| Day 1 |
Phnom Penh
Arrival in Phnom Penh
Transfer
Sightseeing in Phnom Penh
Cambodia’s capital sits at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac and
Tonle Sap rivers. Considered the loveliest of the French-built cities
of Indochina, it was founded as a small monastery in 1372 by a rich
Khmer woman called Penh, after she found four Buddha statues in a tree
trunk on the banks of the Mekong. She set up the monastery on a nearby
hill – or ‘phnom’ in Cambodian.
WAT PHNOM: temple and location of the first pagoda built in 1372 by
‘Penh’ to house the four Buddha statues found on the banks of the
Mekong. It is the only hill (27 meters) in the capital.
ROYAL PALACE AND SILVER PAGODA: the royal palace stands on the site of
the former citadel, Bantey Kev (built in 1813). Visitors are not
allowed to some portions of the grounds, as the palace is the official
residence of King Sihanouk. The silver pagoda is often called the
Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha or Wat Preah Kaeo after the statue housed
there. The wooden temple was originally built by King Norodom in 1892
and inside, its floor is comprised of more than 5000 silver blocks
which together weigh nearly 6 tons.
NATIONAL MUSEUM: designed by a French archeologist and painter, George Groslier, in Khmer style in 1920 to exhibit works previously scattered
throughout the country. It contains a collection of Khmer art
including the beautiful 6th century bronze statue of Vishnu.
CENTRAL MARKET: a covered market distinguished by its central dome
(built in 1937). It is filled with shops selling jewelry, fabrics and
all kinds of souvenirs. A great place for browsing.
Overnight in Phnom Penh. |
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| Day 2 |
Phnom Penh - Siem Reap
Transfer
Flight from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
Transfer
Sightseeing Angkor
Visit Angkor Wat
ANGKOR WAT: a temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu by King
Suryavarman II, who reigned between 1131 and 1150. It was constructed
over a period of 30 years and is world famous for its beauty and
splendor. Angkor Wat features the longest continuous bas-relief in the
world, which runs along the outer gallery walls and narrates stories
from Hindu mythology. In 1992 the UNESCO declared the monument and the
whole city of Angkor a World Heritage Site.
Visit temple for sunset
Watch the sun set over the Cambodian countryside from the upper
terraces of an ancient Angkorian temple.
Overnight in Siem Reap. |
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| Day 3 |
Siem Reap
Sightseeing Angkor
Visit Angkor Thom
ANGKOR THOM: a fortified Royal City (10 square kilometers) built by
King Jayavarman VII, who ruled from 1181 to 1201. The city has five
monumental gates and is encircled by a moat 100 meters wide. In the
center of the walled city are the city’s most important monuments
including Bayon, Baphuon, the Terrace of Elephants, the Terrace of the
Leper King and Phimeanakas with Royal Enclosure.
BAYON: Jayavarman VII's temple mountain that stands at the center of
Angkor Thom. It is one of the most popular of Angkor's monuments and a
place of narrow corridors, steep flights of stairs and an amazing
collection of towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces.
BAPHUON: the pyramid shape represents the mythical Mount Meru and
marks the center of the city that was here before Angkor Thom.
PHIMEANAKAS: near the center of what was once the royal palace within
Angkor Thom. Phimeanakas means ‘Celestial Palace’, though today there
is not much left to indicate its former splendour.
FORMER ROYAL PALACE: nothing remains today except two pools that were
used by royalty for washing.
TERRACE OF ELEPHANTS: this terrace was used for viewing public
ceremonies and was a base for the King’s grand audience hall. The
famous lines of elephants are at either end of the retaining walls.
TERRACE OF THE LEPER KING: North of the Terrace of Elephants is a
platform named ‘Terrace of the Leper King’. On the platform is a nude
statue – one of Angkor’s mysteries.
Visit Ta Prohm
TA PROHM: one of the most popular attractions of Angkor as much of the
jungle has not been cleared and it looks very much as most of the
Angkor monuments would have appeared when European explorers first
stumbled across them.
Visit Banteay Srei Temple
BANTEAY SREI: built in the late 10th century, it is a Hindu temple
dedicated to Shiva. The temple is square with entrances on the east
and west. Of main interest are the three central towers which are
decorated with male and female divinities and beautiful filigree
relief work.
Transfer |
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