Small-Group Tour of Angkor Wat from Siem Reap

Watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat and the amazing temples is a truly unforgettable experience that makes for spectacular photos. It is a must visit when you go to Cambodia. On this tour, arrive early to beat the crowds and midday heat, enjoy a guided tour of the ancient ruins, and visit the temples of Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom, and Bayon Temple.

Tour of Angkor Wat

Start your tour with an early morning pickup from your Siem Reap hotel and travel to the Angkor Archaeological Park to experience Angkor Wat at sunrise.

After watching the grand sunrise, set out to explore Angkor Wat on a guided walking tour and listen as your guide points out attractive architectural features and details the fascinating history of the Khmer Empire.

Angkor Thom and the Bayon Temple

Angkor Thom is a smaller site than Angkor Wat but no less impressive, especially the Bayon Temple, which is famous for all the great stone towers with their mysterious smiling heads. The artistry is quite unique and truly a wonder of the world. The temples are better preserved and more interesting than those at Angkor-picturing details of people's everyday life, rather than just battle scenes.

Additional Info

Dress Code: Respectful dress which covers your shoulders and knees is required.

Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

No wheelchair accessible.

Most travelers can participate. Minimum age is 5 years to participate on this tour (younger than 5 years old are not allowed).

Katharine Meyer Graham was once described as "the most powerful woman in America." She was not a government official or elected representative, but she owned The Washington Post newspaper. Under her leadership, it became one of the most important newspapers in the country.

Katharine Meyer was born in a rich family in New York City in 1917. In 1933, her father had bought a failing newspaper, The Washington Post. Her marriage was a tragedy. Her husband treated her badly and suffered from mental illness, killing himself in 1963.

With no training or experience in business, she was insecure and she did not think she had the ability to do an important job. But Katharine Graham didn't give up. In 1969, Missus Graham became publisher as well as president of The Washington Post Company.

In the 1970s, The Washington Post became famous around the world because of two major successes. In 1971, an order from a federal judge stopped The New York Times from publishing the Pentagon(五角大楼)Papers, because President Richard Nixon believed publication would endanger national security. Yet Katharine Graham ruled against the judge's order and decided to publish the Pentagon Papers in The Washington Post, which was considered a major success for freedom of the press.

In 1972, The Washington Post had another major success. Through the long Watergate(水门事件)investigation, despite government' s threat, Missus Graham supported her reporters and editors. The newspaper was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 1973 for its Watergate reporting. The next year, President Nixon resigned from office.

Katharine Graham died of head injuries when she was eighty-four. She used her intelligence and bravery to improve the American media. After her death, the employees of The Washington Post wrote: "A world without Katharine Graham will not be the same at all."

A scientist turned out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she dealt with it. Some children reached eagerly for the candy they saw. Some lasted a few minutes before they gave in. But others were determined to wait until the last moment.

By the time the children reached high school, something amazing had happened. A survey found that those who were four-year-olds having enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation (诱惑) early were more likely to be lonely, easily upset and inflexible.

Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn’t show up on an IQ test.

The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists’ concerns. But brain theory can’t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant (有抵抗力的) soul.

Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people’s success, brain ability measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "characters".

EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together and how one’s ability handles stress, for instance, affecting the ability to concentrate and putting intelligence to use. Among the ingredients (要素) for success, researchers now gradually agree that IQ counts for about 20%, the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.

While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues are finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.

The Education Secretary Michael Gove said all schools should follow the example set in the Far East where pupils are expected to follow a longer day and get less time off. In a speech, he warned the current shape of the academic year was created to fit the needs of an agricultural economy, with pupils taking time off in October to help harvest. The lack of time spent in the classroom is particularly damaging to children from poor backgrounds, Mr. Gove said.

Some of the Government's flagship academies---state schools run independent of local council controls---are using their independence to reform the school day, he said. Some open at 8:30 am and expect children to remain until at least 4:30 pm to undertake sport, music and other extra-curricular activities. Other schools such as David Young Community Academy operate four-week summer holidays for fear that children suffer an academic fall during the traditional six-week break.

Mr. Gove suggested all schools should follow a similar model to enable the nation to catch up with education systems elsewhere in the world. But his suggestions are likely to cause anger among teachers who are fiercely protective of the six-week summer break which they claim is vital for them to recharge their batteries.

Earlier this month, the National Union of Teachers actually called for a shorter school day. But addressing the Spectator Education Conference in central London, Mr. Gove said a "higher level of effort is expected on behalf of students, parents and teachers" in nations such as Singapore and elsewhere in the Far East.

He insisted the Government was changing teachers' pay and working conditions which meant they could be paid more for taking on extra duties, allowing heads to organize their staff "in a way to get more out of young people".

"The expectation is that to succeed, hard work is at the heart of everything," he said. "If you look at the length of the school day and summer holiday in England---and we compare it to the extra tuition and support children are receiving elsewhere---then we are fighting or actually running in this global race in a way without doubt we start with a significant obstacle."