Showing posts with label Cambodia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cambodia. Show all posts

Saturday 2 March 2024

Angkor Temples, Cambodia

The phrase "Angkor Temples & Ancient Sites" describes a collection of temples and historic locations in Cambodia's Angkor area. The Khmer Empire peaked during the ninth and fifteenth centuries CE, with its capital city being Angkor. The pinnacle of Khmer art and architecture may be seen in the temples and ancient sites of Angkor, which also serve as a reminder of the area's rich cultural heritage. The most famous temple in Angkor is Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world's biggest religious structures. Angkor Wat, a temple complex with exquisite sculptures and breathtaking architectural details, was constructed in the 12th century CE and mixes Buddhist and Hindu influences.

Other noteworthy temples in the region are Ta Prohm, which is partly hidden by tree roots and has a striking combination of architecture and nature, and Bayon, which is well-known for the mysterious smiling faces carved on its towers. The Khmer Empire's political, spiritual, and cultural hub was the ancient city of Angkor. The West Baray reservoir and Angkor Thom, two examples of advanced irrigation systems, demonstrate the Khmer people's engineering prowess. The temples and other Angkorian sites have withstood the test of time and continue to be an irreplaceable heritage, despite various challenges such as environmental variables and warfare. 


Thursday 9 August 2018

Bamboo Bridge, Cambodia


An incredible Bamboo Bridge in Cambodia around 3,300 foot long is taken down and rebuilt every year. The amazing bridge contains 50,000 sticks of bamboo, built during the dry season to link the town of Kampong Cham with 1,000 families on Koh Paen Island across the Mekong River. Due to fear of flood in rainy season starting May till November, the locals dismantle the Bamboo Bridge and store all of bamboos. When the bridge isn't up, a ferry then takes people across the river.

The constant building and dismantling of the bamboo bridge has taken place annually from many decades and was only missed several times during the civil war in Cambodia. The Bamboo Bridge is strong enough to accommodate motorbikes, cars, bicycles and Trucks. The bridge is also providing facility to pedestrians. So, for to crossing the bridge locals charged 100 riel, which is only a few cents or one penny in sterling. However higher fee charged from tourists up to 40 times more. Hence once the dry season comes to an end, the bridge must be dismantled and stored as the strong currents of the Mekong are too strong for the crossing to survive.

Though, it is unknown for how much longer the tradition of building and dismantling the bridge will continue. Last year, a permanent concrete bridge was built by the Cambodian government further upstream, leading to fears the bamboo crossing would not return. But one traveler who visited Kampong Cham in April confirmed that the bridge was still there and still going strong - but is narrower than before. The bridge is rather less substantial than before, now carrying foot traffic only (well, I suspect they let motos across as well, but I didn't see that - maybe it's banned. Another TripAdvisor user, explained that it currently costs $1 US to cross and that it costs a further $1 to walk a bicycle across. Source: CP