The Magic of Angkor Wat

One of the world’s most beautiful destinations is Angkor Wat, “the Pagoda of the City” in Angkor, Cambodia. Once a funerary monument built by a vast army of slaves, builders and craftsmen who labored to quarry, transport and haul the stone into place and create the numerous statues and carvings adorning almost every inch of the complex, Angkor Wat now stands a surreal testament to a once-superior civilization who enjoyed a palpable appreciation for art.

Understanding Angkor Wat

Formerly a capital city serving more than one million people, Angkor Wat was also a religious center and the main building in the Angkor complex. Built by King Suryavarman II somewhere between 1113 and1150, the sandstone construction of Angkor Wat lasted 37 years, spreading over three levels and surrounded by four protective walls.

Angkor Wat was built to represent the entire universe, with a center tower symbolizing the center of the universe, five towers symbolizing the five peaks of Mount Sumeru, the outer wall representing the end of the world and the surrounding moat representing the surrounding ocean. Originally, the uppermost level of Angkor Wat was a holy place, with access restricted to the high priest and the King.

The Legendary Beauty of Angkor Wat

When one visits Angkor Wat in the morning, the light is luminescent, highlighting the beauty of the bas-reliefs that embellish the structure. In the evening, the towers turn to gold as the brilliant sun slowly sets. Twilight often serves as a backdrop for millions of bats who exit the monument for an evening’s flight, leaving visitors with a spectacular sight that appears at first to be huge columns of smoke rising and dispersing in the wind.

During the Angkor complex’s most glorious period, the Khmer Empire reached its pinnacle as a supreme power in Southeast Asia. Today, one can still feel the might of that nation and quickly comprehend the strengths that combined to build this blazing monument to religious devotion. Although we will never know the names of those who toiled so long, Angkor Wat still stands today to tell the story of the people, customs and culture that once filled this magical place.

Join Noble-Quest in Angkor Wat

If Angkor Wat sounds like one of those rare, stunning wonders you simply must experience for yourself, your chance has come. Through a charitable foundation, twenty-five fortunate men and women have the unusual opportunity to partake in a two-week expedition to Cambodia and Vietnam that holds the potential to change lives.

Noble-Manhattan Coaching, one of Europe’s longest established coach training companies founded by CEO Gerard O’Donovan, presents Noble-Quest. From October 19 to 31, 2008, Noble-Quest will travel with twenty-five adventurous men and women on an exotic Southeast Asian adventure to raise money for the charitable Noble Foundation and to offer participants the extraordinary opportunity to walk amongst ancient structures, bask in the beauty of distant lands and better understand Vietnamese and Cambodian cultures. Joining the group is Scott Milway, trained by the Deepak Chopra organization in Primordial Sound Meditation and ready to lead daily meditations for the group.

If your idea of the perfect vacation includes adventure, fitness, culture and spirituality... the chance to glimpse a stunning destination of natural beauty, unusual culture, and rarely seen ancient artifacts... communing with your peers in a satisfying environment of deep spiritual energy and physical activity... support from experienced world travelers...please contact Noble-Quest to reserve your special spot for this mo...

Gerard