Page 20 - Vietnam Cambodia Thailand 20 Day Sample

DAY 10 SIEM REAP Meals included: Breakfast Enjoy sunrise at the incredible Angkor Wat Temple Complex. Angkor Wat is one of the largest temple complexes in the world. The Temple is dedicated to the god Vishnu, from whom the Emperor was considered a reincarnation. Essentially a three-layered pyramid, Angkor Wat has 64 meter high towers at the corners of each storey. The marvelous bas-relief of Angkor Wat's outer wall of the lower picture gallery depicts scenes of the Ramayana. Angkor Wat represents the high-point in the evolution of Khmer architecture. The ruins seen today represent successive capitals constructed by a dozen kings between the 9th and 12th centuries. Central to the civilization of Angkor was belief in the God-King, an originally Indian concept, which was adopted by Jayavarman II when he became Angkor's first king in 802. Return to the hotel for breakfast. After breakfast explore the impressive Ta Prohm Temple. Ta Prohm was built by Jayavarman VII as a shrine for his mother and as a monastery devoted to its upkeep. A stele referred to the temple as a monument "whose limbs are adorned with gold and resplendent with gems". The magnificent roots of a tree pushing between the huge stone blocks of the temple have been left that way intentionally, at the suggestion of French art conservators Bernard Groslier and George Coedes, who devoted years to the understanding and preservation of the treasures at Angkor. The sight of the tree's powerful embrace of the stone evokes feelings a visitor will very likely remember forever. Enjoy a leisurely afternoon. Overnight: Grand Hotel D’Angkor – Landmark Garden View Room IS NOW COMPLETE