MULTI-FACETED Clockwise from above, Phnom Penh, boat ride along the
Angkor Thom Moat, elephant's view of Angkor and Ta Prohm
The Luxury trip of Cambodia and Vietnam is starting from Siem Reap where you can explore one of the most famous heritages site in the world the Angkor Complex with the South Gate of
Angkor Thom, the famous Bayon, the great wonders of the world Angkor Wat and a traditional wooden boat on the Tonle Sap Lake.
Lidar data showed a comparable street network at a nearby 12th century temple,
Angkor Thom.
They also captured photos of Siem Reap's Bayon Temple in the ancient city of
Angkor Thom.
Our first glimpse there was of
Angkor Thom, or "Great City", which at its peak in the late 12th century was the last capital of the Khmer empire.
Missing bas-reliefs of the Kbal Spean site, as well as damaged heads of devas and asuras on the
Angkor Thom gate where the legend of the "Churning of the Ocean of Milk" is depicted, have been painstakingly restored by skilled Artisans craftspeople working together with archaeologists, historians, engineers and government agencies.
Before saying goodbye to Cambodia and my new companions, we head off one last time to cycle the hidden trails of Angkor and visit some of its best-kept secrets, along with the notable sites of the Bayon, Ta Prohm and
Angkor Thom.
The large cult statue of Hevajra, found outside the west gate of Jayavarman VII's fortified city of
Angkor Thom, clearly indicate the royal status of the deity.
Varin District is located to the north of Siem Reap Province bordering Oddar Meanchey Province to the north, and the Districts of Svay Leu, Banteay Srei,
Angkor Thom, Angkor Chum and Srei Snam on the eastern, southern and western borders respectively.
Today, of the over one thousand remaining temples covering an area of one hundred and twenty square miles, only about forty are accessible; the most often visited sites being Angkor Wat, Bayon and
Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom, and Banteay Srei.
There is a visit to Ta Prohm (made famous by the film Tomb Raider where the ruins are overgrown by strangler fig and silk-cotton tresses),
Angkor Thom, Bayon temple and the Terrace of the Elephants.
For example, he begins with Catalhoyuk in Anatolia, Turkey, a Neolithic settlement going back to 6500 BC, and ends with
Angkor Thom in Cambodia.
