Thomas, DL7BO will be active as XU7O from Cambodia, starting 14 April 2025.
He will operate on HF Bands.
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Cambodia: a country lost in the jungle
Cambodia is a country in Southeast Asia, located between Thailand and Vietnam. Previously, the state was known as Kampuchea. Because of its long isolation, the country has managed to retain its color and identity.
Although the country is not a popular destination, travelers from all over the world go here to get acquainted with the Khmer civilization, to visit ancient palaces and temples, centuries lost among the impenetrable jungle. The history of Cambodia is full of bloody events, unsolved mysteries and riddles. Back in the 70s of the last century, the Khmer Rouge were in power, and the life of most locals is still below the poverty line. At the same time, Cambodia's economy is rapidly developing in comparison with other countries of southeast Asia.
The climate in the country is tropical, humidity is 90-100%, the temperature ranges from +26 to +35, sometimes a little higher. In the weather of Cambodia can be distinguished two seasons - the rainy season (lasts from May to October) and the dry season (from November to April). Minefields are dangerous for tourists who travel independently
Cambodia. Author - Kent Kruhoeffer.
Getting to know Cambodia
A trip around the country usually begins with a visit to the bustling and distinctive capital Phnom Penh, allowing you to truly feel the Asian flavor. The city is built at the confluence of two full-flowing rivers - the Mekong and the large Tonle Sap. The capital Phnom Penh was badly damaged during the war, but is gradually being rebuilt. At the Genocide Museum you can learn about the horrific regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge regime, which came to power in 1975, is considered the bloodiest in the kingdom's history. The focus on establishing “agrarian socialism” led to genocide: between 1 and 3 million locals (about 20 percent of the population) were killed over the years.
Today, the streets of the city have a provincial tranquility, with French colonial mansions and modern skyscrapers, and ancient Khmer buildings in the old riverside neighborhood. The doors of the Royal Palace, the Silver Pagoda, and the National Museum are open to tourists.
Resort vacations
Beach lovers will be able to relax on the vast sea coast of Cambodia. Surprisingly, but here you can still find absolutely deserted beaches with white sand and palm trees. However, you can swim in the Gulf of Thailand only in specially designated places. So, it is worth visiting Sihanoukville - a small province in the south of the country. This resort attracts with its clean sandy heels and a large number of tropical islands around. It was founded in the 60s of the last century as a port, but over time it became a place that attracts tourists. After swimming in the sea, you can visit the temple of Wat Leu - Upper Pagoda, go on a tour to Ream National Park and see the picturesque Kbal Chhai waterfall.
Unforgettable experiences await tourists: boat rides on the largest lake in Asia, riding on bamboo trains, visiting a crocodile farm, watching freshwater dolphins near Kratie, exciting diving in the coastal waters near the islands, helicopter tours to distant temples. From the trip you can bring unique souvenirs - products made of wild silk. Skilled craftsmen make original closet items and scarves. You can also buy beautiful silverware, various statuettes and paintings.
Cambodia. Author - Karl Dunajski.
Floating villages on Tonle Sap Lake
Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap is the largest body of water in Indochina. It is a true natural wonder. Its name means “big fresh water” in Khmer, but a simplified version is more common - “big freshwater lake”. And in reality, its water is muddy with a touch of silt. It is no coincidence that Tonle Sap Lake is also called the Inland Sea of Cambodia - it is home to many unique floating villages with their own schools, stores, police stations and even temples on pontoons. There are several settlements, and each one is unlike the other.
The largest village is a popular tourist spot, with over 5,000 people. Children go to school every day by boat, locals raft ogrodas and farm on the water and fish. Some traders shuttle between houses on boats, offering their goods. Television and fresh water have been brought to the villages, but life here is still not easy. Businessmen in Cambodia earn money on orphaned children, offering tourists to buy rice, food, stationery for them. However, after all the purchased items are handed back to the store.
The villages are considered floating, not just aquatic, because of the changing size and depth of the lake depending on the season. For example, during the rainy season, the eponymous Tonle Sap River, which flows out of the lake, changes its direction, causing the volume of water to increase. The area of the lake increases 5 times and the depth reaches 9 meters. In the dry season, the water level drops to 1 meter and the villages become ordinary. The crossing point to the village is tree lined and the main temple stands on the highest place and is never flooded.
The floating villages are believed to have originated in the middle of the last century when hostilities broke out in neighboring Vietnam. Refugees could not legally settle on Cambodian land, but there was no mention of water in the law. So they began building houses on stilts and settled on Tonle Sap Lake.
Visiting floating villages gives you the opportunity to get acquainted with the life and culture of ordinary people living in Cambodia.
Cambodia. Author - Kathrine Holte.
Traces of Khmer civilization
Angkor is the ancient capital and the main attraction of Cambodia, a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of tusriists. The ancient city was built for 400 years in X-XIII centuries, during the heyday of the Khmer Empire. From here, the rulers ruled the entire territory that belonged to them, stretching from Vietnam in the east to the Bay of Bengal in the west and to the northern part of Laos. It was home to many Hindu and Buddhist temples, which are still standing today.
The Angkor Wat temple complex, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, is one of the wonders of the world and is recognized as the largest in the world. It is a cult masterpiece of architecture and the largest structure of mankind, which was inherited from the Khmer king Suryavarman the Second. Its area is three times the size of the Vatican. The construction of the complex was carried out for 30 years from 1113 to 1150 AD. After the king's death, the temple became a mausoleum tomb. Visitors have a unique opportunity to travel through thousands of years and touch the mysterious history of the Khmer civilization.
Angkor Wat temple nowadays looks majestic, until the middle of the 19th century it was in oblivion. The monumental structures were covered with impenetrable jungle, and during the war, guerrilla units of the Khmer Rouge hid in it. Leaving the ancient city, they mined the entire area. The unique structures of the Khmer civilization also became the main location during the filming of the movie “Lara Croft - Tomb Raider”.
