Arts and Crafts Phnom Penh & Siem Reap 6 Days/5 Nights Tour code: CMB-S-04
Arts and Crafts
Phnom Penh & Siem Reap 6 Days/5 Nights
Tour code: CMB-S-04
Arrival in Phnom Penh Transfer Excursion to Central Market and rattan workshops 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. SAMDECH SOTHEAROS BLVD: visit an area that is known for its rattan workshops including those that produce rattan furniture for domestic consumption and export. Sunset cruise on the Mekong aboard a Sereyrath boat
Excursion to Koh Dach by boat KOH DACH: travel by boat to an island that is known for its production of fine silk. Travelers will also stop at local villages along the way to observe life along the mother of all waters, the Mekong river. Visit the Russian Market (Tuol Tompong) The sprawling RUSSIAN MARKET is a labyrinth of stalls selling everything from CDs and DVDs to silks, crafts, antiques, foodstuffs and more. An ideal place for browsing and bargain-hunting. Visit Wat Phnom Visit WAT PHNOM, the birthplace of the capital; according to legend, Phnom Penh was founded here when a woman named Penh found four Buddha statues and built the temple to house them. Overnight in Phnom Penh.
Transfer Flight from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. Transfer Excursion to silk farm and traditional craft workshops Siem Reap and surrounding communities are rich in diversity and culture. This half day tour will introduce the visitor to the traditional Khmer skills of carving, basket weaving and silk production. Start at the PUOK SILK FARM, located in the countryside. Visitors are shown the different steps in silk production from mulberry tree planting to silk weaving, from cultivation of mulberry bushes, to the silk worms, to cocoons, to spinning, to weaving, to finished products which are on sale. Afterwards continue to a BASKET WEAVING VILLAGE, which produces traditional baskets of all sizes and styles. Finally, visit LES ARTISANS D ANGKOR, a craft shop attached to an EU-sponsored school which teaching local apprentices traditional woodcarving, stone carving, lacquerware painting, among other crafts. Take a tour of the workshops and learn about the craft processes before browsing in the stylish gift shop. Overnight in Siem Reap.
Sightseeing in Angkor Visit Angkor Wat The crowning jewel of Khmer architecture, ANGKOR WAT is the national symbol and the highlight of any visit to Cambodia. The largest, best preserved, and most religiously significant of the Angkor temples, Angkor impresses visitors both by its sheer scale and beautifully proportioned layout, as well as the delicate artistry of its carvings. To approach the temple, first cross the vast moat, continuing along a broad causeway lined with naga balustrades. As you enter the main building, ascend through a series of galleries and courtyard before reaching the central sanctuary, which offers beautiful views back over the causeway and across the surrounding countryside. On the way, stop to enjoy the intricate stonecarvings that adorn nearly every surface, with some 1,700 Apsaras, or celestial dancers, sculpted into the walls. Along the outer gallery walls run the longest continuous bas-relief in the world, which narrates stories from Hindu mythology, including the famous Churning of the Ocean of Milk. Angkor Wat is stunning at any time of the day, but sunrise and sunset are especially beautiful times to watch the play of light on the stones. Visit Angkor Thom The fortified city of ANGKOR THOM covers an area of 10 square km. Enclosed by a wall and wide moats, the city includes many of Angkor's most popular sights. Enter by the monumental SOUTH GATE over a causeway lined on either side by statues of demons and gods, each carrying a giant naga. Continue to the TERRACE OF THE ELEPHANTS and the TERRACE OF THE LEPER KINGS, former spaces for public cermonies, both adorned with dramatic bas reliefs. Visit the ruined BAPHUON, ROYAL ENCLOSURE and PHIMEANAKAS before continuing to the mysterious BAYON TEMPLE. In this temple, one of the most popular and compelling in Angkor, explore the galleries of beautifully preserved bas reliefs and ascend narrow stairs to reach the central sanctuary, where you will find giant stone faces smiling enigmatically down at you from every angle. 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 Sras Srang SRAS SRANG: a basin opposite of Banteay Kdei measuring 800 by 400 metres with a tiny island in the middle where only the stone base remains of what was once a wooden temple. Visit Banteay Kdei Temple A massive Buddhist temple dating from the second half of the 12th century, BANTEAY KDEI is surrounded by four concentric walls, the outer walls measuring 500 by 700 meters. Visit a temple for sunset Watch the sun set over the Cambodian countryside from the upper terraces of an ancient Angkorian temple. Overnight in Siem Reap.
Transfer Flight from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. Transfer Sightseeing in Phnom Penh, with a visit to the Apsara Arts Association and Prayuvong Buddha factories Today's tour focuses on the Cambodia's rich artistic traditions. Foremost among these is the KHMER APSARA DANCE, a sophisticated art form that takes years of training to master, starting from a very early age. Visit the Apsara Arts Association and observe how young apprentice Apsara dancers train to achieve the agility and grace needed to be star ballerinas. Continue to the PRAYUVONG BUDDHA FACTORY, where you can watch the restoration of Buddha statuary and ritual objects destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and the creation of modern masterpieces for devotional use. In the afternoon, deepen your insight into Cambodia's cultural heritage with a visit to the ROYAL PALACE, still the official residence of King Norodom Sihamoni, the adjacent SILVER PAGODA, also known as the Pagoda of the Emerald Buddha, and the elegant NATIONAL MUSEUM, which contains a comprehensive collection of Khmer Art. Overnight in Phnom Penh.
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