A WEEKEND TO DISCOVER SALA BAÏ JUNE 9 12, 2011
A WEEKEND TO DISCOVER SALA BAÏ JUNE 9 12, 2011 Highlights Witness firsthand how Sala Bai alleviates poverty by transforming young adults Stay with Sala Bai partner Heritage Suites, a Relais & Châeaux boutique hotel Experience the magnificent Angkor Archaeological Park, an UNESCO world heritage site Enjoy convenient Thursday afternoon departure and Sunday early evening return flights Make a difference today and tomorrow by touching the lives of those in need About Sala Bai Hotel School Sala Baï, a Hotel and Restaurant Training School created in 2002 by the French NGO Agir pour le Cambodge, is one of the most efficient and effective programs to alleviate poverty in Cambodia. With assistance of partners like Touch (below), the school provides free tuition to screened applicants from families earning less than$25 per month. Training approximately 100 students per year, 70% of whom are women between the ages 15 and 17, the school has delivered unparalleled results: 700 students graduated and 100% employed within three months of program completion into any one of nineteen hotel partners in Siem Reap. Earning between $50 and $250 per month post graduation, the lives of these young adults and their families are changed forever. About Touch Touch is a network of like-minded professionals who challenge themselves to go beyond their traditional limits to give back to causes that touch our hearts. 100% of all donations go directly to the causes we support. In the past 15 years, we've
changed thousands of lives around the world. Touch has supported the Sala Bai Hotel School for the past two years after US Ambassador to Cambodia, Carol Rodley, highlighted the orgnanization s extraordinary track record of results. share with their families, taking them out of poverty in their turn. Sala Baï has trained 704 young Cambodians in 8 years and is now training 99. www.salabai.com About Heritage About Heritage Suites Hotel Quietly nestled in central Siem Reap, this romantic luxury hideaway is an exquisite boutique hotel, part of the world renowned Relais & Châteaux Alliance. Featuring only 26 rooms and suites, The Heritage is the ideal intimate base for an amazing Angkor experience. Authenticity, tradition and modern influences prevail. The architecture, the beautifully spacious suites, the unequalled kindness and efficiency of the staff and the culinary Western and Cambodian delights make Heritage unique. A luxurious sanctuary, still just a 3 minute tuk tuk ride to downtown Siem Reap and a 10 minute ride from Angkor Wat temples and their wonders. The Heritage Suites Hotel is one of nineteen hotel partners of the Sala Bai Hotel School. The hotel regularly hires trainees for their compulsory two eight-week periods and hires school graduates as full-time staff. To learn more visit http://heritage.com.kh About Angkor Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. It contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The influence of Khmer art, as developed at Angkor, was a profound one over much of South-East Asia and played a fundamental role in its distinctive evolution. Khmer architecture evolved largely from that of the Indian subcontinent, from which it soon became clearly distinct as it developed its own special characteristics, some independently evolved and others acquired from neighboring cultural traditions. The result was a new artistic horizon in oriental art and architecture.
DETAILED ITINERARY JUNE 9 12, 2011 Thursday, June 9 Depart on Jetstar flight 3K599 at 14:50 from Singapore Changi Terminal #1 Arrive at 16:00 into Siem Reap International Airport Transfer provided to Heritage Suites Hotel Welcome cocktail in lobby of Heritage Suites Hotel at 18:00 Dinner at leisure Suggestion #1 - take a stroll along the Siem Reap river bank to the Royal Residence before returning to an intimate candle lit poolside dinner at the Heritage Suites Hotel Suggestion #2 takes a tuk-tuk to dine on Cambodian cuisine at FCC Angkor s openair canteen in the heart of Siem Reap. The renovated former French Governor s mansion creates an atmosphere of refined luxury and casual elegance Suggestion #3 take a tuk-tuk to Pub Street, Siem Reap s local watering hotel, where you will find several casual and affordable dining options Friday, June 10 Enjoy free breakfast at Heritage Suites Hotel from 6:30 to 10:30 Meet in lobby for 11:30 pick up for lunch at Sala Baï Hotel and Restaurant School Attend a presentation of Sala Bai s program, tour the school and meet the students Free afternoon and dinner at leisure (see above for suggestions) Saturday, June 11 Enjoy free breakfast at Heritage Suites Hotel from 6:30 to 7:30 Meet in lobby for 7:30 pick up for visit of temples at Angkor World Heritage Site Return to Heritage Suites Hotel between 12:30 and 13:00 for lunch and leisure Meet in lobby for 19:00 pick up for closing dinner at Sala Baï Hotel School Cocktails and Khmer dinner prepared and served by Sala Baï students
Sunday, June 12 Enjoy free breakfast at Heritage Suites Hotel from 6:30 to 10:30 Late morning and early afternoon at leisure Meet in lobby for 14:30 transfer to the airport Depart on Jetstar flight 3K599 at 16:45 from Siem Reap International Airport Arrive into Singapore Changi s Terminal #1 via Phnom Penh at 21:05; no plane change In Case of Rain & Additional Suggestions for Time at Leisure In case of rain and additional suggestions for time at leisure, take a tuk-tuk from Heritage Suites Hotel to enjoy the following: - CIAI. Rehearsal of the young Khmer girls traditional dance at CIAI, an Italian partner organization of Sala Bai that teaches traditional arts to young underprivileged Cambodians. Rehearsals take place from Monday through Friday between 14:00 and 16:30. Located approximately 5 minutes from Heritage. - The Angkor National Museum. Beautiful collection of statues coming from the archeological site and the impressive replica of the 1000 Buddha Room inspired from Angkor Wat. Entrance ticket: US$12 www.angkornationalmuseum.com. Located approximately 5 minutes from Heritage. - The Silk Farm. Located outside Siem Reap, you will see the making of silk from cocoons to finished products. It is part of Les Artisans d Angkor. Located approximately 45 minutes from Heritage. - Les Artisans d Angkor. This former NGO meant for training poor Cambodians has become a thriving business with more than 1000 employees producing traditional arts and crafts from wood and stone sculpture to silver and painting on wood and silk, reviving techniques from the past. www.artisansdangkor.com. Located approximately 10 minutes from Heritage. - Garden of Desire. The garden of desire, a gallery of Jewelry Designs by Pisith, a gifted Khmer designer that uses Cambodian semi-precious stones from Mondolkiri and Ratanakiri and silver. www.gardenofdesire.com. Located approximately 5 minutes from Heritage. - Senteurs d Angkor. With two shops in the old market area or at its workshop, Senteurs is located 15 minutes from Heritage. Handmade soaps, bath scrubs, body creams, etc. are nice gifts to bring back. Available scents include jasmine, orchid, cinnamon, lemongrass, green tea, mango and orange. www.senteursdangkor.com
Practical Travel Information Visas & Currency: The easiest way to obtain your visa is upon arrival at Siem Reap International Airport. (All foreign visitors can obtain a visa on arrival.) The cost for a tourist visa is US$20. Bring one passport size photograph and complete the application form that will be given out on board the aircraft prior to landing into Cambodia. The visa is valid for one month. For convenience, it is recommended that you obtain US$100 in denominations of $20 and $1 prior to your departure from Singapore Changi Airport. US dollars is the most commonly used currency for visa on arrival, departure tax, for tuk-tuk transportation and tipping. 4,000 riels, the local currency, are worth approximately US$1. Weather in June. Travel can be extremely rewarding with the much lower numbers of tourists, although sunrises and sunsets are very much a matter of luck. The wet SW monsoon is slowly becoming established. Humidity is around 50-70% during the day, 80-90% at night, making it feel warmer than the actual air temperature. By June, the temperatures are starting to drop, and the fierce heat of March and April eases off as the rain comes in. Rains are frequent, but not usually heavy or long.
PRICING Pricing (in Singapore dollars, based on two persons) 2 Roundtrip airfare tickets (taxes& baggage allowance included) $674 3 nights, double occupancy suite accommodation (taxes& breakfast included) $696 - Includes $115 donation to Sala Bai Hotel School Thursday welcome drinks, Friday lunch and Saturday drinks & dinners $195 Airport transfers, Angkor tickets, tour guides, etc. $95 Total Package Price: $1660