September 29, 2026

Before coming to Cambodia, I sadly have to admit I was unaware of the landmine problems they face. On our first night in Siem Reap, where we hiked up the hill to try and see the sunset views, there was a small band of men playing instruments and our tuk tuk driver explained to me they were victims of landmine explosions who had lost limbs or their sight and were trying to make money via donations to support their families.

Then we heard about an interesting tour, other shipmates had taken, at an organization called APOPO. So we went to check it out.

What really saddened me was learning that the majority of landmines came from the US bombing Cambodia during the Vietnam War in an effort to stop the Viet Cong troops.

The fascinating story that emerged out of this tour was these HERO RATS that are trained and used by this organization, in sniffing out the TNT / Gunpowder in the ground, from these undetected abandoned landmines. The founder is Bart Weetjens a Belgian Zen Buddhist Monk that had rats as pets, as a child, and has since taught them to detect smell of TNT, through a reward process. The rats are too light in weight, to set off the mines, so they are unharmed in the process,  and they are able to sniff out the TNT many feet below the land surface. They scratch at spot, the handlers record measurements and bomb specialist detonate mines, safely later.

The rats can clear an area the size of a tennis field, in 30 minutes, where the tradition way, with metal detectors, would take 4 days.

The four types of mines typically found. The Khmer Rouge also installed a lot of these devices during their fighting in Cambodia.

Basia and I ended up getting a private tour and she even got to hold Etto, one of the rats in training. I opted to just give a scratch on his head! They put sunscreen on rats eats and tails to protect them when they work in sunlight - usually the early morning is best.

The rats they use here are African giant pouch rats because they have a longer life span 8-9 years than Belgium rats. Rats eat a vegetarian diet and are rewarded with fruit and nuts. When they scratch a spot, handler makes a click noise, and they have been trained that this gets them a reward.  So cool! Glad we found this little tour to add on to our trip!

Ta Prohm Temple ( AKA Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), CAMBODIA

By Pat Patrick • September 28, 2026
I rallied for our last temple of the morning, because I heard this one was unique and I think it was my favorite. Ta Prohm was built starting in 1186 by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university dedicated to the king's mother. It was left mostly un-restored so that huge banyan and silk cotton trees grow directly over and through the walls. In 2001, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie was filmed here.

ANGKOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK, CAMBODIA

By Pat Patrick • September 28, 2026
Angkor , a UNESCO World Heritage Centre , is one of the most important archaelogical sites in SE Asia . It extends over 400 square km (250 miles). It contains hundreds of distinct structural remains and major temple sites (with around 72 recognized major structures). Below are a few other temple sites we saw. The first two were from a distance, on our sunset hike, the first night.

ANGKOR WAT, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

By Pat Patrick • September 28, 2026
Angkor Wat is the largest temple and the Capital of Angkor World Heritage . We hired a separate English speaking guide and tuktuk driver for the morning to escort us though this massive complex. We entered Angkor temple thru the west entry, the same one King Suryavarman would have entered via elephant, back in 1150, when it was built as a Hindu temple, dedicated to Vishnu . It took roughly 38 years to build, starting in 1113 and was done with lots of elephants, thousands of men and a bamboo pulley system, maneuvering the giant blocks of lava stone for the base and sandstone, for the structure, all quarried from the surrounding area.