Urbex-Cambodia

Urban exploration (often shortened as urbex or UE) is the examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities.[1] Urban exploration is also commonly referred to as infiltration, although some people consider infiltration to be more closely associated with the exploration of active or inhabited sites. It may also be referred to as draining (when exploring drains) urban spelunking, urban rock climbing, urban caving, or building hacking (Wikipedia)

I started shooting Urbex around 2010 after seeing some mind-blowing Urbex photos. Later on I started to look for abandoned building in Phnom Penh. If you pay good attention, you will find plenty of abandoned buildings here, yet it is relatively hard or impossible to trespass though buildings. So far, I could only trespass a few buildings in the Penh.

To my surprise, I also learned there are several ghostly buildings in Senmonorom, the Provincial Town of Mondolkiri Province, from Tom Windelinckx, a Belgian blogger living there.  Last month, I had a chance to visit Mondulkiri on my mission and was fortunate to have some time for my own. I decided to hire a motor taxi and hunting for the buildings I saw on Tom’s blog. And here are some of them.

Unknown Building Building. From its interior, I can tell this building was under renovation but for some unknown reason it was stopped.

I was told it is former military base.

My motor taxi said it is former Department of Social Affair.

PS: I have also created a facebook page for Urbex-Cambodian, please be my fans. You can also find more my Urbex photos at my flickr’s urbex set as well.

Busra, At Last

If my memory is correct I my first visit to Modulkiri was in 2004. We spent a couple days there visiting Domank Sdech, Romanea waterfall and other places that I cannot recall. Our plan to visit the renowned Busra waterfall was not realized since the road condition at that time was too much for our rented Pajero. It was only 8 years later in February 2012 that I had the second opportunity to see mountainous Modulkiri again. At the time of this writing, the roads from Phnom Penh to Senmonorom, the provincial town of Mondulkiri, have been completely paved and the construction of the 30 km roads from Senmonorom to Busra Waterfall is partly finished. Now you can either reach there by motorbike or sedan in less than one hour. As the proofs of my visit, here are some photos.