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Interesting Places
Phnom Kulen:
Historically, Phnom Kulen is revered amongst all Cambodians as a sacred place of pilgrimage and is usually busy with hordes of locals at weekends. It was the site, then known as Mount Mahendraparvata, that Jayavarman II chose in 802 to proclaim himself a divine universal ruler and marked the beginning of the Angkor period in Khmer history. A former Khmer Rouge stronghold for the last twenty years, it was heavily mined and out of bounds until a series of defections to the government side in 1998 allowed locals and tourists the opportunity to visit this ancient site once more.
Tonle Sap Lake:
The Tonle Sap Lake is 160 km in length and 36 km in width. During the dry season, the Tonle Sap Lake has a size of 3,000 km2 with a depth of 3 m. During the wet season, it has a size of 10,000 km2 with a depth of 12 m. The Tonle Sap Lake has abundant supplies of fresh water fish. Due to the in-and-out-flow of the Tonle Sap lake carrying silt deposits, the soils of Cambodia’s lowland are considered fertile for cultivation and agriculture. The high level of soil fertility and the abundance of silt in the rivers make Cambodia become an important and high-yielding agriculture country.
Prek Toul:
Prek Toal is a magnificent floating village. It is from the village that we have access to Prek Toal's bird sanctuary which can be made only by boat from Siem Reap or Battambang. About 2 hours by boat to arrive at Prek Toal, and departure by any small boats with oar inside the sanctuary. Birds are few and some very big birds, such as pelicans, big marabouts, storks, made their nest on the big trees, according to the season. But it is a sanctuary and not a zoo and we can not always approach the birds very near, but we can observe them very well...
Wat Phnom:
A standard Southeast Asia temple, Wat Phnom is a famous city landmark. This symbol of Phnom Penh was build in 1434 to hous sacred relics. Today Wat Phnom remain the highest artificial hill in Phnom Penh and center of many forms of leisurely activities.
National Museum:
It house Khmer art, especially scultures from different periods of Cambodian history, 19th century dance costume, royal barges and palanquins. On Display inside are more than 5000 works of art.
Killing Fields:
(CHOEUNG EK)
From 1975-1979, the ultra-Communist Khmer Rouge regime, led by Pol Pot, controlled Cambodia. During their short reign, between 1 and 2.5 million Cambodians perished, some killed outright, others dying from disease, malnutrition and mistreatment.
Toul Sleng Museum:
Toul Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) prior to 1975, Toul Sleng was a high school. When the Khmer Rouge came to power it was converted into the S-21 prison and interrogation facility. Inmates were systematically tortured, sometimes over a period of moths, to extract confessions, after which they were executed at the killing fields of Cheung Ek. S-12 processed over 17,000 people, seven of whom survived.
BOEUNG YEAK LOAM:
Yeak Loam Lake is worshipped by nearby ethnic minorities because they believe that there is a spirit who lives, protects and owns the territory and forest here. At the western bank of the lake there is a tourist information center for guiding and giving information to tourists. The lake has water as clear as the sea, suitable for swimming and tourists like going there for swimming and hiking along the forest surrounding the lake; they usually bring their own packaged food along with them.
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