The BEST of CAMBODIA: Kingdom of Wonder

The Best ofCAMBODIA Kingdom of Wonder KNOWLEDGE MEDIA GROUP







The Best ofCAMBODIA Kingdom of Wonder



The Best ofCAMBODIA Kingdom of Wonder KNOWLEDGE MEDIA GROUP CHIANG RAI, THAILAND

PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jaffee Yee Yeow Fei EDITORS Don Ross James PruessCONTRIBUTING WRITERS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Larry Jagan Barry Broman L. Bruce Kekule PAST and PRESENT PEOPLE and CULTURE Ric Gaz Keith Lyons Keith Lyons Alberto CosiFESTIVALS and EVENTS ATTRACTIONS and HIGHLIGHTS Jaffee Yee FLORA and FAUNA ART DIRECTOR Nathalie Johnston Richie Chan Li Qi ART and ARTISTS Jim Algie HOTELS and RESORTS RESTAURANTS and CAFÉS CRUISE and GOLF Ma Thanegi RESTAURANTS and CAFÉS PUBLISHED BY Knowledge Media Group LimitedPO Box 188, Chiang Rai 57000, Thailand www.knowledgemediagroup.com Copyright © 2018 Knowledge Media Group Ltd.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form of by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the copyright holder.National Library of Thailand Cataloging in Publication Data Yee, Jaffee THE BEST OF CAMBODIA: Kingdom of Wonder — Chiang Rai: Knowledge Media Group, 2018 132 pp 1. Cambodia I. Jaffee Yee Yeow Fei II. Title 959.1 ISBN 978-616-92724-1-0 Printed in Thailand byDarnsutha Press Company Limited, Bangkok

CONTENTS PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE 9 PAST and PRESENT 10 PEOPLE and CULTURE 20 FESTIVALS and EVENTS 30ATTRACTIONS and HIGHLIGHTS 40 FLORA and FAUNA 60 ART and ARTISTS 70 HOTELS and RESORTS 80 RESTAURANTS and CAFÉS 106 CRUISE and GOLF 120 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 130



MESSAGE FROM THE PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEFIfirst got to know Myanmar, or Burma, as it was formerly known, when I made frequent business visits from 1974 to 1980, selling books to the country as the Hong Kong-based regional manager of the McGraw-Hill Book Company, the American educational book-publishing giant, and later with CBS International Publishing, a divisionof CBS Inc., New York.Once I had concluded the business with military officials, who represented the state’s book import agency TradeCorporation 9 at the time, I took the opportunity to explore and revisit this fascinating country annually. Thus beganmy love affair with Myanmar. I would often venture beyond Rangoon (now Yangon) to Bagan (formerly Pagan) andMandalay to see for myself the legacies and glories of past kingdoms in what was then a reclusive country closed tothe outside world.Coming from a big glamorous city such as Hong Kong, I was stunned by the beauty and serenity of Bagan. Mygovernment-assigned, Japanese-speaking tour guide took me in a bullock cart moving slowly along a dirt path frommy guesthouse, where the Thiripyitsaya Sanctuary Resort stands today, passing by countless ancient pagodas to stopat the more impressive monuments such as the Ananta. I would watch the glorious sunsets atop a pagoda and oftentried freezing the moment on the Kodachrome in my camera. That was my wonderful experience of Bagan some fourdecades ago.At the time, Rangoon was a backwater town dotted with hundreds of shabby colonial buildings, including The StrandHotel where I stayed. Only a few dilapidated pre-World War II cars were plying the streets in the center of town, oron the major thoroughfare near Sula Pagoda. Local residents were all dressed in their traditional clothing, but then asnow, a visit to the ancient Shwedagon Pagoda was a must for every visitor.Everything has changed tremendously since the country opened to the world in April 2011, when I was againfortunate enough to witness the transition from day one as I spent a few days there as a guest of the government.Yangon has leapfrogged into the new digital millennium and is now fast catching up with the rest of the world.Today, the city is at the cusp of a renaissance. Yangon’s skyline is dotted with new modern glass towers and a varietyof luxury hotels, while most colonial buildings remain intact, thanks to Yangon Heritage Trust’s efforts at preservingthem. The unique colonial legacy and its abundance of greenery makes Yangon a unique metropolis when comparedto other Southeast Asian cities.The BEST of MYANMAR is intended to be the first premium armchair travel guide highlighting most, but not all, ofthe best the country has to offer today, from top attractions, festivals, art and culture, flora and fauna, golf and luxurycruises, hotels and resorts to fine dining. We hope you enjoy reading this handsome volume and will take home a copyas a souvenir to share with your loved ones, friends, and family.Jaffee Yee Yeow Fei

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PEOPLE and CULTURE 19PEOPLE and CULTURE

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ATTRACTIONS and HIGHLIGHTS 37ATTRACTIONS and HIGHLIGHTS

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FLORA and FAUNA 61FLORA and FAUNA

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ART and ARTISTS 71ART and ARTISTS