Cambodia guide

Cambodia is a small country with incredible depth. It is easy to overlook little Cambodia on the map, but this is a land of extremes and far from anonymous. The glorious extreme is the historic ruined city of Angkor and Siem Reap. The ancient Khmer remains are among the most incredible sites on the planet. This great civilisation reached its flamboyant zenith between the 9^th and 14^th centuries, their architectural feats culminating in the magnificent Angkor Wat, deservedly one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Some 100 temples survive and are generally being sensitively restored, although recently concerns have been voiced about the damage tourism is inflicting on these stunning ruins. Still, without doubt, Angkor is the defining reason to go to Cambodia.

But Cambodia has known more sinister extremes. Regional instability in the 1970's saw civil war sweep Pol Pot's Khemer Rouge to power and his introduction of an ultra-Maoist policy. Coined 'Year Zero' he intended to wipe out the existing Cambodian way of life and start afresh, but ultimately the end result was appalling genocide. More than two million died amid atrocities of unimaginable cruelty, and the educated classes were almost entirely lost.

The Vietnamese forced out the Khmer Rouge. Political chaos continued until the 1990's when some stability returned and saw the battered country finally getting back on its feet. A stroll around Phnom Penh reveals a poor but lively city with Buddhist temples and French architecture. Reminders of the recent savage past are clearly visible the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum have become ghoulish yet compulsive tourist attractions. Today Cambodia wrestles with some big modern problems below its remarkably cheerful surface. The sex trade is massive with grim statistics for AIDS and paedophilia. And you realise just where Cambodia is today when recreational activities available to tourists include hurling grenades into ponds, or for US$200 you can fire a rocket launcher and blow up a live cow.

Long Boat Race, Phnom Penh

The recent stability has led to a tourist boom and some very good hotels are springing up. The infrastructure is evolving and Cambodia is easier now than it has ever been. Siem Reap and Phnom Penh remain the only viable places to visit, although the beaches around Sihanoukville may emerge soon as there is a good strip of coastline. Temperatures remain fairly constant and typically nudge above 30 C, with the dry season running from December to April. At other times of the year it can be uncomfortably humid not the best time for clambering around the awesome but slippery temples.

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