Wednesday, April 7
Departure for Bangkok by Thai Airways at. 14:30. Expectations were high. We arrived in Bangkok almost to the scheduled time. We had only a brief layover in Bangkok.
Thursday, April 8
Kl. 8.00 we traveled again with Thai Airways to the capital Phnom Penh. Here we were received by my Cambodian friends: Sambath and Ratha, some of Ratha car and others in TukTuk.
Arrival in Phnom Penh : Rantha, Sambath and their mother Sarun
We drove to our hotel Royal Star, located on the river walk near the old royal palace. We were checked in and agreed to visit the Royal Palace today, so we have time. There was also rested a little before we go out to eat. Yes all got "blind massage". There was a misunderstanding because Ratha had with us out to eat, but did not come. We must have cleared up tomorrow why. The evening ended with a cappuccino in my room. At the restaurant where we ate was lifted shoulder high mood. There were many from the street over and they were given the Danish flag. There were bowls and very festive but expensive. We lose control of it. It was more our fault than our restaurants. But there was good atmosphere. We must learn from. But what does not happen for a festive evening. We did not think it was OK, but acceptable. From at. 18:00 to 20:00 there was dancing on the river walk. There are plenty of young people dancing and everyone can participate. We have room for the river, so we can follow the festivities.
Royal Palace
Royal Palace
Children in Sambo village
In the village
Friday, April 9
After a lovely breakfast on the top of the hotel, came Sambath and fetched us. We will visit a farm which Sambaths younger brother owns. He has cleared the area of mines and have family and friends to cultivate the soil. Sambo, who says his brother, works in the city. He is not even a farmer. After having greeted some of the village we indbyggereforetog a hike to a school that is on the way to a vantage point. The school had New Year holiday. Sambo is a lawyer in Phnom Penh. At this vantage point, there is a pagoda where there live many budistiske monks. Everything seems like there can not grow anything. It is really the dry period. There are two months to the small rainy season. I think often that can really grow anything here. But the rain is everything here. Sambaths uncle picked a fruit off a high palm. It looked like a coconut but was a fruit, which he pressed. While we have been on travel, many from the village made food for us. Good food under primitive conditions. After a little siesta villagers were assembled for distribution of clothes from Denmark and from purchases in Phnom Penh. It is exciting to share clothes donations as many happy people. Here, I would have wanted to share more with. Now we are only 5 people ... Sambath and his mother had decided that it would be a different village this time. He had gathered the villagers at a pagoda.
Gift Distribution
Gift Giving in the village
Lady get a Saron by Gift Distribution
Sambath come now and we are going out to eat. It was a really interesting meal for a cheap price and such KSN be a big difference between meals.
Saturday, April 10
Again, a nice breakfast. Today we made an exciting city tour. First visit the huge pagoda, located in the middle of town on a big high. There were many monkeys out of here around the Pagoda. There are many Cambodians who come here. There are people in need of examination, some who have illness in family, others who are getting married and others for other reasons. It is the same, you make a tray of fruit, beer, cola, incense sticks and other things. These things are put on the altar and you recite his prayers. Certain bypasses Pagoda and enjoy themselves and after approx. 1 hour Mon retrieves his victim back and eat the contents. Rĝgelespinde and 'pagodeflag get burned. These things can only be used once. An exciting visit. Now we go to Toul Sleng prison. A former school. It is also called S21. PolPot rebuilt school to a place of execution. There was executed more than second mill. Cambodians in the five years PolPot was in power. Every fifth Cambodian were killed. It was primarily intellectual, doctors, those with university uddannellse was executed. However, in some cases even executed children. We saw the cells, torture instruments and so many pictures of those executed. A tragedy in Cambodia's history.
Toul Sleng prison
Toul Sleng
Toul Sleng
Famous Painter
We drove to the Russian market, where you could buy almost anything. We walked around each. I bought gifts for my Vietnamese friends. There was also time to see a very poor area in Phnom Penh. Kl. 15:30 we took all of TukTuk to blind massage. Kl. 19:30 comes Sambath and fetch us, because we must eat in Ratha and Sarums home. Tomorrow we drive by bus to Siem Reap.
Ratha
Ratha and daughter
Sunday, April 11th
After a nice breakfast departure to Siem Reap. This time the bus at 7:30. Sambath train with the bus. We agreed that he would drive us out to Angkor. We are now the country in Siem Reap and has fċert rooms at Mandaly Inn. Kl. 16:30 we went to Angkor to see the sunset over Angkor Wat. It has been memmerere to get to the top. It will say that the last piece is still difficult. With great caution we walk the last stretch up and down. When I was here the first time in 2002 there were approx. 100 humans. Now there are thousands, maybe 3000 think happens. After we had seen the sun go down, we drove out to eat with Sambaths wife, whom he was married at 14 / 3 - 2010th We ate in Sambath and his wife's home where Sarun and Sambaths wife had made dinner and it was very tasty. We need early up tomorrow as we drive from the hotel at. 5.00.
Mums daughter and Henning
New Year singing group
Sambath and wife and Henning
Monday, April 12
We got up early around 4:30 and drove from Mandalay Inn at. 5.00. It is sunrise over Angkor Wat, in these latitudes is at. 6.00. Before we go I check on all the tickets that we got yesterday. We say hello to our TukTuk drivers. It was still dark when we drove away. We drove through a check point, just the place we got the tickets yesterday. The sunset is a magnet and it is also the sunrise. There was a special atmosphere where all waiting for the sun rises. It must be the place we had all come at once. Breakfast we got close to Angkor Wat. For 1,000 years ago lived here more than a million. humans. At the same time there were approx. 20,000 in Paris. Angkor Wat is as big as the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. It's been just as many stones for Cheops pyramid in Egypt as at Angkor Wat. After breakfast was the first stop Angkor Thom. King City, where there are three gates to enter. We stopped before the gate and went through in order to rise again in our TukTuk. First stop was the bayonet temple. The temple with its many faces. In the 10 years I have come here, you have restored it. It will be enough one never finished. Our guide fortakte on Kremers story from pictures and reliefs on the walls. Nobody can remember all the names. But a glance will cremations kingdom founded in approx. 500-600 count. The first major power which had driven the Champ Empire, which stretched from central Vietnam, with its headquarters at My Son near Da Nang. This is also where musĉet lies. One can watch the Champ Culture on the other side of Siem Reap, opposite Angkor. Around the year 1000 took cremate the regime, which covered Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam, Laos and some of Thailand. Headquarters Angkor, which we have been running around in. At the reliefs as the wizard has told about pictured: war clean, kings and religion. Angkor has alternately been Hindu and budistisk. When we were at war with the Indians can see it in their faces. Where to cremate the faces and ears long. One can also see which country had religion. After bayonet temple, we enter the royal palace, which is very dilapidated. Before going into the royal palace is responsible for ensuring we have a huge Hindu temple, which has been under restoration now in 15 years. There will probably go 10 years more before it is finished restored. We saw the royal palace. When we walk around there, there are many who will sell anything to us. We must find ourselves in, but there can also be made many good purchases. I bought many things: gifts for my Vietnamese friends. On the way through the royal palace, yes it must be the royal palace park, so we kings 2 pools. We went out through the garden gate or entrance. In Angkor heyday, it was here the big elephant fights took place. The king and the religious leaders and the governing sat four feet high. Where our tuktuk kept and all the buses was the place where they had elephants.
Here was elephant fights
Before lunch, we could just manage to see Ta Phrom temple. The temple with the big trees. Although I've seen it many times, it is still extremely impressive. If you removed the trees and the long roots temple would collapse.
Group at Ta Phrom
Group at Ta Phrom
More about Angkor Wat
Nu var det tid til frokost som vi indtog i en god resturant.
Now it was time for lunch as we took in a good restaurant. We've saved the biggest temple in the end: Angkor Wat. Yes we saw the sunrise.
It is an impressive temple. Both Hindus and budister has put his stamp on it. Again, as in bayonet temple there are long galleries of picture reliefs of cremated history. The wizard could tell much more than he does, but now we can hardly grasp it. From 2008 you can not come up. There have been many accidents. Once we see the steep stairs, one can well understand why. It was otherwise an excellent place to meditate in the upper galleries. We take our tuktuk back to Mandalay Inn saturated with impressions. For two months ago was inaugurated an entirely new staircase to the top, where there was emphasis on safety. We ended a little sooner than usual, since the heat has been hard to cope, over 41 degrees. All were agreed that it was best to quit now. I can safely say that we were tired. Banquet Dinner tonight. We were five Danish, Sambath and his wife Pether, Chhiev and his two girls, Sophael (previous guide). Dinner was very tasteful.
Chhievs two daughters
Tuesday, April 13
We need to Vietnam, Saigon. We drove from Mandalay Inn at. 8:00 morning after eating breakfast. First stop on our tuktuk was a temple building to commemorate the victims after PolPot. Mon called the "Killing Fields". Here are several budistiske monks and there is a boarding school. Students are taught by the monks. We saw how they should be. Yes we were also being present at the temple with incredible budistiske motives. We drive further and visit Chhievs wife's internet cafe. Forward to Chhievs home and see his farm as crocodiles. He has a small courtyard to those 10 * 20 meters. We climb up a ladder to see them. There were fortunately no one crashed.
In chhievs home and his livestock crocodiles
now goes further to Ton Le Sap River. We sailed out to get lunch at the lake. At this point the lake is not so great. It may be five times higher when the rainy season is about two months. We visited Sophaels home in Ton Le Sap River. The house has been much greater. The entire ground floor was built. You should now Sophaels sister who has just been married in February. The Sophaels father has tuktuk officer. We had Chhiev two girls and their cousin, three well-mannered girls. For lunch we had a lovely fish soup. Were caught a fish from the live-box. We sit now in Siem Reap airport and waiting for departure to Saigon. A quiet flight to Saigon.
Ton le Sap River
Ton le Sap River