Day 16: Siem Reap

Angkor Wat Guided Tour
We enjoyed a tour of impressive ancient ruins with a local guide. We woke up early to watch the sun rise over the magnificent Angkor Wat temple. We visited the enigmatic faces of Bayon within the walled city of Angkor Thom, and tour Ta Prohm (aka the "Tomb Raider" temple), which is slowly being swallowed by the jungle. 

Today was the first of two days exploring the ruins of the Angkor Wat temple complex with a local expert guide. We experienced a Khmer lunch at New Hope, a local training restaurant and G Adventures-supported project. This evening, I enjoyed a performance at Phare, the Cambodian circus and social enterprise that provides training and gainful employment to Cambodian youth from difficult social and economic backgrounds. We also met with one of the organizers who gave us an overview of this incredible enterprise.