AnnaMc

This is a long overdue recommendation for my tour guide of the Angkor temple complex during my trip back in January. My boyfriend and I did two days of touring the temples and our guide was John Teng. John spoke excellent English and was very courteous and personable - a most excellent guide. Granted, it was my first time to Cambodia and while I have an interest in archaeology, I did not come to the trip with any great prior knowledge of the temples and Khmer history, besides what I'd read in the guidebooks. John was able to discern the level and depth of tour we were in need of and was able to keep things moving smoothly based on what originally we told him we wanted and what he could see we were really capable of doing! John clearly has a lot of experience and knows all of the factual information in regard to dates, kings responsible for construction, current restoration projects occurring, explanation of the story lines contained in the relief carvings, etc etc. For our first temple of the tour he took us on a great little walk through the forest to a lesser used entrance, which really helped to capture that feeling of what it would be like to discover the temples for the first time rising out of the jungle, without all of the tourists milling about everywhere. It made it all the more magical.

And on a personal note, John has a clear pride in his country and people that almost makes my heart hurt. He answered all of my questions about the Khmer Rouge regime and cleared up a lot of confusion I had about the genocide that took place in the region over such a long span of time. It was such a privilege to be able to hear such information from a local. I had dinner with Aki Ra (of the Landmine Museum) one night and his stories were eye opening, to say the least, as well.

All in all, John Teng was an excellent guide to the Angkor Temples. Thought I would pass along the rave and his contact information to anyone who is trying to find someone great for their time in Siem Reap. John's information is below. Happy Travels!

Email: [email protected]
Website: www.angkordailytravel.com

susiesan

I used the services of John Teng a year ago, March 2010 for our 4 days in Siem Reap. I can second everything AnnaMc said. John had an uncanny ability to sense when the heat and information was going in to overload and to take a break and pull back for a bit. He would modify the day's plans based on how we were feeling that morning when he picked us up.

WHEN I go back to Cambodia and Siem Reap to visit more temples, I will use John Teng again as my guide.

lcuy

Wow, he must have been good, to be the whole highlight of your trip! Did you have any other tips info on hotels, restaurants, or entertainment, or shoppinig?

How did you get to Siem Reap? through BKK Airways or through another city?

AnnaMc

We stayed at the Bopha Angkor Hotel. It was pretty nice. Grounds were beautiful and breakfast was included in our rate. They have a restaurant on property, but we chose not to dine there for lunch or dinner, based on the prices (too high for the area) and quality of the breakfast (not great, but not bad. I'll admit I'm a little snobby about breakfast food). It has a nice outdoor pool and the rooms are clean and comfortable, but certainly not lavish. They are going for the big Angkor Wat/Temples/Jungle theme. Grounds were gorgeous. I'd get a suite if it's within your budget, just for space in the room. The location of the hotel was IDEAL though. A short walk to pub street and all of the night life but not right in the middle of it all. Still feels quiet and removed.

Restaurants... God, I should've done a trip report! Forgetting a lot of names at this point. Hansa BBQ was a really unique experience. $3 for all you can eat, cook it yourself BBQ. Hint: go with a local or someone who knows what they're doing when it comes to preparing the food. You'll probably be lost if you don't have someone there to help you out. By far the best restaurant we dined at was Soup Dragon. I forget the exact name of the soup but it's coconut milk based with pineapple and it's to die for. Great, authentic food at Soup Dragon. I was not impressed by the Blue Pumpkin restaurant at all and I'm surprised by all the good reviews it gets.

One of the biggest highlights for me was when we rented bikes and explored the outskirts of the town. There are great dirt roads and back alleyways that are obviously not meant for the tourists but such a great and different experience than the throng of tourists you find on pub st and that area. I also really liked the drive from Siem Reap proper out to Banteay Srei. If you have a guide, certainly head out there. Not only was the drive beautiful (and adventurous), but the temple is exquisite. Check out an Apsara show somewhere along the way - they're a bit cheesy/commercialized but worth it to see one (the two that I saw anyway). The girls are dressed up so lovely though.

And lastly, yes, I flew into Siem Reap from Bangkok on BKK Airways. I'm not sure of an alternative way to do it.

sf7307

FWIW, you can definitely do the gorgeous Bantaey Srei without a guide - you do need a driver however. We went from old town to Kbal Spean to Bantaey Srei to Beng Melea by tuk-tuk. It was a fabulous day, much of which was due to the beautiful drive to KS and BS, and in particular the long dirt road drive from BS to Beng Melea. You definitely have to be "game" for that drive, it's not for everyone. But we loved seeing "real" rural life, and the smiles and waves from every child along the way.