Silver Pagoda

Cambodia's Royal Palace compound in Phnom Penh is home to several amazing buildings and shrines, but the place that really took the cake was Wat Preah Keo Morokat, which translates as 'The Temple of the Emerald Buddha'. However, it is more popularly known as the Silver Pagoda here in the west.

Commissioned by King Norodom and built out of wood and brick, in the usual Cambodian architectural style, between 1892 and 1902, it was originally know as Wat Uborsoth Rotannaram because it is where the King worshiped, prayed and practiced every Buddhist Silas Day. It is also where Buddhist ceremonies were held by the royal family and other officials. Unlike most pagodas no monks ever lived here, however, King Norodom Sihanouk lived there for a year when he entered the monkhood in 1947. In 1962 it was torn down and rebuilt out of concrete and Italian marble.

Walking up to this large and beautiful structure I was anxious to see what an authentic emerald Buddha looked like and what other treasures were inside. Just before entering I had to go through, what by this point in my trip had become very familiar, the ritual of taking off my sandals and finding a place to store them. Entering the pagoda, my eyes took a second to adjust to the darkness, and then I was overwhelmed by the over 1650 cultural and religious treasures that were stored inside. This large collection of riches is the main reason this pagoda was untouched by the Khmer Rouge. They could see how this collection could be used for propaganda purposes. However, there were 3 main things that captured my attention and wouldn't let go.

First, there was a life sized Buddha in the middle of the room weighing in at 90 kilograms (about 200 pounds) of pure gold. Called the Buddha Maitreya (Buddha of the Future,) it was commissioned in 1904 by King Sisowath and is covered with 9,584 diamonds. The largest diamond, at 25 carats, is in the crown, how ever the one in the chest is only slightly smaller coming in at 20 carats. I stood in front of it for what seemed like hours memorized by its beauty and opulence.

Behind that was the small 17th century "Emerald Buddha" of Cambodia sitting on a gilded dais above all others in the temple. It is said to be made of emerald or baccarat crystal.

Finally, I learned why it's called the 'Silver' Pagoda. The floor is covered in 5329 handcrafted silver tiles. Added during the reconstruction in 1962, each one weighs in at about 1.125kg (close to 2.5 pounds). Only a small section of the floor is visible while the rest is protected by carpet. I did, however, manage to position myself so that I could take a couple of steps, with my bare feet, on the silver tiles, and let me tell you, it was quite a sensation.

Unfortunately, photography is prohibited so I was unable to capture the spender, but I did manage to find an image online that must have been taken when only flash photography was banned.

Angkor Wat

I spent the morning exploring Angkor Thom and the very impressive Bayon at its center before meeting up with my friends' in-laws for lunch. Even though the heat was starting to get to me, I could barely contain my excitement at what was going to come next. Angkor Wat is the best preserved, largest (nearly 500 acres) and most stunning temple complex left to us from the Khmer Empire. There are many that would argue that its mixture of architectural and artistic complexity and refinement make it the most spectacular building anywhere in the ancient world. It is so magnificent that Angkor Wat is the only archeological sight to be depicted on a national flag. Unable to wait for the others to finish eating, I ran off to the 900 year old structure telling them that somehow I would find them in a few hours despite my inability to speak the language.

Angkor Wat itself was built as a model of the Hindu cosmic world. The moat surrounding the temple represents the ocean that encompasses the world. The laterite enclosure wall is the bounder between the world and the cosmos. The three terraces of the temple to the three platforms of earth, water and wind on which the cosmic mountain rests The five towers in the center are the peaks of Mount Meru, with the most central and tallest tower corresponding to Mount Meru itself, which, for the Hindus, is where the gods live and is the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes.

I approached the main causeway from the southwest so I could experience the moat, enclosure wall, the gopura (entry towers), and all five of the central towers from a single vantage point and take in, at least some, of the vastness of the complex. Walking up the stairs to the sandstone terrace I was greeted by giant stone lions on either side of me looking a little worse for wear, but still guarding the monument. Looking down the 250 meter long causeway to the tri-towered gopura the alignment and balance of the entire complex came into staggering clarity. As if to add a splash of chaos to the razor-like precision of the rest of the temple, all three of the gopura towers are different heights and the roofing between is uneven giving it a very serpentine look.

Walking east along the causeway, over the moat, I couldn't help but marvel at the jigsaw-like patterns of the stones making up the path. Its one thing to hand craft individual block that fit together in a wall, but to make a horizontal path over water like that must have taken a tremendous amount of planning and effort. I also couldn't help but notice that there was a pair of stone feet halfway down the path, probably taken from a statue during a past renovation. The approach from the west is one of the things that make this temple unique at Angkor, since all the others face east. This facing the setting sun, among other discoveries, have led archeologist to believe that its creator, King Suryavarman II, wanted to use it as a funerary temple. Even its association with Vishnu, rather than Shiva, like most other temples, point towards focusing more on the hereafter.

Once I reached the gopura, I took a right and started to enter the southern tower. Stored inside is Ta Reach, a statue of Vishnu with eight arms (one of the very few statues that survive from that era). Even though, around the 16th century, the Buddhists clamed Angkor Wat, the Hindu gods are still respected and this shrine still gets offerings from the monks. I took the covered gallery to the false door on the southern end and found a hole in the wall big enough to walk through. When I emerged, I was greeted with my first view of the entire main structure and the five main towers.

Turning left I walked along the porch of the gallery and enjoyed the intricate and well preserved carvings of divinities on the outside of the gallery. As I approached the central walkway, large and very beautiful Apsaras begin to appear. I'm pretty sure one of them was milking herself.

Back on the central path I saw, for the first time, the view that is depicted on the Cambodian flag. The 350 meter long, 9 meter wide walkway to the first level with the scaly body of a stone naga bordering it seemed long and imposing under the hot sun. However, I walked past the so-called 'libraries' that flank the walkway about half way down and turned off into the field putting the southern water basin between me and the main building. It was a little flooded, so I had to be carful where I stepped, but it was worth it when I saw all five towers and their reflection in the water. Crossing over to the northern basin I was able to get an even better view since
there was less flooding.


Returning to the walkway, I made it to the Terrace of Honor (where the king would view processions and receive foreign dignitaries) and the first level of Angkor Wat. Taking a right after entering, the covered Galleries of Bas-reliefs began. I was amazed by the beauty and strangeness of the long mural of sandstone
carvings. The fact that the murals are meant to be seen in a counter-clockwise direction (with the open air on the right and the murals on the left) is another indication of the temple being used for a funeral ceremony.

Heading south along the west gallery I first took in the "Battle of Kurukshetra". Based on the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, it depicts a battle between the army of Kauravas (on the left) against the army of the Pandavas (on the right). I noticed that several of the characters in the lower half of the mural are warn smooth and shiny. From what I could gather from passing tour groups, it use to be considered good luck and a sign of respect to rub the carvings as you pass by. Today, of course, touching the murals is frowned upon.

In the southwest corner pavilion there are some scenes from another Hindu epic, Ramayana. Thanks to water damage and poor lighting, much of it is hard to make out. However, my favorite part was over the opening in the east wall. It showed a duel between the two enemy brothers, Valin and Sugriva, the king of the monkeys. Sugriva wins, but all the monkeys' morn Valin.

In the South gallery is the "Army of King Suryavarman II". Much like the name implies, it shows King Suryavarman II (builder of Angkor Wat), over looking his army as it parades by.

After, passing the southern entry, allowing a glimpse of the central towers, the gallery picks up again with "Judgment by Yama/Heaven and Hell". It starts off with Yama judging the dead who either go to one of the 37 heavens on the top half of the mural, or 32 hells on the bottom half.

I was very disappointed to see the first mural in the east gallery, "Churning of the Sea of Milk", was being renovated because it was the only one I really knew anything about before getting there. It describes the Hindu creation myth from Bhagavata-Purana and depicts the actual churning of the cosmic Ocean of Milk to produce amrita.

"Victory of Vishnu of the Demons" shows Vishnu fighting an army of asuras coming at him from both sides.

The north gallery starts off with "Victory of Krishna over Bana". Krishna on his Garuda, busts through a wall of fire, gets by a rhinoceros riding Agni (god of fire), and finally cuts off all but two of Banas' one thousand hands.

The second part depicts "Battle between the Gods and the Demons", one of the murals I found most entertaining. I liked that each of the 21 gods have some crazy animal they are riding. For instance, Skanda (god of war) decides to ride in on a peacock, and Brahma is on a goose. If it were me I'd roll like Varuna (god of water), on a five headed naga (serpent).

In the northwest pavilion there are more depictions from Ramayana, only better preserved. My favorite bit here was on the north wall over the opening where Vishnu is kicking back on his serpent (Ananta) while his wife rubs his feet and topless Apsaras are flying over head.

Turning back onto the west gallery I reached the final mural, "Battle for Lanka". This was my favorite one of all, mostly because it is primarily a jumbled tangle of monkey on monkey fighting. It depicts the climax of the Ramayana epic, where Rama and his allies, together with the aid of Hanuman and his monkey army, defeats Ravana and successfully rescues Sita.

I was now ready to enter the western entrance to the cross-shaped galleries that provide the link between the first and second levels. On the right was the Gallery of "Prah Pean" (1,000 Buddhas) where there were hundreds (I don't know about 1,000) Buddha statues of various types. Most of them were missing at least one part, and several just had a chunk of the base remaining. After the hundreds of Buddha statues I had already seen on the trip, there was nothing here that I found remarkable enough to hang around for.

Next, I walked to the other sided of the Cross-Shaped Galleries and stood against the wall the northern exit. This tiny, yet tall, room is called the Hall of Echoes since when you beat your chest the sound resonates in a very unusual way. I have no idea if it was intended to react that way, but it was a fun experience.

After all the things I had seen, the second level seemed downright dull. Much of it seemed to be undecorated and plain. A place for kings and priests to walk around and think without much distraction I suppose. Between the smaller 2nd level libraries, I took the stairs up to the third and final level. After walking through a small gallery, I found myself in a stone courtyard dominated by the five central towers. To my dismay, they were all closed to the public with no reason given. To come all this way, just to have the last little bit snatched away from me was a little disappointing, but I was exhausted, soaked (from rain and sweat) and overwhelmed by the magnificence and sheer awesomeness of this temple. On the way back down, I couldn't help but notice that the view of the gopura was just as impressive on this side as it was on the other.

Cambodian (Khmer) Culture & Language

Language
Khmer is the official language, but especially in larger cities many Cambodians
have at least a basic knowledge of English. French is spoken by some older
Khmers.

Khmer phrases I'm trying to learn
Hello - jum ree-up soo-a
Goodbye - jum ree-up leah[formal] / lee-hai [informal]
Yes - baat
No - a-dtay
Please - soam-un-jern
Thank You - arkun

Sampeah - Cambodian Greeting
The sampah is used as a greeting, show of respect, way to say thank you or
apologize. While performing the sampeah, the person places his palms together in
a prayer-like fashion while bowing slightly and, if it is a greeting, saying
Chum Reap Suor (Hello). One should address Cambodians by Lok (Mr.) or Lok Srey
(Mrs.) along with their name.

It is also important when one sampeahs to elders as a sign of respect and
politeness. The higher the hands and the lower the bow, the more respect is
shown. When praying to the Buddha, the person places his palms together close to
his or her face and brings his or her hands toward the ground three times.

Cash conversion
Cambodia's official currency is reil. However, the US dollars is also widely
used in this country. One can actually buy stuffs, pay for rents and fares using
US currency. Right now the US dollar to riel is a little over 1:4200, but from
my understanding the merchants will use a 1:4000 conversion. Since ATMs are not
very common, and places like hotels can exchange the money, I plan on taking a
the money I think I’ll need in USD and having around 40,000 reil (about $10) at
a time for smaller purchases.

Cell phone use in Cambodia
This is assuming your phone and your plan work in Cambodia:

Dial locally within Cambodia - If you are dialing a place in Cambodia with the
same city code as which you are calling, just dial the number. If the number has
a different city code, dial "0," plus the city code, plus the phone number.

Calling the United States from Cambodia - First dial "001" (this is the
international prefix to dial outside of Cambodia). Then dial "1" (this is the
international code used to dial to the U.S.). Follow that by the city code and
phone number.

Cultural mores
• Showing someone the bottom of your foot expresses the same insult as flipping
them your middle finger.
• Ask Before taking someone's photograph
• Bring a gift when visiting someone's home
• Don't engage in public displays of affection
• Don't touch people on the head. This is considered rude in Buddhist countries
(the head is the crucial and sacred as it where the intelligence and spiritual
substance reside)
• Remove your shoes before entering a home of religious building
• Don't use your left hand for eating or shaking hands. In many Asian countries,
the left hand is used for toilet business.
• One should follow the basic manners in Cambodia wherein a native is supposed
to wake up before sunrise or else he is considered lazy.
• Make sure to sit with your legs straightened down and not crossed else it is
considered impolite.
• One should close their doors gently else one is known for its bad temper.
• Elders are highly respected as per their seniority.

Angelina Jolie Cambodian Tattoo
On her left sholder blade is a Buddhist Pali incantation written in Khmer script
to protect her and her adopted Cambodian son Maddox from bad luck. Here's the
translation:

May your enemies run far away from you.
If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always.
Your beauty will be that of Apsara.
Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on
all sides.

Theravada Buddhism

In the last post I mentioned that Theravada Buddhism was the dominate religion in Cambodia in 1296, however I didn't go on to point out that it is still the dominant religion today with 96.4% of the population clamming to be Buddhist.

Buddhism is primarily based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama who lived and taught in Nepal and India around 400 BCE and is regarded as the Buddha (The Awakened One). The central premise of his philosophy was to find a path to salvation by attaining insight into the ultimate nature of reality. There are two major branches of Buddhism. The first, and older, is Theravada ("The School of the Elders"). The second is Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle"). Both schools believe in the teachings of the Buddha, but there is disagreement on the expression and implementation. Unlike the Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland however, there is no animosity born out of this disagreement. Since Theravada is dominant in Cambodia and Southeast Asia, I'm focusing on that one.

Legend has it that King Asohka of India sent out a couple of monks to SE Asia in the 3rd century BCE where it spread, mingled and coexisted with Brahmanic religions that were introduced through trade with India. Sanskrit inscriptions and Chines reconds show that Buddhism was prominent in the Funan and Chenla Kingdoms, but around 600 CE the tide started shifting towards Hindu. While Hindu was the state religion of the Angkor Kingdom (except during Jayavarman VII), Mahahana Buddhist practices, strongly influenced with Tantric tendencies, were widely accepted.

Cambodia transitioned to Theravada Buddhism in the 13th Century after Tamilinda (Jayavarman VII's son) returned from Sri Lanka as an ordained Buddhist monk. This form of Buddhism was much more disciplined and orthodox being based only on the earliest teachings of the Buddha. One reason Theravada became so popular so fast was that it was inclusive of all members of society and not just the elites. This relatively sudden ground swell of ideological change may also have had a hand in overthrowing the "god-king" and bringing the Angkor Kingdom to an end.

Cambodia Trip Planning - A closer look at Angkor

Since Angkor Wat is the "big deal" in Cambodia, and one of my primary motivations for going, I thought I would take a closer look at it. As previously mentioned, The Angkor Empire started in 802 CE when King Jayavarman II broke away from Java. He set up his capital in Hariharalava (today called Roluos), just southeast of Angkor Wat. Harihara is the name of a deity that combines the essence of Vishnu (Hari) with that of Shiva (Hara). He also started a trend of associating the ruler with the power of Shiva by proclaiming himself a devaraja or "god king" (deva = god, raja = king). A title he felt he deserved after unifying several political factions in the area.

Side note: Connecting the king to Hinduism was started 300 years earlier by the first Khmer ruler, Rudravarman, who's name comes from adding the name of a powerfull Hindu deity (Rudra = Controller of awesome powers) with varman (protected by). Jaya and Vijaya were the gate-keepers of Vaikuntha, which was Vishnu's dwelling and means "place or eternal bliss".

In 877 Indravarman I comes to power and builds the empire's first "baray", a giant artificial body of water used for irrigation.

His son, Yashovarman I, then comes to power in 889 and moves the capital to the Angkor area. The new capitol is called Yasodharapura and is centered around a temple on a low hill known as Phnom Bakheng, surrounding it with a moat fed from the East Baray. In this case the baray not only irrigated the rice fields, but also represented the mythological oceans surrounding Mount Meru (Phnom Bakheng), the abode of the Hindu gods.

Typically, a lingam served as the central religious image of the Angkorian temple-mountain. Usually set in an open base (the female yoni), the lingam was anointed by priests with milk and other libations as the source of life. The temple-mountain was the center of the city, and the lingam in the main sanctuary was the focus of the temple. The name of the central lingam was the name of the king himself, combined with the suffix "-esvara" which designated Shiva. Through the worship of the lingam, the king was identified with Shiva, and Shaivism became the state religion.

Over the next 300 years, the Khmer empire produced some of the world's most magnificent architectural masterpieces in the Angkor. There was a short period where Jayavarman IV moved the capitol to Koh Ker in 928, but Rajendravarman II moved it back to Angkor in 944. Some 72 major temples or other buildings dot the area. King Suryavarman II built the most famous temple, Angkor Wat, between 1113 and 1150 as his personal temple mausoleum.

Beautiful nymphs called apsaras arose from the foam in a Hindu creation myth, Churning of the Sea of Milk. They dance and sing for the gods and mortals who reach paradise. Some 1700 apsaras are carved on the walls of Angkor Wat alone; thousands more - individual in dress, hairstyle, and ornamentation - appear in almost every Angkor temple, Hindu and Buddhist alike. Classical Cambodian dance echoes an apsara's graceful gestures.

Breaking with the tradition of the Khmer kings, and influenced perhaps by the concurrent rise of Vaisnavism in India, he dedicated the temple to Vishnu rather than to Siva. With walls nearly one-half mile long on each side, Angkor Wat grandly portrays the Hindu cosmology, with the central towers representing Mount Meru, home of the gods; the outer walls, the mountains enclosing the world; and the moat, the oceans beyond. However worship of Vishnu was secondary and always pressant.

After Suryavarman, thinks went downhill for a bit. Internal strife opened the door for the Cham (now southern Vietnam) to invade and destroy Yasodharapura. The future King Jayavarman VII rallied his people and defeated the Cham. After he was crowned in 1181 he built Angkor Thom over the ruins of Yasodharapura. He also shifted the state religion from Hinduism to Mahayana Buddhism. He built the Bayon at the heart of Angkor Thom, and on the face towers, the king represented himself as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Buddhist hero who renounced nirvana to save all sentient beings) moved by compassion for his subjects. Hindu temples were altered to display images of the Buddha, and Angkor Wat briefly became a Buddhist shrine. But after his death there was a Hindu revival and most of the Buddhist images were desecrated.

In 1296 Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan visited Angkor and the journal of his experiences are the most significant source of information about everyday life at Angkor. He also observed tree separate religious groups: Theravada Budhism (the dominant one), Brahmans and Shaivites or lignam worshippers. It was around this time that the Angkorian civilization began to decline and officially came to an end when Thai invaders sacked Angkor in 1431. Only Angkor Wat remained occupied as a Buddhist shrine.

Cambodia Trip Planning - The Sites

For the most part I'll just be tagging along, but if someone asks what I would like to do today, I've put together a list of things that caught my eye.

Things to do in Siem Reap
Angkor Archeological Park - Home to the magnificent Khmer temple ruins of Angkor, including the legendary Angkor Wat, Bayon and dozens of other ancient ruins of the Angkorian-era (9th-13th century) Khmer Empire. The Park encompasses more than 400 square kilometers just outside Siem Reap City in northwestern Cambodia and is a World Heritage Site.

Suggested three day itinerary: Day 1 (morning): Angkor Thom (south gate), Bayon Temple, Terrace of the Leper King, Terrace of the Elephants, Baphuon Temple; Day 1 (afternoon): Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng (for sunset); Day 2 (morning): Prasat Kravan, Banteay Kdei, Srah Srang, Ta Prohm, Victory gate, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda; Day 2 (afternoon): Pre Rup, Eastern Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean, Preah Khan; Day 3 (morning): Kbal Spean, Banteay Srei, Banteay Samre; Day 3 (afternoon): The Ruluos group

Land Mine Museum - The Land Mine Museum is run by Aki Ra, an ex army Land Mine casualty. He started off by turning the garden of his home into a museum of mines and other ordnance. The museum is now located in a purpose built location approximately 12 miles from Siem Reap in the direction of Bantay Srei.

Angkor National Museum - In a beautiful building, you will discover the Golden Era of the Khmer Kingdom, through state of the art multimedia technology, to provide visitors a full easy to understand story of the legend.

Tara Riverboat – Largest riverboat on the Tonle Sap Lake. Explore the floating village of Kompong Phluk, flooded forest and great lake.

Psar Chaa - Old Market - This flea market offers Khmer antiques, Cambodian food and tourist souvenirs.

Puok Silk Farm – A silk farm and factory with a free tour.

Things to do in Phnom Penh
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum - This former torture and detention center is now a museum dedicated to the victims of the Khmer Rouge.

Russian Market - The Russian Markets (Phsar Tuol Tom Pong) are busy and full of life, as well as being able to buy thousands of things you don't really need, and gifts for people who don't really need them but...

The Killing Fields (Choeung Ek) - These were the execution grounds for the Khmer Rouge.

National Museum - This beautiful sandstone museum was opened in 1920 and showcases many fine examples of Angkor Wat statuary.

Wat Phnom – The temple on the hill. The only hill in town. According to legend, the first pagoda on this site was erected in 1373 to house four statues of Buddha deposited here by the waters of the Mekong and discovered by a woman name Penh.

Independence Monument - This obelisk commemorates Cambodia's freedom from France in 1953.

Royal Palace - Still the dwelling place of the king, this palace contains the Silver Pagoda (Wat Preah Keo Morokat), whose floor is made up of 5329 silver tiles, each weighing 1.125 kilograms.

Wat Ounalom – Headquarters of the Cambodian Buddhist patriarchate and the country’s pre-eminent center of Buddhist education.

Bon Om Touk (Water and Moon Festival) – The first through third in November this year. One of the biggest and most extravagant festivals in Cambodia. Brightly-colored boats do battle in highly competitive races.

Other places and activities
Mekong River – This is the major river running through Cambodia. I would love to be able to take a boat trip up the river and see the freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins.

Kompong Cham – This is the town where Steve's wife's family lives, and the third largest in Cambodia. Near by is the 11th century sanctuary Wat Nokor, the bamboo bridge across the Mekong to the island of Koh Paen is suppose to be impressive and there are a couple of hilltop pagodas to the east (Phnom Pros and Phnom Srei) that might be worth exploring.

Recommendations from the host of Tasty Dog in the Kingdom: Kampot and Kep, a couple of laid back coastal towns; Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia; Mondulkiri, located in a uqueqe area of Cambodia and home of some beautiful nature hikes.

Preah Vihear Temple - This would have made my list, but due to a dispute with the Thai government, both sides currently have a hefty military presence there and I would get shot if I got near it.

Cambodia Trip Planning - A Brief History

Stone tools dating back 1.83 million years have been found in Malaysia and the oldest human-like person found was the 500,000 year old "Java Man". Although Homo Floresiensis (aka the Hobbit) has been making headlines lately and is dated between 95,000 to 13,000 years old. The Khmer people (the original Cambodians) seem to have move down to Cambodia from South Eastern China around 1000 BCE and quickly set up organized agricultural societies harvesting rice, fish and domesticated animals, especially in the Mekong River valley. It was about this time when most people of Southeast Asia became heavily influenced by Indian traders and scholars, adapting their religions, sciences, and customs and borrowing from their languages.

The earliest known kingdom in the area, Funan, flourished from 68-550 CE. It reached its peak under Fan Shih-man in the early 3rd century, extending as far south as Malaysia and as far west as Burma. The Funanese established a strong system of mercantilism and commercial monopolies that would become a pattern for empires in the region. Fan Shih-man expanded the fleet and improved the Funanese bureaucracy, creating a quasi-feudal pattern that left local customs and identities largely intact, particularly in the empire's farther reaches.

The Khmers formed Chenla, a vassel state to Funan, in 550. The Khmer Kingdom of Bhavapura was lead by Ishanavarman who completely conquered the kingdom of Funan during 612-628. He chose his new capital at the Sambor Prei Kuk, naming it Ishanapura. The weakening of the Funan state at this time can largely be explained by distant events: the collapse of the Roman Empire and subsequently trade routes between the Mediterranean and China. After the death of Jayavarman I in 681 the kingdom broke up into many principalities.

In 802 the kingdom of Kambuja (which gave Kampuchea, or Cambodia, its name) began in the Angkor region in western Cambodia. Under Jayavarman VII (1181–ca. 1218), Kambuja reached its zenith of political power and cultural creativity. Jayavarman VII gained power and territory in a series of successful wars against its close enemies; the Cham or Vietnamese. Following Jayavarman VII's death, Kambuja experienced a gradual decline. Important factors were the aggressiveness of neighboring peoples (especially the Thai, or Siamese), chronic interdynastic strife, and the gradual deterioration of the complex irrigation system that had ensured rice surpluses. The Angkorian monarchy survived until 1431, when the Thai captured Angkor Thom and the Cambodian king fled to the southern part of the country.

The next 400 years are known as Cambodia's "Dark Ages". With the exception of a short time in the sixteenth century where they were able to establish trade with other parts of Asia and the Spanish & Portuguese "discovered" Ankor, Cambodia was a pawn in the power struggles between Siam and Vietnam. Siam started off with the upper hand, but when the Vietnamese annexed the Mekong Delta, cutting off Cambodia's access to the sea, Vietnamese absorption of the Khmer people seemed inevitable.

In 1863, King Norodom singed over Cambodia to the French where the French tried, till WWII to create a Union Indochinoise (Union of Indochina). In 1940 the Japanese displaced French authority in Vietnam. Thailand saw this as an opportunity to squeeze the weakened French for control of Cambodia, and after the French-Tai War, walked away with a couple of provinces. In 1941 the French made Norodom Sihanouk king (19 at the time), seeing him as inexperienced and easy to manipulate. While this seemed to work for a while, he took direct control of the government from June 1952 until February 1955 (shredding the constitution he ratified in 1947) where he pushed the French into letting go of Cambodia on November 9th, 1953.

During the first administration of Sihanouk Cambodia tried to have a neutral foreign policy, but by the mid '60s the Viet Cong had bases in parts of the east. In 1969 the USA bombing runs along the border and the Khmer Rouge insurgency, helped to destabilize Sihanouk's control. Eventually he was driven abroad for medical reasons in January 1970. This allowed General Lon Nol to take control with a military coup d'état. Cambodia then allies with the United States and used joint forces to try and drive out the NVA, with very little affect. On October 9, the Cambodian monarchy was abolished, and the country was renamed the Khmer Republic.
In 1972, a constitution was adopted, a parliament elected, and Lon Nol became president. But the government was to week and corrupt and Pol Pot and Ieng Sary asserted their dominance over the Vietnamese-trained communists eventually collapsing the Republic and taking control in April 1975.

Immediately after its victory, the CPK forced everyone to work as farmers in order to shape society into a model that Pol Pot had conceived. A new constitution in January 1976 established Democratic Kampuchea as a Communist People's Republic. Khieu Samphan would chair the State Presidium and Pol Pot would act as PM. Prince Sihanouk was put under house arrest. The CIA estimated 50,000–100,000 were executed and 1.5 million died from 1975 to 1979.
A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The US tried to launch a relief effort, poring $400 million through UNICEF and the World Food Program between 1979 and 1982.

The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government (90% turn out). Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders are now on trial by an UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity.

Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King Norodom Sihanouk abdicated the throne and his son, Prince Norodom Sihamoni, was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, and there was little in the way of pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections in July 2008 were relatively peaceful.

Cambodia Trip Planning – The Flight

The dates are set for the Cambodia trip: October 30^th to November 20^th 2009. Looks like I’ll be an airline passenger for Halloween this year. Doesn’t get much more terrifying than that!

Looking around the various flight booking websites, it looks like the cheapest and fastest way is to take a Horizon Air shuttle from Portland (PDX) to SeaTac (SEA) then get on an Asiana Airlines flight (maybe my first Boeing 777?) to Seoul (ICN) and finally in to Phnom Penh (PHN). Total travel time is about 24 hours, but since I’ll be going east, local time to local time with be about 41 hours. That will be a new record for me. Naturally taking the train or even driving (leaving my car with a friend) up to Seattle was considered, but it turns out that the time added vs. money saved comparison was a wash and the convenience of just checking our bags at PDX won out. Checking the old Beer Lover’s Airport Guide, it seems like the Seattle Taproom in Concourse B is where I’ll be waiting for my connection.

Kayak.com was search engine of choose for this trip. It was my first time really using it and I really liked its functionality, search options and chart of historical flight prices around the date of my trip. Normally, I would take the flight information I liked and go directly to the airlines which usually get me a better deal, but in this case Steve booked everything through a travel agent friend of his. I was happy to learn, however, that my method yielded the same flight for the same price.