What to pack for Cambodia

Miscellaneous:
Sjon Hauser
Mekong
(Van de Gouden Driehoek naar Vietnam)

ISBN: 978-90-388-9013-5

2008


In de ban van de Mekong verkent Sjon Hauser vanuit zijn woonplaats Chiang Mai gedurende ruim een jaar deze grootste en meest imposante rivier van Zuidoost-Azie.
Nu eens gaat de reis op een scooter langs de oevers, dan weer zakt hij de rivier af in een vrachtschuit of hydrofiel.
In de bergdorpjes in het Thaise deel van de Gouden Driehoek woont hij een schommelfestival en de opiumoogst bij, tijdens het nieuwjaar in Luang Prabang (Laos) constateert hij dat het boedhisme er dertig jaar Pathet Lao met glans heeft overleefd.
In Noordoost Thailand verdiept hij zich in het hardnekkige geloof dat naga´s - reusachtige serpenten met bovennatuurlijke eigenschappen - de rivieren bevolken.
En in Cambodja voert de Mekong hem naar de wieg van Pol Pot en de beruchte Killing Fields.
De Mekong/delta doet hem bezinnen op zijn vroegere deelname aan de demonstraties tegen de Vietnamoorlog: niemand anders weet de lezer op zo´n persoonlijke en indringende wijze mee te nemen naar de streek die hem lief is, maar soms ook onaangenaam kan verrassen.

Luggage and bags: Bring extra space in your bag to pack all the cool things you will buy in Cambodia. Pack lightly, a day pack is a must.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Comfortable walking shoes, sandals are okay when about in the city, and easier to take off when visiting temples. When going during the hot season, bring cargo shorts and light t-shirts with a sweater just in case it gets cool in the evening. A hat is very important, as are sunglasses. Don't be dressing fancy, no where in Cambodia did I get any sense that fashion was an important issue.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Sunscreen, Mossie repellent, baby wipes, first aid kit, immodium ad, hand sanitizer, all your soaps and etc.

Photo Equipment: Lots. I enjoyed my video camera and iPod immensely.

Miscellaneous: First They Killed My Father - By Luong Ung. A very insightful and easy read into Cambodia's recent history.

Miscellaneous:
Willa Schneberg
Storytelling in Cambodia
ISBN: 978-0-934971-90-4
2006

This moving and image-rich cycle of linked poems journeys from Cambodia's mythic times through the killing fields to the U.N. presence during the first free elections.
It bears witness to the plight of the Cambodian people and to all who have endured holocausts.
Willa Schneberg's poems about Cambodia, where she worked in the early 1990's for the UN, beautifully convey the senuousness, excitement and uncertainty of a peculiar, tumultuous time.

Miscellaneous:
Dawn Rooney
Angkor
ISBN: 962-217-683-6
2002

The great legacy of the ancient Khmer civilization, the temples of Angkor, cover an area of 77 square miles in central Cambodia. These monuments, built between the ninth and 15th centuries--the classic period of Khmer art--are unrivaled in architectural greatness. They are, undoubtedly, one of the wonders of the world, astounding in their splendor and evoking a real sense of awe.
The book is divided into three sections.
The first contains background information on Khmer history, religious beliefs and legends depicted on the bas-reliefs, as well as descriptions of the decorations and architectural features.
The second part is a detailed, monument-by-monument guide to the sites, including detailed maps and plans, while the third has all the practical information needed by the visitor for staying and getting around in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

Miscellaneous:
Colin Poole
Tonle Sap (The Heart of Cambodia's Natural Heritage)
ISBN: 0-500-01890-1
1998

Colin Poole examines all aspects of Tonle Sap, Cambodia's Great Lake: its environment, fauna, history, culture and its beauty, all shown through evocative and memorable photographs, encouraging visits!

Miscellaneous:
Thierry Zephir
Luca Invernizzi Tettoni
Angkor (A Tour of the Monuments)
ISBN: 981-4068-73-x
2004

All the major temples in the Angkor complex are described in this pictorial guide, starting with Angkor Wat and the monuments within Angkor Thom, and moving out to the temples in the surrounding landscape. Commissioned photographs show temples in their entirety as well as important details, including sculpture, architectural decoration and the reliefs, which are among the chief glories of the place.

Miscellaneous:
The Siam Society
The Customs of Cambodia
ISBN: 974-8359-68-9
1992

The only description of Angkor at the height of its splendor is to be found in Chou Ta-Kuan's Notes on the Customs of Cambodia.
This chronicler was native of Yungchia, in the province of Chekiang (China). In 1296-1297 he was assigned to duty with a Chinese embassy which passed nearly a year in Cambodia.
Returning to China, he wrote his account - presumably at once, but certainly before 1312.
This is the Siam Society edition of Chou Ta-Kuan's lively account of the customs of late thirteenth century Cambodia.

Miscellaneous:
Bernard P. Groslier
Angkor and Cambodia in the Sixteenth Century
ISBN: 974-524-053-2
2006

This book is based on Groslier's seminal study of the accounts of early Spanish and Portuguese missionaries and adventures in Cambodia.
The reports of the Europeans record the earliest surviving firsthand accounts of Angkor, following the "rediscovery" of the site by the Kmers, over a hundred years after its abandonment in 1432 CE, and four hundred years prior o the colonization of Cambodia by the French.
While the accounts are fascinating in their own right, Groslier employs some of their key observations on the structure of Angkor in the 16th century to embark on further exploration of his own into the nature of Kmer civilization.
Groslier reconstructs a broad picture of Angkorian civilization, its economy, the genius of its engineers and planners, its unique religious foundations and the pivotal humanitarian role of it's god-kings.