Cambodia's Coast the Next Thailand for Tourism

Photos: Cambodian flag (right), Angkor Wat (top)

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Arati Menon Carroll / Mumbai November 11, 2007

Natural beauty, stunning ruins, brutal history, a laid-back atmosphere and a twist of isolation: try this country while it’s still fresh.

If you’ve shopped in Singapore, sunbathed in Phuket and scuba dived in Bali, but can’t get enough of South-east Asia for its proximity and affordability, try out Cambodia for size. Cambodia is witnessing a resurgence as a South-east Asian tourist destination. And its not just the temples of Angkor that are fuelling this, although the complex is noted for being one of the great archaeological sites in the world.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, is like any modern bustling Asian city, but is visually striking, being on the confluence of two rivers and with its wide boulevards and colonial buildings that hark back to its French colonial history. Indians will feel right at home with the pedalled rickshaws that still ply the streets. You can revisit the ghosts of the ousted Khmer Rouge regime by visiting the Killing Field of Choeung Ek, and the Tuol Sleng, Pol Pot’s torture centre.

The country’s south coast, heralded for being the next Thailand (or Goa), which sweeps down along the Gulf of Siam and is studded with picture-postcard beaches and stunning offshore islands, is certainly worth a visit. The seaside towns of Kep or Koh Tonsay are particularly popular. And instead of staying in mass-market holiday apartments, you’re more likely to find yourself staying in stilted homestays or atmospheric little guesthouses.

However it is still the mighty stone faces of the Bayon temple, the moated sanctum of Angkor Wat and the great walled city of Angkor Thom that remain the country’s prime attractions. The best way to get to Angkor Wat is to take a scenic boat cruise up the Tonle Sap lake, the world’s largest inland freshwater lake, to the town of Siem Reap, near Angkor. You get to see the paddy field-dotted countryside and the villages populated by ethnic Vietnamese.

The weather currently, clear, dry and cool, is perfect to book a Christmas trip. The only hitch? No direct flights. Okay, so a weekend in Thailand on the way out won’t hurt.