Tue 4th Oct 2022 - Siem Reap

Tue 4 Oct Day 13 - Siem Reap

Sunrise 5:54am Sunset 5:52pm

Wake up this morning, surrounded by rice paddies. Siem Reap is dotted with millennium-old temple ruins from the Khmer Empire, the most famous of which is the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat, which we will be exploring tomorrow.  
Our introduction to Cambodia’s sights begins with a visit to the fortified city of Angkor Thom. This dramatic structure covers an area of 10 square kilometres. Enclosed by a wall and wide moats, it includes many of Angkor's most popular sights. We enter by the monumental south gate over a causeway lined on either side by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga. 

Our next stop is the Terrace of the Elephants and the Terrace of the Leper Kings. Formerly spaces for public ceremonies, both are adorned with dramatic bas reliefs. We’ll visit the ruined Baphuon Temple, Royal Enclosure and Phimeanakas Temple before continuing to the mysterious Bayon Temple. In this temple, one of the most popular and compelling in Angkor, we explore the galleries of beautifully preserved bas reliefs and ascend narrow stairs to reach the central sanctuary. Here we will find the famous giant stone faces smiling enigmatically down at us from every angle. 
This afternoon we travel to Tonlé Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia. During the monsoon season the lake swells to four times its normal size, so it is important for the locals that live on the banks and surrounds to build their houses on stilts. Here we’ll board a boat and take a ride along the canal of the lake. This gives us an opportunity to see how the locals live in their colourful stilt houses. Watch children playing on the banks while fishermen wade in the shallows with their nets and traps. As we reach the mouth of the canal and lake, the stilt houses end, and boats are transformed into houses to make up the floating villages.

Hotel: Treeline Urban Resort, Siem Reap

Included Meals: Breakfast Lunch

Our day went pretty much as described above. We departed the hotel at 9am and went to an area, where Seila bought the tickets for our visits. We all had to have our photo taken. Not sure it it was a full face pic or a pic of the eyes only.

First up a photo of breakfast this morning. Scrambled eggs & salmon. Cooked to order.

Then as per the programme.

I’m just going to post a few photos.

And once again, they have posted all over the place.

It was Sarah’s birthday today and Maria found a restaurant with good reviews, not to far from our hotel, so we all went there for dinner.

Great food and inexpensive.