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Day 1
: Transfer from Siem Reap Airport to hotel.
: Visit the South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon, Royal
Enclosure, Phimeanakas, Elephants Terrace
and Terrace of the Leper King : Angkor Thom,
the last capital and the opulent great city of King Jayavarman
VII (who reigned from 1181-1220) is a truly amazing sight.
Its South gate, which is itself a masterpiece of stone carving,
causes many visitors to stop and take a photograph. The
signature faces of the Bayon on the top of the gate are
very well preserved. Flanked by warriors lifting two enormous
seven-headed Nagas to guard the gate, this is a great place
to take a picture.
About 1.5 km past the gate sits the site of one of the most
enigmatic temples of the Angkor group - the Bayon Temple.
Over 200 regal faces, each expressing a slightly different
smile, are carved on the 54 towers in the complex. The four
faces on each tower are thought to symbolize the omnipresence
of King Jayavarman VII, although some scholars think they
represent the Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Kuan Im).
: Lunch at restaurant.
: Continue to visit Angkor Wat and view the sunset
from Phnom Bakheng hill : Angkor Wat,
the largest temple at the Angkor complex. Constructed during
the first half of the 12th century, Angkor Wat is the supreme
masterpiece of Khmer art. It was built by Suryavaram II
(1112-1152) to honor the Hindu god Vishnu, with whom the
king was identified, and for eventual use as the king's
burial site. Entire books have been written about the temple,
but even these valiant attempts at description fall far
short of communicating the great size, the perfect proportions,
and the astoundingly beautiful sculpture that everywhere
presents itself to the viewer. It is not among the author's
most favorite sacred places in the sense of its meditative
atmosphere or earth-spirit energy , yet for an experience
of architectural majesty and artistic refinement , Angkor
Wat certainly ranks amongst the ten greatest structures
of human civilization. To approach via the long causeway,
to amble about the sprawling courtyards, to ascend the towering
central shrine, is to step for a short while into a realm
of such granduer, such unrestrained power that one's mind
and soul are intoxicated with inspiration and infinite possibility.
: Dinner at restaurant.
: After dinner, return to hotel.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.
Day 2
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Visit Kravan Pre Rup, Pre Rup is a deceptively
simple pyramid surrounded by rings of perimeter walls.
hours are required to stroll through it all. Built
in the early Angkor era by King Rajendravarman II (944-968)
it may have been used for cremations.
: Visit Mebon Oriental Ta Som, Neak Pean and Preah
Khan Temples, Preah Khan was built in 1191
during the reign of King Jayavarman VII. He was a
warrior king celebrated for reconstructing the Khmer Empire
after a period of fragmentation. Jayavarman first
made a name for himself in 1165, when news of a rebellion
reached his ears. Rushing home from the Cham Kingdom,
where he resided, he arrived too late to stop the usurper
Tribhuvanadityavarman from crowning himself King of the
Khmers. Jayavarman was powerless to interfere, but
waited patiently for an opportunity. Finally in 1177,
the Cham kingdom sent an invasion force against the Khmer
usurper, joined by native elements, that toppled him in
a bloody campaign. Fighting even reached Angkor, laying
waste to the capital. The victorious Cham occupied
Khmer territory as a foreign power, but their rule was not
to last long.
: Lunch at restaurant.
: Continue to visit Srah Srang, Ta Prohm, Takeo, Thommanon
and Chau Say Taveda Temples.
: Dinner at restaurant.
: After dinner, return to hotel.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.
Day 3
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Visit the floating village and take a Boat trip
on the Tonle Sap. (The Great Lake), Cambodia's
Tonle Sap, or Great Lake, is one of the unique geographical
wonders of the world. It offers visitors insights into the
centuries-old traditions of riparian life and the natural
splendor of the country. On the banks of the mighty Great
Lake and the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers, Khmers have celebrated
for over two hundred years the changing of the river's flow.
During the rainy season the Tonle Sap River reversed
direction, flooding the lake, increasing its size almost
tenfold, making it the largest freshwater body in Southeast
Asia.
: Lunch at restaurant.
: Continue to visit "Les Artisans D' Angkor-Chantiers
Ecoles" and a local market.
: Transfer to Siem Reap Airport for next departure.
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