Morning at leisure: This morning you have time to rest and relax at your hotel.
Afternoon tour of Banteay Srei and the Cambodia Landmine Museum: After a leisurely morning, start your tour of the temples of Angkor starts with a visit to Banteay Srei, Angkor's ultimate art gallery. This petite pink temple is the jewel in the crown of Angkor-era sculpture. The elaborate carvings here are the finest found in Cambodia and the name translates as ‘Fortress of the Women', thanks to the intricate detail here, considered too fine for the hands of a man. Originally believed to date from the latter part of the Angkor period, inscriptions at the site suggest it was built by a Brahman in 967. However, some architectural historians have suggested that the inscriptions may date from an earlier structure on this site and the temple is in fact later, marking a high-water mark in Khmer sculpture.
On the way back to Siem Reap, you will stop to visit the Cambodia Landmine Museum and learn more about the scourge of landmines and the shadow they cast over rural communities in Cambodia with a visit to this flagship museum promoting mine awareness and education. The Land Mine Museum displays a large collection of weapons of war, including guns, rifles, rocket launchers, mortars, bombs and landmines. The site includes a mocked up minefield and visitors can attempt to locate the deactivated mines. The museum is a rich resource of information about landmines and UXO with many educational displays detailing how certain mines are used and in what situations. There is also a DVD available telling the story of landmines and UXO in Cambodia and the disastrous impact they have had on the population. Not only a weapon of war, they are a weapon against peace. The Landmine Museum promotes land mine accident prevention awareness and public education; and provides educational facilities, programming and rehabilitation facilities for survivors of land mine injuries. It also provides education and support for dozens of at-risk, land mine-affected children who have suffered overwhelming hardships. The Cambodia Landmine Museum was created so that it might serve as a place of healing for bodies, hearts and minds.
Evening ‘Taste Khmer’ fine dining experience: This evening, you will be met at your hotel and taken on private tuk tuk tour to discover the best of the best of Khmer fine dining in Siem Reap’s top restaurants. The ‘fine dining’ route takes you to Mie Café for your starter. Mia Café is run by respected chef Pola who studied and worked in Switzerland then returned to create one of the hidden gems in the local restaurant scene. Continue to the Sugar Palm for main course, where legendary Chef Kethana has created a menu of authentic dishes that she learnt to cook from her mother and grandmother. Kethana consulted both Gordon Ramsay and Luke Nguyen for their TV shows in Cambodia, and her Fish Amok is highly revered as one of the best in the country. Finish the tour with dessert at Malis, one of Cambodia’s most cosmopolitan restaurants.
Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Phum Baitang (Terrace Villa)
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
