<br />
Penh. It’s best to take the day<br />
buses. Battambang is worth<br />
a visit because it captures the<br />
essence of everyday life in rural<br />
Cambodia. It is the second largest<br />
city in Cambodia and where my<br />
family is from, so it holds strong<br />
connections to my roots for me.<br />
Battambang has several famous<br />
sites, including Wat Ek, an 11thcentury<br />
temple. In the last century,<br />
Phnom Sampeu (phnom means<br />
‘hill’) housed the Killing Caves of<br />
the Khmer Rouge, and the Lang<br />
La’Coun (Punishment Cave) was<br />
used for torture. The summit<br />
of Wat Ek has breathtaking<br />
views, including one of Crocodile<br />
Mountain — once a stronghold of<br />
the Khmer Rouge. Phnom Banon<br />
FROM TOP LEFT TO<br />
RIGHT: Crocodile farm;<br />
religious statues in<br />
Phnom Sampeau; tuk<br />
tuk riders wait for<br />
fares; the Royal Palace;<br />
a bas relief on the<br />
walls of Angkor Wat; a<br />
nori (bamboo train) sits<br />
empty on a train track<br />
MY JOURNEY //<br />
053
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