TEMPLES OF ANGKOR
5 days | US$1050 | Stay and Play in Cambodia
The grandeur and beauty of Angkor justifies its reputation as one of humankind's most exquisite masterpieces. Discover Cambodia on this journey with a visit to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, experience the delights of the Temples of Angkor and the ecological marvel of Tonle Sap Lake.
Days 1-2 Phnom Penh
Immerse yourself in the lively buzz of a city busy rebuilding itself as the "Pearl of the East" as it was known in its French colonial heyday.
Peel back the layers of history as you tour by private car through tree lined streets lined of French buildings interspersed with elegant Khmer architectural features.
Explore in detail this fusion of style at the National Museum (Musee des Beaux-Arts) designed by famous French archaeologist and painter Georges Groslier in 1917 along Khmer lines and housing Khmer sculptures from throughout the ages.
Wander the riverfront boulevard at an appropriately relaxed pace as you discover the return (after many years of war) of the good life in its many bars, cafes, restaurants.
Be seduced by the splendours of pre Khmer Rouge Cambodia at the Royal Palace with its two stunning pagodas. The magnificent 5000-tile Silver Pagoda houses a 90kg solid gold Buddha weighing 90 kilograms, the Emerald Pagoda a 17th c. emerald and baccarat crystal Buddha. Then shop for treasures of your own at the nearby Russian Market.
To fathom the destruction wrought on ancient traditions, and more than a million people's lives by the Khmer Rouge regime, you will visit the infamous "Killing Fields Museum" at Tuol Sleng - a high school turned into a torture chamber called simply "S-21". Individual photographs of the 17,000 people held at S-21, tortured and later buried in mass graves, now cover the walls of this poignant memorial.
Days 3 - 5 Siem Reap, Temples of Angkor & Tonle Sap Lake
Fly into the heart of Cambodia's (and once all of South East Asia's) most splendid empire, Angkor, and be guided through three centuries of excavated Khmer empire ruins now listed as a UNESCO world heritage wonder.
Rub shoulders with stone angel apsarases and living-pilgrim-monks as you squeeze through the shoulder hugging corridors of Preah Khan's Sacred Sword Temple.
Be awed by the enormous stone faces of Bayon, the mysterious "Tomb Raider" ambience of the fig tree smothered Ta Som and Ta Prohm temples, and be transported as you watch the sun set over Pre Rup and the Siem Reap Plain.
Take in the Hindu universe depicted at Neak Prean as a Himalayan mountain lake fountain and again (for Sunrise) at Angkor Wat with the three iconic towers said to represent Mt Meru, home of all the Hindu gods.
You will get close up with Angkor Thom and its gate statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk; the Royal Enclosure; Phimeanakas; the Elephants Terrace; and the Terrace of the Leper King over your two days at Angkor.
Return to the 21st Century in an afternoon visit to Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia and view day-to-day life on this Mekong-River-fed waterway as you travel by wooden boat to visit the floating village of Chong Khneas.
Tour Inclusions
Tripcode: IECA5D08
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