 Say goodbye to our lovely guide, we then boarded the noon flight to Siem Reap, which lasted only 60 minutes. On arrival in the ‘boutique’ airport of Siem Reap, we had our car waiting and took us to the entrance of the Angkor Wat Complex, where we had a quick photo shot for registering of visit. After that, we drove to the hotel and had lunch.
Our hotel, the Apsara Holiday is located half-way to the city centre and airport. It’s a 3-star hotel combined of traditional Khmer and modern style. The rooms are in good size and the staffs were very friendly.
In the mid-afternoon, we drove back to the Angkor Wat Complex and started visiting Angkor Temple, the largest, and for most people, the most impressive temple in the complex. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation - first Hindu, dedicated to the god Vishnu, then Buddhist. The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.
Our excellent guide in Siem Reap, Mr. Heng Kim Has
And it's me in the sunset in Angkor Wat!!  In the evening, we climbed to the summit of Phnom Bakheng Hill which afforded a panorama of the whole complex lit by the rays of the setting sun. It was a memorable memory that we shall not forget. However, the climb was quite hard, especially for seniors so please ask your guide to help if necessary.
The next day we had a visit to Angkor Thom, starting with the Bayon, a bizarre structure of several architectural changes reflecting a switch from Hinduism (the foundations) to Buddhism (the superstructure). Angkor Thom was the last and the most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north.
After that, we visited the Elephant and Leper Emperor Terraces, followed by the Baphoun Temple, which is now nearing the end of an eight-year multi-million dollar restoration programme. We finished our visit by Ta Prohm, strangled by massive tree roots and typical of the condition of the whole complex when it was discovered in 1860 by French naturalist Henri Mouhot, and Neak Pean, a Himalayan-style lake and sanctuary.
It's me and my colleague in Ta Prohm!
The third day in Siem Reap was spent for the Banteay Srey Temple which displays some of the finest examples of classical Khmer art with some of the most beautiful, deep and intricate carvings. On our way back to the hotel, we visit to a local family that makes sugar palm. It was very interesting to see how local people made sugar from palm and we bought some back home for our favourite ‘chè’ (a popular refresher in the summer of Vietnamese).
After lunch in town, we drove to Siem Reap River, en-route, we had an ox-cart ride in the village of Aranh, about 6km away from Siem Reap on the way to Tonle Sap Lake. The village is a poorer community where ox-cart rides for tourists have just been arranged by local tourism authority with the aim to contribute some income to the villagers. The ride lasts for about 30 minutes along the bank of the Siem Reap River passing by local houses where we observed the daily life of the local people. We also crossed a small bridge to the other side of the river and end up with a nice rural scenery and paddy-field.
Left the village, we embarked for a boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake, a natural reservoir that partly controls the level of floods in the Mekong Delta, and visit a floating fishing village en-route. There are many Vietnamese living there and we met some lovely children selling banana and souvenir.
The last morning in Siem Reap was used for shopping (as usual) and it was really a relax time after consecutive wats visit and hotel inspections. We then boarded our flight back to Hanoi and back to our daily work at the office. Holiday ended.  See you in another trip!!!!!!!!!! |
