Fodor's Expert Review Mahatup Pagoda

Legend has it that about 400 years ago Khmer monks constructed this pagoda, 3 km (2 miles) from Soc Trang, to honor the flying foxes (a type of bat) that live in the surrounding fruit trees. In Buddhism bats are considered sacred and, above all else, lucky. Strangely, the bats don't eat the fruit of the trees on which they live but feed on fruit trees several miles away. The best time to see these nocturnal creatures is dawn or dusk. Keep an eye out for the graves of five-hoofed pigs behind the temple; these creatures are believed to be bad luck so are given to the temple to be cared for until their death.