Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Continue southeast along a lotus-flower-lined concrete path to the most impressive
structure on Phnom Preah Reach Throap,
Vihear Preah Ath Roes
. The
vihara
and an enorm-
ous seated Buddha, dedicated in 1911 by King Sisowath, were blown up by the Khmer
Rouge in 1977. The
vihara,
supported by eight enormous columns and topped by a soar-
ing tin roof, was recently rebuilt, as was the 20m high Buddha.
At the base of the main (northern) staircase leading up to Phnom Preah Reach Throap,
near the restaurants, is a
memorial
to the victims of Pol Pot. It contains the bones of some
of the people who were buried in approximately 100 mass graves, each containing about a
dozen bodies. Instruments of torture were unearthed along with the bones when a number
of the pits were disinterred in 1981 and 1982. Just north of the memorial is a pavilion dec-
orated with graphic murals depicting Khmer Rouge atrocities.
Southeast of Phnom Preah Reach Throap, the smaller ridge has two structures and sev-
eral stupas on top.
Ta San Mosque
faces westward towards Mecca. Across the plains to the
south of the mosque you can see
Phnom Vihear Leu
, a small hill on which a vihara (temple
sanctuary) stands between two white poles. To the right of the
vihara
is a building used as
a prison under Pol Pot's rule. To the left of the
vihara
and below it is a pagoda known as
Arey Ka Sap
.
Phnom Udong really fills up with locals at weekends but is quiet during the week. Ad-
mission is free but myriad beggars and vendors will do their best to get money out of you.
THE SHOOTING RANGES
Shooting ranges have long been a popular activity for gung-ho travellers visiting Cambodia. Cambod-
ia's lack of law enforcement and culture of impunity allowed visitors to do pretty much anything they
wanted in the bad old days. A number of military bases near Phnom Penh were transformed into
shooting ranges and rapidly became popular with tourists wanting to try their luck with an AK-47,
M-60 or B-40 grenade launcher. The government periodically launched crackdowns, but the business
continued largely unabated.
And so the show goes on. The most popular one is located just beyond the go-cart track in Kambol
district off NH4. Visitors can try out a range of weapons, but most of the machine guns work out at
about US$1 a bullet. Handguns are available at the lower end, while at the other extreme it is possible
to try shooting a B-40 rocket-propelled grenade launcher (US$350).
Sleeping & Eating
The sprawling and impressive
Cambodia Vipassana Dhura Buddhist Meditation Centre
( con-
tact Mr Um Sovann 016883090;
www.cambodiavipassanacenter.com
)
is near the base of the western
