Cambodia - World Airlines Clubs Association

The Golden Land
A WACA Tour
Bayon Temple, Angkor
World Airlines Clubs Association
October 10 to 18 2015
48th Interline Celebration Pre-Tour
Cambodia
Foreword
Ascend to the realm of the gods, Angkor Wat. Descend into the hell of the Khmer Rouge at Tuol Sleng. Thanks to a history both inspiring and
depressing, Cambodia delivers an intoxicating present for today’s visitors.
An Empire of Temples
Contemporary Cambodia is the successor state to the mighty Khmer empire, which, during the Angkorian period, ruled much of what is now Laos, Thailand and
Vietnam. The remains of this empire can be seen at the fabled temples of Angkor, monuments unrivalled in scale and grandeur in southeast Asia. The traveller’s
first glimpse of Angkor Wat, the ultimate expression of Khmer genius, is sublime and is matched by only a few select spots on earth, such as Machu Picchu or Petra.
The Comeback Capital
Just as Angkor is more than its wat, so too is Cambodia more than its temples. The chaotic yet charismatic capital of Phnom Penh is a hub of political intrigue,
economic vitality and intellectual debate. All too often overlooked by tourists ticking off Angkor on a regional tour, the revitalised city is finally earning plaudits
in its own right thanks to a gorgeous riverside location, a cultural renaissance, and a wining and dining scene to rival anywhere in the region.
Provincial Charm
Battambang has a unique charm among Cambodia’s larger urban centres. It seamlessly blends together the outlook of a modern city and small-town friendliness,
set against the backdrop of some of Cambodia’s best-preserved colonial architecture. Timeless hilltop temples and bucolic villages can be seen on leisurely day trips
by bicycle or moto.
The Cambodian Spirit
Despite having the eighth wonder of the world in its backyard, Cambodia’s real treasure is its people. The Khmers have been to hell and back, struggling through
years of bloodshed, poverty and political instability. Thanks to an unbreakable spirit and infectious optimism, they have prevailed with their smiles intact. No
visitor comes away without a measure of admiration and affection for the inhabitants of this enigmatic kingdom.
WACA takes you on a 8 nights 9 days journey through the Golden Land, from its cultural triumph at Angkor Wat to the real and friendly Cambodian charms of
Battambang, which is infused with French colonial and Thai influences. We will visit South Asia’s largest lake at Tonle Sap and explore provincial Cambodia at
Battambang’s environs. We culminate our journey at Phnom Penh, a revitalized city with a rich cutural scene. Cambodia is not just Angkor Wat, it is a country
that is on a comeback, after periods of dark tragedy and misfortunes.
See you in the Golden Land!
Itinerary
*The New Hope’s Training Restaurant was established in July 2010 with the aim of
teaching unemployed/uneducated Khmers valuable cooking and hospitality skills,
and developing their confidence and employment opportunities.
DAY 3 SIEM REAP – ANGKOR TOUR (B,L)
Visit to Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. Ta Prohm has
been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its
mystery. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the
paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), Ta Som, built in late 12th century C.E.
the most distant temple on the grand circuit, small but classic. Preah Khan
temple, Built by the King Jayavarman VII. Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a
place of towered enclosures and shoulder hugging corridors. Unlike Ta Prohm,
however, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and
ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation.
DAY 1 ARRIVAL - SIEM REAP
On arrival at Airport, you will be met by our tour guide and transfered to hotel.
Rest of the day is free at your leisure. Overnight at Lotus Blanc Hotel or equivalent in Siam Reap for the next 4 nights. No meals included today.
After lunch in a local restaurant, visit the antique capital of Angkor Thom (12
th century) and its South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of
the ocean of milk; the Bayon Temple, unique for its 54 towers decorated with
over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara; the Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, the Elephants Terrace and the Terrace of the Leper King. Tonight you are
free to eat out at Siem Reap’s many fine restaurants on your own cost.
DAY 2 SIEM REAP – ANGKOR TOUR (B,L,D)
Visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor, Angkor Wat. The
temple complex covers 81 hectares and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing. Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag
and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime
example of classical Khmer art and architecture. After lunch at the New Hope
Restaurant, we will visit the Cambodia Landmine Museum, which tells the story
of landmines in Cambodia, how they have impacted the country’s past, present
and its impact in the future. The story is told through the story of Aki Ra, the
founder who was pressed into the Khmer Rouge Army as a child soldier, and
spent his youth fighting in the wars that ravaged his country for nearly 35 years.
Dinner at Hotel Restaurant.
Bayon Temple
DAY 04 - SIEM REAP (B,L,D)
DAY 05 - SIEM REAP - BATTAMBANG (B,L,D)
Visit to Banteay Srei temple with its four wings preceded by a hall and accompanied by two libraries, with the southern example is remarkably well
preserved. Banteay Srei is a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the
Hindu god Shiva. It is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself
to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today.
Depart from Siem Reap by road, travelling through the beautiful Cambodian
countryside and rural villages to Battambang (transfer time 3 hours), Cambodia’s second largest city. After arrival, you will be taken directly to your
respective hotel for check in. The rural views around Battambang are worthy
of National Geographic.
In the afternoon, we board a boat in Tonle Sap Lake at Kampong Phluk. Here,
we will enjoy a brief cruise past floating villages complete with schools, restaurants, and hospitals. Most of inhabitants of these villages are Vietnamese immigrants.
In the afternoon, we will head towards Phnom Sampeau, meaning “Ship Hill”
in Khmer, due to its distinctive shape, and one of the few hills standing out in
this otherwise pancake-flat plain. From the small temple on the top, you will
have a fantastic view over the typical Cambodian landscape of paddy fields
and sugar palm trees. Phnom Sampeau is home to the notorious killing caves,
which are cruel reminders of Cambodia’s troubled past. Serenity and inhumanity represented in one place make this an interesting visit.
Tonight we will have dinner at the Angkor Village Hotel and watch the Apsara
dance performance in it’s famed Apsara Theater.
The Tonlé Sap, “Large Fresh Water River”, but more commonly translated as “Great
Lake” is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.The
Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia and is an ecological hot spot
that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.
The Tonlé Sap is unusual for two reasons: its flow changes direction twice a year, and
the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons.
From November to May, Cambodia’s dry season, the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh. However, when the year’s heavy rains begin in June, the
Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake.
Tonle Sap
Your visit will last until dusk – a time when millions of bats emerge from a
cave and create patterns as they fly in tandem across the sky – a nightly spectacle of nature.
Lunch at a local restaurant and dinner at the Hotel.
Overnight in Battambang at the Battambang Resort or the Bambu Hotel (One
Group at the Battambang Resort and another group at the Bambu Hotel).
Apsara Dancer
The Bambu Hotel
DAY 06 - BATTAMBANG (B,L,D)
Battambang’s countryside makes this pleasant town a real treat. It is situated along the Sangker River, a quiet body
of water that winds its way through Battambang Province and connects the Cardamom Mountains with Tonle Sap
Lake and feeds the paddy fields with water on the way, which results in Cambodia’s best rice that can be found here,
in Battambang Province.
Spend the morning on a tour that combines walking, a boat ride and then cycling along and across the Sangke
River to experience Battambang daily life. The tour includes prayers with monks as well as rich explanations of the
city’s design and artistic heritage. Begin the tour at a bike shop to get fitted for your bicycle (either a mountain bike
or sturdy basket bike). Watch a few minutes of film footage which will help you imagine how developed the town
was in its heyday. Battambang has passed from Cambodia to Thailand and back again several times in its history
and has an excellent collection of early 20th century French colonial architecture that is better preserved and respected than in many other parts of the country.
A tour of the main market, Psar Nath includes trying a local coffee. Then walk the few metres to the river and cross
a couple of minutes on a local boat to the other side of the Sangke River. Visit Wat Povil temple and take the opportunity to pray with the monks (Note: the monks may observe different rituals according to their calendar though
can be seen on a daily basis). It is usually possible to accompany the boats back across the river as they begin their
morning alms collection.
Once back on the other side it is time to begin the bike tour. The historic 2.5 Street is visited along with a Thai temple before you arrive at a smaller market. Again time for a coffee or a sugar cane juice. Continue a short distance
to Wat Kor Village, known for its many old Khmer heritage houses built around a century ago. Visit one of the
best preserved homes. Cycle along the river and cross a suspension bridge where only motorbikes and bicycles
can pass. On the way back into town there is another short drinks stop before arriving back in the town at approximately 12:45 p.m.
Stop for lunch at the Fresh Eats Café, set up by a non-profit NGO operating with orphans and vulnerable children
that live on the streets or have been trafficked. The organization helps them to reintegrate into society by giving
them a safe family environment, access to education and vocational training as well as health treatment. In the
afternoon, you will visit by vehicle a few of the villages around Battambang, where you will learn how the locals produce rice paper, prahoc (typical Cambodian fish paste), grolan (sticky rice stuffed in bamboo), and other
Cambodian treats. From here, you can experience a short ride on the famous Bamboo Train, an original means of
transportation on the old train tracks leading to Phnom Penh. A true rollercoaster ride without loops!
Those who do not wish to partake in the physical activities in the morning can relax at the hotel and will be picked
up for lunch and the sightseeing in the afternoon. Continued on next page...
This evening, a special visit awaits you at the Phare Ponleu Selpak School of Music, Visual & Performing Arts. Phare Ponleu Selpak combines the Arts to provide
education, support and entertainment to the poor communities. This project is
a success story of how humanitarian aid work can turn into a display of zest for
life, genuine warmth and creativity, against all odds. A visit to one of their circus
shows will leave you with a lasting memory of the wonderful Cambodian people
and should not be missed when in Battambang! Dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Battambang.
There’s something about Battambang that visitors just love. The colonial architecture, the
riverside setting, the laid-back cafes and it’s the perfect blend of relatively urban modernity and small-town friendliness. Outside the city’s confines, meanwhile, timeless hilltop
temples and bucolic villages await. That Cambodia’s best-known circus (the magnificent
Phare Ponleu Selpak) is here is no coincidence: The city has an enduring tradition of
producing many of Cambodia’s best-loved singers, actors and artists.
DAY 07 - BATTAMBANG – PHNOM PENH (B,L)
Transfer from Battambang to Phnom Penh on an excellently paved road and the
drive takes approximately 4 to 5 hours. Along the way, we will visit a pottery center at Kampong Chhnang, heart of Cambodia’s ceramic cottage industry. Lunch
at a local restaurant. Upon arrival at the Hotel Himawari, the afternoon is free
at your leisure. Dinner is not included tonight and you are free to sample one of
the many fine restaurants in the city at your own cost. Overnight at the Himawari
Hotel in Phnom Penh. * The Himawari is the only hotel in Cambodia with its very
own microbrewery. The hotel is located next to Tonle Sap River.
Pool at the Himawari Hotel
DAY 08 PHNOM PENH (B,L,D)
After breakfast , we will start the city tour. Visit the National Museum, built
in 1917-18, which is exclusively dedicated to the Khmer arts such as sculptures, ceramics and carvings etc.; the Royal Palace built in 1866 and the Silver Pagoda located within the Royal Palace compound. The morning will
end with a visit to the Central Market (Phsar Thmei). This distinctive building is a city landmark and the busiest market in the city with a unique art
deco version of a traditional market. The market was constructed in 1935
during the French colonial period.
After lunch in a local restaurant, we will visit the infamous Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Cheung Ek, better known as the Killing Fields, where large
numbers of people were killed and buried in mass graves during the turbulent rule of the Khmer Rouge in the 70s. The site is a former high school
which was used as a notorious Security Prison by the Khmer Rouge regime
from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. Tuol Sleng means “Hill of
the Poisonous Trees” or “Strychnine Hill”. Overnight in the Himawari Hotel.
Dinner is at the Hotel tonight.
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Tonlé
Sap and Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since French colonization of Cambodia. Once known as the “Pearl of Asia,” it was considered one of the loveliest
French-built cities in Indochina in the 1920s. Founded in 1434, the city is noted for its beautiful and historical architecture and attractions. There are a number of surviving French
colonial buildings scattered along the grand boulevards.
Phnom Penh Central Market
DAY 09 PHNOM PENH – HO CHI MINH CITY (B)
Built in an exotic design of luxury
French art and décor coupled with a
Cambodian cultural touch, the Lotus
Blanc Resort provides a timeless, holistic and harmonious experience. If you
are looking for elegance, a rich heritage
and a combination of the middle ages
and a twenty first century outlook, this
Siem Reap’s premier boutique resort is
the place to be, a destination that provides a tropical bliss landscape which
intimately defines the perfect escape.
Morning transfer to Ho Chi Minh City via a private chartered bus operated
by Mekong Express. The drive from the Himawari Hotel to the Lotte Legend
Hotel takes about 5 to 6 hours. Those who do not wish to take the bus can fly
to HCMC at their own cost. All partticipants taking the free bus option must
ensure they have a Vietnamese visa before hand as they cannot be obtained at
the border crossing between Cambodia and Vietnam.
A
ngkor Wat was first a Hindu, then subsequently a Buddhist, temple complex
in Cambodia and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple
was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in
Yaśodharapura, the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual
mausoleum. Breaking from the Shiva tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was
instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only
one to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation. The temple is
at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of
Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country’s prime attraction for
visitors.
Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple-mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian architecture,
with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of
the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2
mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of
the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat
is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple
is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs,
and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.
Registration Details
Package Cost: 965 USD
Package includes:
1. 8 nights twin share accommodation with daily breakfasts.
2. 5 dinners (including 3 Hotel dinners) and 7 local lunches.
3. English speaking guides, tours and activities in the itinerary, including entrance fees to sights. Ground transportation during tours in air-conditioned
vehicles.
4. Transfers as stipulated in the program, including airport pick-up at Siem
Reap and bus transfer between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City.
Package does not include:
1. WACA fee of 20 USD.
2. Single room supplement of 420 USD.
3. Expenses of a personal nature such as drinks/meals (unless specified as per
the program), laundry and telephone calls , internet etc.
4. Travel & Personal Insurance.
5. Visa fee. Visas are not required for most citizens of ASEAN nations. Other
nationalities can obtain their visas online via the Cambodian e-visa process
at https://www.evisa.gov.kh/ Please check with the local or nearest Cambodian diplomatic mission for the most updated visa requirement details.
6. Transportation not listed in the program and gratuities.
Deposit & Payments:
Cancellation Policy:
A deposit of 400 USD per participant is required for the registration to be confirmed. The
final payment of 565 USD shall be paid by the 10th of July.
1. A service charge of 100 USD shall be imposed for cancellations before 10
June 2015.
For interested parties, please register with Mr. Keith Miller at WACA headquarters at info@
waca.org. For additional information about the tour, please contact any member of the
WACA Council at waca.travel@gmail.com
2. The deposit shall be forfeited if cancellation occurs after 18 July and no
refund after 18 August 2015.
All money orders/draft in US Dollars must be payable to the “World Airlines Clubs Association” and along with the filled-in Registration Form, to be mailed to:
Mr. Keith Miller at WACA Headquarters, c/o IATA, 800 Place Victoria, P.O. Box 113, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4Z 1M1. The Registration forms can also be sent to WACA via email.
You can also transfer the payment via wire transfer to WACA’s bank account. Transfer charges
are to be borne by participants and WACA reserves the right to collect from the participant
the shortfall due to service charges etc. Please note WACA’s Bank of Montreal account does
levy a charge of 14 US dollars for every transaction and this shall be borne by the participant
as well.
Note: Confirmation of your attendance in the package can only be guaranteed
upon the receipt of a deposit.
Note:
In order to be eligible to register for this tour, the participant must
also be registered for the 48th Interline Celebration and AGA at Ho
Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
WACA’s bank account info as follows for bank wire transfers:
Bank Address: Bank of Montreal, 2005 Peel Street,
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1T7
Account name: World Airlines Clubs Association
Account number: 4600-790
Transit number: 01581
Swift code: bofmcam2
Note:
Bank processing charges vary from country to country and WACA will only recover the outstanding amount as indicated in the actual transaction records.
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(short for “The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation
in Travel and Tourism”) is an industry-driven
responsible tourism initiative with a mission
to provide awareness, tools and support to
the tourism industry in order to prevent the
sexual exploitation of children.