Travel Features
The concept of a holiday in Cambodia would have been laughable just 20 years ago. Today however, with the war most definitely over, Asia’s Wild West is opening up to the world and tourists are arriving on masse.
Cambodia boasts a beautiful coastline with world-beater beaches around Kep and Sihanoukville. The food is fantastic, the people are friendly and in the Angkorian complex, a Unesco World Heritage Site, the Khmers have one of the planet’s most visually stunning examples of human art and ingenuity. However, Cambodia has far more going for it than just yawn-inducing beaches and temples. Step forward the Thunder Ranch shooting range.
Foreigners visiting Cambodia in the late 1990s couldn’t walk ten paces anywhere in Phnom Penh without being approached by a tout attempting to steer them into one of dozens of shooting ranges, which at the time were dotted around the capital. In those days a trip to a Cambodian style range was a tad more adventurous than the average clay pigeon shoot.
Scared water buffalo
Legend has it that many a visitor was offered a live animal for target practice. Water buffalo were nervous – they could be innocently minding their own business, eating grass in a patty field or what have you, and then Bang! A lunatic tourist blasts them to pieces with an RPG.
Remnants of the Khmer Rouge were still launching raids from the hills around Siem Reap near the Thai border and tourists on a Rambo buzz after watching The Killing Fields could buy a rocket or mortar piece and fire it in the direction of the hated communists. Unfortunately, for the sickos of the world anyway, the authorities soon tired of the chicanery and moved in to clean up/corner the market. Ranges were shut down and replaced with government controlled versions such as the Thunder Ranch, which is run by the Cambodian Army’s Special Forces.
Boring temples
Joe.ie’s interest doesn’t stretch to empty beaches or temples when there are guns around so it was time to separate fact from myth by going along to the Thunder Ranch and establishing exactly what in God’s name was going on there.
After a 40-minute drive through the city’s manic traffic, the road turned into a dirt track that cut across a couple of kilometres of waste land. The shattering rattle of an AK47 in full flight became audible over the noise of the tuk tuk engine, and was close to deafening by the time Joe.ie pulled up at the wooden post and corrugated iron shack known as the Thunder Ranch.
A Khmer soldier strolled forward and nodded towards a circle of tables dotted around the inside of the building. Once seated, the most bizarre menu ever laminated emerged. It started with a Sprite and ended with a hand grenade. They even sold beer.
Bonny and Clyde
The walls of the Thunder Ranch were decorated with dozens of weapons – everything from Bonny and Clyde-style Tommy guns, GP machine guns just like Rambo’s and a rocket propelled grenade launcher of the same type fired by the Real IRA into the front of the MI6 building in London a few years back.
While Joe.ie pondered his options, mostly 20-something tourists were gleefully blasting away at targets from firing positions just a few feet away, while more still arrived to do the same.
Prices were astronomical by super-cheap Cambodian standards but reasonable beyond that. The Spaz military shotgun looked appealing, as did the hand grenade. However, no self-respecting Irishman could walk away from a shooting range that had an AK47 on offer without having a go, so the banana clipped wonder favoured by terrorists and freedom fighters the world over also made it onto the bill. The price for the guns came to $80 while the hand grenade was a further $50.
So could an animal still be acquired for target practice? The allocated soldier squinted a moment while slowly scratching his stubbly chin. “You want shoo’ some animal?” he asked with a suggestively raised eyebrow.
“Not today. I was just wondering if you could still do that here.”
“Oh no,” he replied with a shake of the head. “This stop long time ago!”
After some cursory instructions on how to load the shotgun a paper target was pinned up, ear protection was strapped on and it was time to act like a big kid. The gun was lighter than it looked. Sadly, the first shot obliterated the target which meant the rest of the cartridges were expended somewhat pointlessly.
Straight in the eye
Next up was the Chinese-made AK47. It sounded identical to the rattle of the weapons used by Charlie as they launched the Tet offensive in Full Metal Jacket. In the middle of blasting away, it was discovered that AKs are not designed for left-handers. The weapons tutor leaned over to cock the gun when it jammed, but because Joe.ie’s left hand was on the trigger his head was to the right of the barrel – and the red-hot empty bullet shell popped out when the hammer was pulled back. Straight in the eye.
Despite a spate semi-drunken demands, the Thunder Ranch staff refused to permit the detonation of the hand grenade inside the building. There was however, a special area designated for the use of the more substantial military hardware not far away.
A short trip in the tuk tuk led to a field with a pond in it. The grenade was promptly produced, along with brief instructions on pin removal.
“Pull this. Throw in the water,” he said.
With beer in one hand and grenade in the other, it was time to blow up a small piece of this wonderful country. It was vitally important, once the pin was pulled, to remember through the drunken haze not to get mixed up and throw the beer or attempt to sip the grenade. Happily, the grenade was dispatched and the beer saved.
“Thud,” said the grenade.
“Splash,” said the water.
“Let’s go,” said the soldier.
Best $50 dollars ever spent.
Resurrected animals
Once an ability to handle military grade hardware had been demonstrated, the Thunder Ranch boys decided the subject of animals should be resurrected.
“You want shoo’ chicken?”
The Thunder Ranch had everything. They sell beer, guns, rockets and hand grenades. The soldiers are friendly in that, I’ll-bite-you-if you-speak-to-me sort of way, the sun is always shining outside, there were some seriously cute girls hanging around the place and if the mood takes you, you can even shoo’ a chicken.
No good do-gooders (unatractive women) say the likes of the Thunder Ranch should be closed down, that playing around with guns in a country with such a violent recent history is the height of bad taste. But this high-minded view, as ever, ignores the practical advantages of an hour spent shooting things – this is a safe way of disposing of ammunition which in turn is of benefit to the Khmer people. In fact, a stint in the Thunder Ranch means Joe.ie can now be declared a responsible traveller which played a part in reducing Cambodia’s weapon stockpile.
Cambodia boasts a beautiful coastline with world-beater beaches around Kep and Sihanoukville. The food is fantastic, the people are friendly and in the Angkorian complex, a Unesco World Heritage Site, the Khmers have one of the planet’s most visually stunning examples of human art and ingenuity. However, Cambodia has far more going for it than just yawn-inducing beaches and temples. Step forward the Thunder Ranch shooting range.
Foreigners visiting Cambodia in the late 1990s couldn’t walk ten paces anywhere in Phnom Penh without being approached by a tout attempting to steer them into one of dozens of shooting ranges, which at the time were dotted around the capital. In those days a trip to a Cambodian style range was a tad more adventurous than the average clay pigeon shoot.
Scared water buffalo
Legend has it that many a visitor was offered a live animal for target practice. Water buffalo were nervous – they could be innocently minding their own business, eating grass in a patty field or what have you, and then Bang! A lunatic tourist blasts them to pieces with an RPG.
Remnants of the Khmer Rouge were still launching raids from the hills around Siem Reap near the Thai border and tourists on a Rambo buzz after watching The Killing Fields could buy a rocket or mortar piece and fire it in the direction of the hated communists. Unfortunately, for the sickos of the world anyway, the authorities soon tired of the chicanery and moved in to clean up/corner the market. Ranges were shut down and replaced with government controlled versions such as the Thunder Ranch, which is run by the Cambodian Army’s Special Forces.
Boring temples
Joe.ie’s interest doesn’t stretch to empty beaches or temples when there are guns around so it was time to separate fact from myth by going along to the Thunder Ranch and establishing exactly what in God’s name was going on there.
After a 40-minute drive through the city’s manic traffic, the road turned into a dirt track that cut across a couple of kilometres of waste land. The shattering rattle of an AK47 in full flight became audible over the noise of the tuk tuk engine, and was close to deafening by the time Joe.ie pulled up at the wooden post and corrugated iron shack known as the Thunder Ranch.
A Khmer soldier strolled forward and nodded towards a circle of tables dotted around the inside of the building. Once seated, the most bizarre menu ever laminated emerged. It started with a Sprite and ended with a hand grenade. They even sold beer.
Bonny and Clyde
The walls of the Thunder Ranch were decorated with dozens of weapons – everything from Bonny and Clyde-style Tommy guns, GP machine guns just like Rambo’s and a rocket propelled grenade launcher of the same type fired by the Real IRA into the front of the MI6 building in London a few years back.
While Joe.ie pondered his options, mostly 20-something tourists were gleefully blasting away at targets from firing positions just a few feet away, while more still arrived to do the same.
Prices were astronomical by super-cheap Cambodian standards but reasonable beyond that. The Spaz military shotgun looked appealing, as did the hand grenade. However, no self-respecting Irishman could walk away from a shooting range that had an AK47 on offer without having a go, so the banana clipped wonder favoured by terrorists and freedom fighters the world over also made it onto the bill. The price for the guns came to $80 while the hand grenade was a further $50.
So could an animal still be acquired for target practice? The allocated soldier squinted a moment while slowly scratching his stubbly chin. “You want shoo’ some animal?” he asked with a suggestively raised eyebrow.
“Not today. I was just wondering if you could still do that here.”
“Oh no,” he replied with a shake of the head. “This stop long time ago!”
After some cursory instructions on how to load the shotgun a paper target was pinned up, ear protection was strapped on and it was time to act like a big kid. The gun was lighter than it looked. Sadly, the first shot obliterated the target which meant the rest of the cartridges were expended somewhat pointlessly.
Straight in the eye
Next up was the Chinese-made AK47. It sounded identical to the rattle of the weapons used by Charlie as they launched the Tet offensive in Full Metal Jacket. In the middle of blasting away, it was discovered that AKs are not designed for left-handers. The weapons tutor leaned over to cock the gun when it jammed, but because Joe.ie’s left hand was on the trigger his head was to the right of the barrel – and the red-hot empty bullet shell popped out when the hammer was pulled back. Straight in the eye.
Despite a spate semi-drunken demands, the Thunder Ranch staff refused to permit the detonation of the hand grenade inside the building. There was however, a special area designated for the use of the more substantial military hardware not far away.
A short trip in the tuk tuk led to a field with a pond in it. The grenade was promptly produced, along with brief instructions on pin removal.
“Pull this. Throw in the water,” he said.
With beer in one hand and grenade in the other, it was time to blow up a small piece of this wonderful country. It was vitally important, once the pin was pulled, to remember through the drunken haze not to get mixed up and throw the beer or attempt to sip the grenade. Happily, the grenade was dispatched and the beer saved.
“Thud,” said the grenade.
“Splash,” said the water.
“Let’s go,” said the soldier.
Best $50 dollars ever spent.
Resurrected animals
Once an ability to handle military grade hardware had been demonstrated, the Thunder Ranch boys decided the subject of animals should be resurrected.
“You want shoo’ chicken?”
The Thunder Ranch had everything. They sell beer, guns, rockets and hand grenades. The soldiers are friendly in that, I’ll-bite-you-if you-speak-to-me sort of way, the sun is always shining outside, there were some seriously cute girls hanging around the place and if the mood takes you, you can even shoo’ a chicken.
No good do-gooders (unatractive women) say the likes of the Thunder Ranch should be closed down, that playing around with guns in a country with such a violent recent history is the height of bad taste. But this high-minded view, as ever, ignores the practical advantages of an hour spent shooting things – this is a safe way of disposing of ammunition which in turn is of benefit to the Khmer people. In fact, a stint in the Thunder Ranch means Joe.ie can now be declared a responsible traveller which played a part in reducing Cambodia’s weapon stockpile.
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