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Nestled between two tourism giants in Southeast Asia, the Buddhist kingdom of Cambodia is a real box full of surprises. Isolated for decades by war conflicts and bloody dictatorships, the country is beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, opening up to international investors and diversifying its offer to give entry to travelers with more purchasing power.
The reflection of this reality is perceived with the naked eye in Phnom Penh (more than two million inhabitants), its elegant capital located at the confluence of the Mekong, Sap and Bassac rivers, which spread its gigantic flow in a very delta whose lands give to eat millions of Cambodians and Vietnamese. Right in that river meeting is the Royal Palace, the huge complex where Norodom Sihamoni, current king of the country, resides and receives honors. “The king is single and is considered a wise man , since he has reached level eight of knowledge of Buddhism,” explains Tola, with a fun Cuban accent, one of the guides with whom the Nuba luxury travel agency works.
SHADOWS FROM THE PAST
Behind the immaculate walls of the enclosure, the identity of the Cambodian monarchy is guarded: the Throne Room, once lined with gold; and the Silver Pagoda, named for the floor tiles, built from molten coins, on which you can admire a Buddha of solid gold groomed with diamonds.
But not everything is shine in Phnom Penh. The former Tuol Svay Prey institute , better known as S21, is today a place for memory in honor of the victims of the Khmer Rouge, a regime led by Pol Pot between 1975 and 1979. Its objective was to turn the country into a farmers' cooperative. illiterate, for which it was proposed to exterminate the entire population with training. Being urban made you a suspect; wear glasses, more than enough reason to be slaughtered or slaughtered to save on ammunition.
To take off the stomach knot and reconcile with Cambodian kindness, Tula takes us to Wat Phnom , Mrs. Penh's pagoda, legendary grandmother who is credited with the foundation of the city -Phnom Penh literally means Penh Hill -, in whose venerated image come those who need a stroke of luck in their lives.
But if there is a powerful reason to choose Cambodia, it cannot be other than the temples of Angkor , the largest religious complex in the world. Angkor was the main political center of the Khmer Empire, a town from which Cambodians descend, who between the ninth and thirteenth centuries maintained a tug of war with their Vietnamese and Thai neighbors. Reflection of these disputes is the name of Siem Reap, the lively city to the northwest of the country where the temples are located, whose name can be translated as Defeated Siamese . In spite of the continuous massification that supports the set, its extension is such that, if one wants, he can enjoy moments of certain solitude leaving the most obvious path.
THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE
The ritual of the visit begins at dawn in Angkor Wat, the main temple that was never abandoned, a national symbol whose silhouette appears on the flag of the country as a coat of arms. At 4.30 in the morning dozens of tuk tuks leave Siem Reap hotels in the direction of Angkor Wat loaded with tourists who do not want to miss the sunrise ceremony that is lived as intensely as if it were the last.
The natural spectacle is most guaranteed during the months of February and March, when the red sky explodes behind the profile of the three towers of the temple; or along the winter and summer solstices, when the sun rises exactly on the axis of the central tower. It is no accident: "Everything in Angkor Wat is accurately measured to be symmetrical and turn around a point, a round stone located just below the main tower that represents Mount Meru , the center of the universe according to Hinduism," he explains Vuthy, our local cicerone.
To the north of the temple is the so-called Great City, Angkor Thom, the walled enclosure with five mysterious doors that cross by bicycle , the means of transport that many visitors choose to move around the vast monumental complex. Inside awaits one of the most photographed temples: Bayon, with its more than 216 giant faces of Buddha.
No one can (or should) leave Angkor without visiting r Ta Prohm , built to house the ashes of a king's mother. Ta Prohm is presented almost as it was rediscovered a century ago, engulfed by the jungle, with the immense roots and trunks of Ficus Gibbosa embedded between the stones forming a unique image that the cinema has taken advantage of as a stage for the adventures of Lara Croft , the archeologist played by Angelina Jolie in the Tomb Rider saga .
PRACTICAL GUIDE
Drop down
How to get. Companies like Qatar Airways fly to Phnom Penh from Madrid and Barcelona from 740 euros.
Where to sleep. Raffles Hotel Le Royal. Historic five stars. Phum Baitan Resort. Cambodian villas in Siem Reap.
More information The Nuba agency creates personalized trips throughout the territory of Cambodia.
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