Welcome to Cambodia!!

  • Over the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia region. The summer monsoon has just started.

  • Over Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, looking southward. The Tonle Sap River (foreground, with a bridge named Chruoy Changvar Bridge constructed by Japan) and the Mekong River (parallel to the Tonle Sap River) join here. The river flowing southeastward is also the Mekong River. You may also see the Bassac River flowing southwestward from the junction. The floodplain can be seen below.

  • The Tonle Sap River in front of the Royal Palace in the beginning of the summer monsoon season, looking northward=upstream (left; you may see the Chruoy Changvar Bridge) and southward=downstream (center; you see the junction and the Mekong River). Lotus flowers are in bloom in the floodplain (right).

  • The city of Phnom Penh.

  • At the Pochentong international airport in Phnom Penh. An aircraft of the President Air bound for Siem Reap.

  • The Tonle Sap Lake in the beginning of the summer monsoon season. It looked like "miso soup" because of its muddy brown color. The dot-like things on the lake (center) are house=boats, constituting villages on the lake. See below the details. The Phnom Krom, a small mountain in the floodplain (right), which motivated me to come here.

  • On the way from Siem Reap city to the Tonle Sap Lake through the Phnom Krom. The sky was wonderful!

  • We took a boat to look around a Vietnamese village on the lake. They have everything: Schools, hospitals, markets, gas stations for boats, etc.

  • The view from the Phnom Krom. Last year I saw two photographs taken from here, one in the dry season and the other at the end of the rainy season. They showed an exciting contrast. During the "water-up" season, the Tonle Sap Lake expands around here to leave only the road and houses above water. See the pillars beneath the houses (left).

  • Siem Reap, the city for Angkor ruins.

  • Angkor Thom and Bayon.

  • Angkor Wat and clouds over the ruin.

  • Apsara ladies.

  • Sunrise over Angkor Wat.

  • On the way to Banteay Srei. A typical landscape of Cambodia.

  • We met young men driving a Cambodian truck (left) and a father and his son who got many small crabs from the pond behind (right).

  • Banteay Srei, a fortress for women, full of beautiful statues.

  • Our driver, Mr. Sam At, a nice old man.

  • The Tonle Sap Lake and the Tonle Sap River on the way back.

  • The Tonle Sap River with floodplain and the Mekong River far right.

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    Masatomo Fujiwara
    Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Japan