Page 55 - Asia 2021 Catalog

Khmer sanctuary dating back to the first half of the 11th century and exemplary for understanding Angkorian
architecture.
Lunch in a local restaurant and free dinner - Overnight

Day 4 - Battambang – (Bantey Chmar – Sisophon) – Siem Reap.
Breakfast in hotel.
Departure for Siem Reap by public scheduled boat from the pier which is located in the town center. The
boat departs following the Sangke River. Continue on the river
through splendid and unusual scenarios: villages, pagodas,
fishermen who use a very particular technique through nets raised
by a sort of pendulum catapults, mangroves and anything else you
can imagine or not, in a luxuriant and uncontaminated nature. We
arrive at the splendid floating village of Prek Toal where it will be
possible, if required and conditions permit, to visit a floating church
and the school moored nearby. Then you enter the Tonle Sap, so
big that you can't see the banks. The boat continues along part of
the lake until after the floating village of Chong Kneas where you go
ashore and reach Siem Reap by bus after about thirty minutes by road. Arrival after about 9-10 hours of
navigation from Battambang, times are flexible, depending on the water level and the conditions at the time.
(The boats are local, made of wood, sometimes not very comfortable, due to a rigid internal rotary on use it
is not possible to choose them in advance, the maximum capacity is 30-35 people). Navigation is generally
possible in the period from September - October to February – March.
Transfer in Hotel

Battambang - Siem Reap alternative by land::
Early departure for Bantey Chmar passing through the town of Svay Sisophon, not far from the Thai border.
The temple of Bantey Chhmar is located about 60 km from the capital
of the province of Bantey Meanchey. It is a little known and little visited
monastic complex, in practice not yet untouched by any form of
restoration. Built between the end of the 12th century and the beginning
of the 13th, it was dedicated to the son of King Yayavaraman VII who fell
fighting against the Champa. The bas-reliefs on the inner perimeter wall
depict scenes from the battles of that war. Bantey means citadel, or city,
and the complex is the size of a small town. In the internal part, the
vegetation has grown luxuriantly, even without taking over and the
absence of tourists revives the experience of the few travelers of the
colonial period. Among the bas-reliefs, a representation of Awalokiteshwar, or in Tibetan Cenresi, a divinity
who represents compassion and at the same time the tutelary god of Tibet, makes it possible to make risky,
but probably real, connections between two civilizations so distant. Breakfast during the excursion.
Continuation and arrival in the early evening in Siem Reap.
Cena libera e pernottamento in hotel.

Day 5 – Siem Reap.
Breakfast in Hotel.
Departure for the visit to the pre-Angkorian structures of the Rolous
complex, located about 15 km from the town, towards the south-east. The
temples of Prae Ko, Bakong and Lolei are the main and the first to have
been built in the area in the 9th century, they represent the link between the
kingdom of Chenla, whose capital is represented by what remains of
Sambor Preikuk , and the new kingdom of Angkor, marking the beginning
of the culmination of Khmer power and art. Head towards the Angkor
complex and see the Prasat Kravan, the only example of a temple
consisting of five towers in a line, inside the central one it will be possible to admire one of the most beautiful
decorations dedicated to the divinity Visnu. In the afternoon a visit to the fortified city of Angkor Thom is

ASIA TRAVEL BEST
927/138 Ketuti Village Soi Lat Phrao 87 – 10240 - Bang Kapi – Bangkok
info@asiatravelbest.com