Kennett’s Siem Reap, Day #4
A little temple’d out today, but still wanting to explore. So the itinerary goes like this today for Kennett’s Siem Reap, Day #4;
North Korean Panorama Museum;
Angkor National Museum;
FCC for lunch;
Chillax & dinner at hotel;
Phare Circus – which you would have already seen here.
Here’s the gang potentially on North Korean soil, despite being in Siem Reap.
First stop is unique. Shehara introduced this place to me. It’s North Korean, go figure right. Well it is for the next 9 years until they hand it back to Cambodia as a gift. This cost $24m to build. Apparently links back to relationships of communist past and trading past. The highlight is the Panorama which took about 1.5 years to paint. It is 4 segments of life in Angkor, from original wars to building the temples, all in a 360 panorama. You literally cannot tell where painting and some real-life foreground starts or ends. It is incredible, truly incredible. There is also a welcome centre where you get a 121 guide and a film of Angkor history.
No photos in the Panorama, or cinema, but for 30c US they will take and print photos for you. We have those at home now. The film was a tad cheesy to be honest, I think they nicked the music from The Da Vinci Code film. So funny though was as we’re watching the film in the theatre (all alone it must be said), getting in to how they cut the stones and transported them etc., Jude at top of his voice says; “Is there any popcorn?” Too funny!!!
He’s the reception area merging in to the guided tour now, with the lovely lady to the right.
This place is right next to where you have to come to get your temple tickets. If you have not been before its worth explaining. Outside are 1,000’s of people, buses, mini buses, tuk-tuks at the ticket place, which is huge. This place is right next to that place. Look at us. We’re almost completely alone. Not many people know about this little North Korean adventure. Definitely worth a look-in though, its brilliant.
Here is a montage mock-up of what the Angkor area would have looked like back in the day. Nice to be in the aircon looking at the temples for once.
Lunch at FCC, and what a lunch it was too – off to Islifearecipe.net for that folks.
After lunch we scoot off to the Siem Reap War Museum. We had promised Jude this experience, as he was really keen to seen tankers (as he calls them). Funny as we had dinner last night and I was showing him the pictures just as the waiter had served a dish of food. Jude shouted; “Tankers!” and the waiter said; “You’re welcome!” What a great day Kennett’s Siem Reap, Day #4 was.
Big boys toys. Jude and Ollie in their element in this place!
I know some of you are thinking, am I condoning war. Absolutely not. But boys are boys, and I was playing with Action Man as a kid, so there’s no difference in my reckoning. I’d rather have the kids outside than stuck inside on iPads and PlayStation. Its a pretty interesting place though, and sad too which I’ll get to in a short while.
“It’s a tanker Daddy.” says Jude…
Looking dangerous; “Say hello to my little fren…”
And say hi to my other little fren. Hi baby Jude.
He’s in the Army now…
“Daddy this is my Aunty Aircraft Gun…” Says Baby Jude
Big old Russian helicopter – troop carrier thing. But now just full of bees.
A Cambodian Mig fighter now (I think) – yep donated again by those Russians.Huge bloody thing!
You have to assume this has got some serious power and speed – check these bad boys out
A very cool looking rocket launcher vehicle – this thing could fire ordnance to about 30km away. Scary, really scary!
And there’s a whole section of photos and introductions to Pol Pot and his genocide. Including pictures of killing fields and S21 in my beloved Phnom Penh. This makes me so very sad as you get the horrific memories of walking in these places flooding back – time to leave now!
