We started the morning with a short cycling tour (the ladies took a TukTuk) in the morning in ancient Angkor Thom – a stone city built around the time of Angkor Wat. We began at the South Gate – a photogenic bridge at the gateway of the stone city of Angkor Thom which has made its way into many Hollywood movies.
Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer (pronounced K-mai) Empire. We visited five major temples including Bayon Temple surrounded by 216 gigantic stone faces which fame as “Khmer Smile”, we also visited the Terrace of Elephants, the Royal Palace and the Terrace of the Leper King.
We then took part in a Water Blessing Ceremony (led by a monk). After a short lunch, we went to Ta Prohm Temple - a jungle monastery with trees growing out of the stone. This temple has been featured in many Hollywood films, including Tomb Raider and Transformers 3.
Chan took us back to our hotel to refresh and then on to Kroya Restaurant for afternoon tea. We saw the Killing Fields of Wat Thmei, and learned about the history of the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot and the war. It was horrific. Cambodia is still healing from these atrocities. From there, we went to the toured the grounds of the Royal Palace and then went onto the Night Market for a light dinner and shopping. Very full day!!