Still
called "The People's Democratic Republic of Kampuchea"
when I visited, Cambodia in 1988 was under occupation by Vietnamese
forces, who had invaded the country nine years prior in order
to oust the Pol Pot regime. At that time, small groups
were being permitted to visit for a few days - although over-night
stays at Siem Riep (Ankor Wat) were not permitted. The
only air route into the country was from Ho
Chi Minh City, and we flew on a chartered Russian-made Air
Vietnam aircraft which was actually the property of the Vietnamese
Politburo (or so they claimed). We flew directly to Siem
Riep from Ho Chi Minh City, spent the full day in Angkor Thom
and Angkor Wat, then flew on to Phnom Penh, where we spent a
further three days.
All images with turned-down
corners can be enlarged by clicking on the image.
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The south gate of Angkor Thom. We were lucky
enough to be one of the first groups allowed into the Angkor
Thom ("The Bayon") for many years. Khmer Rouge
guerrilas had only recently been pushed away from the area.
Angkor Thom is a short distance from Angkor Wat, and is famous
for its towering 4-faced monuments.
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Cyclists on the causeway leading to the south gate
of the Angkor Thom complex. |
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These statues line the causeway leading into Angkor
Thom.
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The Bayon, inside Angkor Thom, famouse for it many
4-faced towers.
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Me (in leaner days), standing next to one of the huge
faces that pepper The Bayon.
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Angkor Wat
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All of Angkor is famous for its bas-relief stonework.
This procession scene adorns one of the outer galleries of
the Bayon, in Angkor Thom.
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Angkor Wat.
A team of experts from India were carrying out some much needed
(though somewhat controversial) restoration work after over
a decade of neglect.
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Windows at Angkor
Wat are immaculately carved from stone, as if spun on
a lathe.
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Bas-relief of an archer,
Angkor Wat.
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Recommended Reading & Listening: |
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Between 1975 and 1980,
all money in Cambodia simply ceased to exist as the country was
dragged through Pol Pot's bizarre social experiment. The
notes shown here had only recently been introduced, replacing
an interim currency system that was set up after the Khmer Rouge
were kicked back into the jungle. One side of these 50
Riel notes depict Angkor Wat, while the other depicts one of the
faces at The Bayon, in Angkor Thom. |
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Trishaw driver
at the steps leading up to Wat Phnom, in Phnom Penh.
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Hand-cranked petrol pump
- fill 'er up, Cambodian style.
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Monks on the
grounds of the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh.
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Propaganda proclaiming
the 70th Anniversary of communist government in the USSR.
I doubt that many Cambodians were enthusiastically embracing
any form of political zealotry after the Pol Pot years.
These days, any pretense of ideology in Cambodian politics
has all but disappeared. |
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The Royal Palace,
Phnom Penh. Norodom Sihanouk had not yet returned
to Cambodia from exile at the time this photo was taken
(he returned nearly 4 years later, in late 1991).
During the Khmer Rouge years, Sihanouk lived in virtual
house arrest here, while the rest of the city became a
ghost town.
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