Most visitors to this Southeast Asian country only see a precious few of the sites of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Myths and Mountains guests venture off the beaten path on the trip Images of Cambodia: Festivals, Beaches, Dolphins, Wats and People. For example, travelers visit foundations for poor children who are learning music and dance or a weaving project. Explore some of the rarely visited Khmer ruins in Siem Reap, as well as the “bread basket” of the area – the Tonle Sap Lake. Guests also journey to the riverside town of Kampot; Ream National Park; Kratie, home to fresh-water dolphins; and the beach resort of Sihanoukville. This is a rare opportunity to get a sense of the realities of modern Cambodia and the lives of the Cambodian people. Land costs for this 13-day itinerary start at $2,195 per person.

Northwest of Cambodia, nestled between northern India, Nepal and Tibet, travelers experience Bhutan and its people by meeting families, seeing a variety of festivals, staying in small hotels and sampling regional foods. Spring: Festivals, Families and Nature is a blend of festivals – Talo Tsechu near Punakha and the Paro Festival. Guests learn to make traditional Bhutanese dishes, meet monks and farmers and explore giant fortresses for a truly authentic taste of the ‘road less traveled.’ Land costs for this 12-day itinerary start at $3,395 per person.

www.mythsandmountains.com

However, Cambodia’s tragic involvement into the Vietnam war and its consequent collapse in 2001 with the arrivals of the Khmers Rouges put then a definitive end to Air France’s presence on Cambodian territory. In the early nineties, following Cambodia’s political stabilization and its slow opening to the world, Air France came back to the city again, however, with an off-line representation office.

From March, France national carrier will propose three weekly flights with a stop-over in Bangkok. The route will be served by an Airbus A340-300 with a total capacity for 275 passengers. Air France plans to use at a later stage the Boeing 777-200, boosting capacity to 309 passengers.

According to Luc Delaplace, Air France-KLM general manager for Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, “By resuming flights between Phnom Penh and Paris, Air France not only demonstrates its confidence in the economic potential of Cambodia but also its determination to further develop [a] strong regional presence in the Mekong region. Air France will then become the sole network carrier operating regular services to Cambodia out of Europe.”

The return of Air France to Phnom Penh is also a victory for the Société Concessionaire des Aéroports, SCA, which operates Cambodia’s three largest airports (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville). For Nicolas Deviller, CEO of SCA, “The return of Air France is a testament of confidence in the traffic growth potential between France and Cambodia. In 2010, approximately 70,000 French national passengers should be traveling through Cambodian airports. The Air France flights will be instrumental in generating more traffic between the two countries and in further raising Cambodia’s profile.”

With the addition of the French national carrier, Phnom Penh International Airport will be served by 410 flights per week connecting the Cambodian capital to 22 destinations. Last year, Phnom Penh Pochentong airport welcomed close to 1.7 million passengers.

Source: With the support of press releases from Air France-KLM and Société Concessionnaire des Aéroports

The German government through GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) has helped villagers with physical preparation. Khiri Reach, the not-for-profit arm of Khiri Travel, is now promoting Sambor Prei Kuk, formerly known as Isanapura, the capital of a pre-Angkorian Khmer kingdom.

“Our aim is to bring more people to the Sambor Prei Kuk area and extend their stay to at least one overnight,” said Willem Niemeijer, CEO and co-founder of Khiri Travel. “The area is suitable for adventurous travelers who enjoy low-key pleasures such as forest hikes, exploration by bicycle, ox cart rides, homestays and buying locally made silk, rattan and bamboo handicrafts.”

GTZ has helped with guide training, educating locals to preserve their heritage and building a basic restaurant plus information centre and toilets for tourists.

When GTZ started work in the area there were approximately 1,200 visitors per year. There are now around 8,000, but few stay overnight.

The temples are in an impoverished area of Kampong Thom province, halfway between Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat. Most visitors pass through without stopping. That may soon change.

“Sambor Prei Kuk is at the centre of a plan to promote attractions throughout Kampong Thom province,” said Peter Bolster, program director, Private Sector Promotion, GTZ-PSP. “The provincial government has agreed to the plan which is now under consideration at the highest level of government in Phnom Penh,” he said.

Niemeijer said that inspecting the ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk can be combined with visits to other community based attractions in the province. These include Santuk Mountain, the holiest in the region, Tonle Sap protected area and bird sanctuary, the Santuk Silk Farm and an inspection of villages specialized in stone carving and making rice noodles.

Since 2005 GTZ has worked with the Sambor Prei Kuk Conservation Project to establish craft training courses for seven villages in the area. Community funds now go towards temple conservation, supporting home businesses, maintaining signage, and the upkeep of the craft hut and information centre.

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Further information about Sambor Prei Kuk can be found via Linda Oum at Linda@khirireach.com or Peter Bolster at peter.bolster@gtz.de.

About Khiri Reach

Khiri Reach aims to help the disadvantaged in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia improve their living conditions in a sustainable way. All nine projects centre around local communities. The threat of destruction of natural resources is a real concern in Southeast Asia. Conservation and a green and environmentally-friendly approach is an important part of the projects we start and contribute to. Khiri Reach believes that small business is the way forward. By far the majority of the projects we support have sustainable tourism as a common theme. Further information: www.khirireach.com.

About the Khiri Travel Group

Khiri Travel, established in 1994, is an independent destination management company with its own regional network. It has eight offices in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. The company’s detailed knowledge shows in its innovative itineraries, precise operations and commitment to responsible travel throughout the Indochina region. Visit www.khiri.com.

About GTZ in Cambodia

Cambodia is a priority partner country for German Development Cooperation. Since 1994, GTZ has been active there on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Currently ranking 137th on the Human Development Index, 31 percent of the population of Cambodia live below the poverty line and the per capita income stands at US$ 600 (2008).

Further information: http://www.gtz.de/en/praxis/609.htm

Contact the Khiri Travel Group

Head office

226/9 Tiwanon Road, Soi 24

Nonthaburi 11000 (Greater Bangkok)

Thailand

Tel: (+66) [0] 2968 6828

Fax (+66) [0] 2968 6829

Email: trade.travel@khiri.com

www.khiri.com

Thirty-six masterworks from the National Museum of Cambodia’s unparalleled collection of some 7,000 bronzes make up the exhibition, co-curated by Freer and Sackler colleagues Louise Allison Cort, curator of Ceramics, and Paul Jett, head of the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.

“This exhibition presents the stunning accomplishments of Khmer bronze casters,” said Cort. “These bronzes are among the most exquisite expressions of Khmer ideals of religious imagery and ritual implements.”

The exhibition, which grew out of a collaboration between the Freer and Sackler galleries and the National Museum of Cambodia to develop a conservation program at the National Museum, explores significant developments in bronze casting, as well as cultural and religious developments that coalesced during the Angkor period into a recognizable Khmer style of bronze form, finish and ornament.

The first of three linked galleries presents the two prehistoric bronze works in the exhibition: an urn with pictorial decoration and a bell, both examples of rare and highly valued items that were traded over long distances within Southeast Asia. The gallery also previews the Angkor period’s remarkable accomplishments in bronze casting with three sculptures: a crowned Buddha, an image of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha and a kneeling woman who may have represented an attendant in the royal palace or a temple.

In the second gallery, the exhibition delves more deeply into the evolution of bronze sculptural styles within Khmer culture. Buddhist sculptures from the pre-Angkor period (6th–8th centuries) reveal early Khmer adaptations of Indian prototypes. A highlight of this gallery is a group of seven diverse bronze figures unearthed together in 2006 that reveal the dynamic interaction of early bronze religious sculpture: they include not only images in local and regional styles but also two imported Chinese figures, both with gilding.

Bronzes from the 11th through 14th centuries in the third gallery project a distinctly Angkorian style. Objects include ritual paraphernalia and Buddhist and Hindu sculpture. A mirror that may have adorned a palace and a weighty bell for a court elephant suggest the wide importance of bronze objects among the Cambodian elite. Unlike bronze religious sculpture, these little-studied ritual and ornamental objects have rarely been exhibited.

A160-page illustrated exhibition catalog, edited by Cort and Jett, includes essays by four senior scholars illuminating the significance and development of bronze sculpture and ritual objects in the Khmer world.

Over the past five years, with support from the Getty Foundation and other sources, Jett and colleagues at the Freer and Sackler and the National Museum have established Cambodia’s first metal conservation lab. The metal conservation program, the new laboratory for the treatment of ceramics and the National Museum’s long-standing stone restoration efforts, comprise one of the most advanced conservation facilities in Southeast Asia. When the exhibition objects travel from Cambodia to the Freer and Sackler, they will be accompanied by couriers from the National Museum, who will stay on for three weeks of training in museum practices, such as conservation and exhibition design and installation. The training is part of the two museums’ ongoing partnership to study and preserve the art of Cambodia.

The exhibition will coincide with the fifth Forbes Symposium, taking place at the Freer in October 2010. The symposium will focus on the topic of scientific research on ancient metallurgy in Asia. To complement the symposium, “Aspects of Angkor,” a series of lectures presented by museum staff and guest speakers during the summer and fall, will illuminate the themes of the exhibition.

Public education programs and the Freer and Sackler’s Southeast Asian Film Festival, scheduled to run from September through October 2010, will also focus on Cambodia.

The exhibition will travel to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles in February 2011.

“Gods of Angkor: Bronzes from the National Museum of Cambodia” is organized by the Sackler Gallery in collaboration with the J. Paul Getty Museum and the National Museum of Cambodia. Major funding is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation and Leon Levy Foundation.

For more information about the Freer and Sackler galleries and their exhibitions, programs and other events, the public is welcome to visit www.asia.si.edu. For general Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285.

The Freer Gallery of Art, located at 12th Street and Independence Avenue S.W., and the adjacent Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located at 1050 Independence Avenue S.W., are on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day, except Dec. 25, and admission is free. The galleries are located near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines.

Above Image: Ganesha. Cambodia, Angkor period, 13th century. Bronze. National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Ga5987

According to Nicolas Deviller, CEO of SCA, passengers traffic at both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports should respectively grow by 3.6% and 5.6% due to a relatively sound economy and the opening of more routes out of the airport. This winter, Korean Air opened a new route from Busan to Siem Reap while Asiana reopened its flights Seoul-Siem Reap. Lao Airlines increased also its frequencies from 10 to 14 to Siem Reap from Vientiane and Pakse. New national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air recently has increased its frequencies offering 5 daily flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, three daily flights on the Siem Reap-HCM City route and two daily flights between Phnom Penh and HCM City.

SCA is looking to expand Sihanoukville Airport runway, especially with the planned development of the new Song Saa Island Resort in the Koh Rong archipelago, a 30 minute boat ride from the Cambodian resort town of Sihanoukville. The resort will comprise private villas, restaurants and bar, a water sport centre and a spa. It is expected to be completed by the mid of 2011. Sihanoukville is also likely to see more resorts been developed. The city has currently only one hotel of international standard, the Sokha Beach Resort.

Cambodia tourism has been confronted with the economic crisis to the slump of a dramatic decline from Northeast Asia, especially Japan and South Korea. Political skirmish with Thailand also contributed to a sharp drop from neighboring tourists.

After six years of uninterrupted growth -and mostly in double-digit figures-, Cambodia tourism has seen a decline in total arrivals for the first half of 2009. Albeit modest at -1.1 percent, it sent a worrying signal as tourism is one of the biggest revenues earning for the government and a major source of employment with over 300,000 Khmers working in the hotel and tourism business.

According to a survey, South Korean travelers, among Cambodia’s top incoming markets, drop by a third during the first semester 2009. Markets such as Australia, China, Thailand or Japan declined also in double-digit numbers. Growth was however recorded in Vietnam -now Cambodia’s largest incoming market-, France, the UK and the USA.

The city of Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat fabled temples are located, has been more affected by the drop. According to data from the airports authority, the number of passengers at Siem Reap declined from January to May by 25.5 percent, from 778,000 to 580,000.

During the same period, Phnom Penh saw passengers’ traffic declining by a more modest 12.9 percent from 767,000 to 667,000 passengers. Numbers have since substantially improved at Phnom Penh International Airport. Passengers’ traffic was only down by 10.2 percent at the end of August.

The disaffection for Angkor Wat is also reflected into the revenues from Apsara Authorities, which manages the temples. For the first half of the year, revenues from ticket sales were down by almost 20 percent. It would be the second consecutive year of decline for the authority as revenues from ticket sales already dropped from US$ 32 to 30 million between 2007 and 2008. Bun Narith, director general of the Apsara Authority, blamed the economic crisis, political uncertainties in neighboring Thailand and bad weather for the overall drop.

Meanwhile, tourism in Cambodia seems to have reached the bottom line. In July, the kingdom recorded an increase of 10 percent in total arrivals. Numerous price reductions and discounts in hotels and tourist attractions, the opening of new border crossings, more flights to Cambodia thanks to the new national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA) should contribute to put back tourism on the right track. The government has already promised to start again a TV campaign on channels in China, Japan and Korea and predict that tourism will grow again from September. With a bit of luck, it could even erase completely its decline and show a modest growth in total arrivals by year-end.

In 2008, total arrivals to the city declined by 5.5 percent including a 12.2 percent decline in air arrivals. Foreign tourist arrivals to Cambodia dropped again by 3.4 percent in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period of 2008 according to the Ministry of Tourism statistics.

Cambodia is now reacting by introducing more flexibility for visitors to the fabled Angkor Wat temples. Since July 1st, the 3-day entry pass to the Angkor Heritage Area will be valid on any 3 days within a calendar week instead of 3 consecutive days. Even better, the 7-day entry pass has now validity for an entire month instead of the week of issue. The strict rule of using the pass only in consecutive days was a main reason of complaint from both tour operators to the destinations and visitors.

Cambodian authorities are also mulling over the idea of opening some of the temples at night to draw more visitors to the World Heritage site.

In Vietnam, authorities are doing back-pedal. Last January, eTN reported that
Sport and Tourism Deputy Minister Tran Chien Thing did not see the possibility of granting visa on arrivals at international border crossings for travelers, while estimating that it would put the safety and security of the country at stake.

The economic crisis seems to make things now possible. After a decline of 10 percent in international tourist arrivals from August to December 2008, the declining trend is accelerating in 2009. From January to April, total international tourist arrivals reached only 1.297 million, down by 17.8 percent compared to the same period of 2008. According to market research company CB Richard Ellis Vietnam (CBRE), room occupancy at five-star hotels in Ho Chi Minh City in the first quarter plunged 31.5 percent year-on-year while room rates falling about 6.6 percent. Hanoi does slightly better.

The Vietnamese government has then officially announced that Vietnam will “soon” start to provide visa-on-arrivals at international airports and border crossing points for all international travelers. Vu The Binh, head of the travel department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), officially gave the information to reporters. The implementation will take a few months to give time for the Customs Department to adapt its information technology system to accommodate the new system. VNAT and other concerned departments will then look at the new visa procedures.

In another effort to attract more travelers, Vietnam is also waiving visa fees for tourists buying a package tour under the “Impressive Vietnam” promotional program. Available until September 30, “Impressive Vietnam” package programs are sold by over 90 tour operators, all listed under a special website. If successful, the program could be prolonged until the end of the year. With visa available on arrivals, Vietnam is likely to enter into a new tourism era. At last!

The Khmer Rouge regime, which lasted from 1975 to 1979, remains one of the most dreadful eras in human history. Nearly a fifth of the entire Cambodian population died during this time. Several thousand innocent people were captured and held in the infamous S-21, a prison which only a dozen survived.

The former high school was transformed into a prison soon after the rule was established. The prisoners were subject to inhuman torture and forced to ridiculous confessions. After a period of about three months, they were taken away and murdered. The killing fields outside Phnom Penh, where the prison was situated, are a shocking example of the cruelty of the regime.

To commemorate all those who lost their lives in the prison, the S-21 has been turned into the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide. Photographs and paintings of the victims line the walls as well as displays of the various deadly instruments used to torture the prisoners.

Unfortunately, those responsible have not yet been punished. In fact, the process with several high-ranking members of the Khmer Rouge regime has just started. Only one of them has expressed some regret. As the nation expects a fair ordeal, hundreds of visitors come to Tuol Sleng Museum to understand the past.

Documents have been made, interviews with the dozen of survivors have been shot and thousands of pictures taken. In fact, one of the photographers of the terrible regime is now attempting to open a museum in the former communist stronghold Anlong Veng. The museum features over a thousand photographs he had taken during the late 1970s. No matter how questionable his motives are, shedding more light on the darkest chapter in Cambodian history may help the nation move on.

Ho Vandy, co-chairman of the Tourism Working Group of CATA, told local newspaper Phnom Penh Post that members of the private sector met with Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon to discuss the possibility of visa exemption for tourists, possible increase in flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap, and other initiatives.

Dr. Thong Khon will present these proposals to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Wednesday, said Ho Vandy, to assess whether the measures are financially viable. About two million tourists visit Cambodia per year with each required to pay a visa fee of at least a US$20.

Ho Vandy explained that incentive measures are urgent given the economic climate. “If the government doesn’t take action … we will face a serious problem in the tourism sector,” he said.

The 664-page book examines the lifestyles and cultures of Cambodian residents of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Laotian descent, as well as members of Muslim and other minority communities, CAS director Hun Sokhom was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.
“We hope the book will help Khmer people better understand the traditions and cultures of each ethnic group,” Hun Sokhun said, adding that he believed that widespread distribution of the book will reduce discrimination directed at minority groups.

The book is based on two separate studies carried out by Khmer and foreign experts – a three-month study by the United Nations in 1996, and a 12-month study in 2006, paid for by the Rockefeller Foundation, according to the newspaper.