This morning visit Angkor Wat, the largest temple in the world, with a volume of stone equalling Cheops' Great Pyramid in Egypt. Unlike all other Khmer temples, it faces west, and is inspired by 12th Century Hinduism. Its symmetrical towers are stylized on the modern Cambodian flag. Conceived by Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat took a surprisingly brief 30 years to build. It is generally believed to have been a funeral temple for the king. It has been occupied continuously by Buddhist monks and is well preserved. Intricate bas reliefs surround Angkor Wat on four sides, each telling a story. The most celebrated of these is the Churning of the Ocean of Milk, on the east wing. In it, the Naga serpent is twisted by demons and gods to spurt out the elixir of life.

This afternoon, visit Ta Prohm, the “Jungle Temple” that has been left largely in it’s natural state since its “re-discovery” by French explorers. Surrounded by jungle, its labyrinth of stone hallways is overgrown with the roots and limbs of massive banyan trees, which envelop the stone like tentacles. It is one of the largest temples at Angkor, dedicated in 1186. Historians have noted its mystical charm. Return to Hotel.

“Entering the court yards one comes into a new kind of vegetable world; not one of the branches and leaves with which one is familiar, but that of roots. Ta Prohm is an exhibition of the mysterious subterranean life of plants, of which it offers an infinite variety of cross sections. Huge trees have seeded themselves on the roofs of the squat towers and their soaring trunks are obscured from sight; but here one can study in comfort the drama of those secret and conspiratorial activities that labour to support their titanic growth.”   --Norman Lewis A Dragon Apparent 1951

You will continue to the ancient walled city of Angkor Thom, literally “Great city,” built in the 12th Century by Jayavarman VII. Angkor Thom contains the Elephant and Leper King Terraces and the magnificent Bayon Temple with its enormous mysterious faces, where you will exit via the South Gate to catch the last rays of light as they filter through the trees.

This morning visit Les Artisans d' Angkor, a development project teaching at-risk and disadvantaged Khmers the traditional arts of stone carving, wood carving and lacquer application. This is a heart-warming reminder that progress in Cambodia can go hand in hand with native crafts.

Free at leisure until transfer for onward flight.