Day 5: Day of Tourism

         It has been a very fun day for everyone of us as we had gone on a sightseeing trip to various places of interest. First, we had our breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. It was great! Then, we all went to the Bayon Temple in Siem Reap and had our first activity of the day - ELEPHANT RIDE! For many of us, it was our first time riding the elephant. Some of us were worried about falling down from the elephant's back as the seat seemed to be unstable. Although the ride was bumpy, we managed to see the beautiful scenery around the Bayon Temple. The temple was surrounded by a moat and we could see the reflection of the magnificent temples in the water. It was an amazing sight to behold! Bayon temple is a Buddist temple and although the temple is in ruins, it attracts thousands of visitors daily.

 

The next destination we went to was the AngKor Wat Temple. It is one of the seven wonders of the world and we were so thrilled to be able to see one of the wonders! To show our respect to the Cambodians, we had to wear long pants and shirts with sleeves into the temples. Most of us had difficulties climbing up the steep steps that led to the top of the temple and we even had to use our hands to pull ourselves up.

During the visit to Angkor Wat, many of us were sweating profusely because of the hot and humid weather. Despite that, we did not give up and we continued visiting all the temples. We all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly during this trip! The AngKor Wat temple is a majestic beauty!

Next, we went to the Siem Reap War Museum. There were guns, tanks and other war weapons in the museum. These displays showed us the cruelty that the innocent people had suffered during the war. We even saw where the landmines were before they were defused by the US people.


After a 30 minute drive, we arrived at the Jungle Temple. The temple is completely surrounded by nature, just trees and plants. Some of the trees had roots growing on the temple. The temple is also especially cooling. Although the temple is under reconstruction, it does not fail to attract many tourists to visit the place. Today, we also had the opportunity to shop for gifts this evening. Many of us left the night market with bagfuls of gifts for our friends and relatives.

All in all, we have had a lot of fun and a wonderful learning experience in Cambodia. Each and every one of us has grown fond of Cambodia and some of us even wish to stay here for a few more days. This trip was a very enriching one, and we'll all cherish  the memories that we have from this trip.

Posted by Group 5
Germaine, Yu Hui, Christina, Amanda