Angkor Wat- Has anyone used guides other than Pon Heary and Dara?
Sep 30th, 2006, 07:45 AM
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Angkor Wat- Has anyone used guides other than Pon Heary and Dara?
Pon Heary and Dara are not available for the time we'll be in Angkor Wat/Siem Reap. They can suggest someone but I wanted to check if anyone has ever used a guide who was recommended by Pon Heary other than her brother? If so, what was thier name?
Sep 30th, 2006, 05:42 PM
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I'm not surprised that both Ponheary and Dara are booked up as you are heading into the high season when the request for their services is at its highest. Because my family and I toured with Dara last Christmas and our family knows Ponheary well (given our oldest daughter's volunteer teaching in SR and staying with Ponheary at their inn and our involvement with the Ponheary Ly Foundation), I would wholeheartedly use a guide that they recommend. This brother and sister professional team have been in the tour guiding business in SR for over ten years now and are well known in that region...and are a tremendous resource for tourists. They do a good job with hotel recommendations, restaurants, and tour guides....and should you wish to make a donation to the schoolchildren of SR and visit them at their school, as many tourists have done, Ponheary can help make arrangements for you to do that as well alongside of your temple touring. Please see www.theplf.org. for more information.
Terry
Terry
Sep 30th, 2006, 07:59 PM
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There are many good divers/guide around so don't worry about not getting Pon Heary or Dara. Here are a few that you might contact.
Kao Samreth (Sam for short). Very knowledgeable about the temples. Phone number is (+855) 12 763 462, email: [email protected].
Veasna (pronounced Vesnu) - Charning guide. He can be contacted on :
[email protected] or
[email protected]
Tel: (855) 12 482 135
John Teng is excellent and will go out of his way to arrange things, not only at the temples, but for evening shows and outbound transportation. Speaks english well and is polite and punctual. His web site is http://www.angkorservice.com/
Kim Rieng is a qualified Angkor guide, a moto-driver and policeman. That makes him expertly qualified to guide tourists around his hometown and the nearby temples of Angkor in safety. While a moto driver, he can arrange an a/c car/driver if you wish. Telephone: (855) 012 920 554 e-mail: [email protected] Web site h
Chhor Elit is also very good. Can be contacted at [email protected]
Kao Samreth (Sam for short). Very knowledgeable about the temples. Phone number is (+855) 12 763 462, email: [email protected].
Veasna (pronounced Vesnu) - Charning guide. He can be contacted on :
[email protected] or
[email protected]
Tel: (855) 12 482 135
John Teng is excellent and will go out of his way to arrange things, not only at the temples, but for evening shows and outbound transportation. Speaks english well and is polite and punctual. His web site is http://www.angkorservice.com/
Kim Rieng is a qualified Angkor guide, a moto-driver and policeman. That makes him expertly qualified to guide tourists around his hometown and the nearby temples of Angkor in safety. While a moto driver, he can arrange an a/c car/driver if you wish. Telephone: (855) 012 920 554 e-mail: [email protected] Web site h
Chhor Elit is also very good. Can be contacted at [email protected]
Sep 30th, 2006, 10:09 PM
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We used Mr. Sokun Men ([email protected]) as our guide in Siem Reap. My family of 3 (husband (DH), myself and 20-year old daughter(DD)) really like him a lot. We thought he was amazing as he bent over backwards to accommodate our needs. Sokun is in his early 40s, has great humour, very knowledgeable about the Angkor Wat temples, Cambodian history and his people. His English is very good and he is fluent in Russian and French too. He suggested quite a few good photo spots for picture taking.
Extra services provided by Sokun -
- DH brought his videocamera but for those who didn't bring theirs, Sokun would bring his and take footage of the tours, download it to a disc and present it to his clients as a souvenir.
- He downloaded our photos from memory cards to a disc.
- On the way to our Apsara dinner (the night before we left SR), I mentioned to Sokun that I regretted not buying the Cambodia-branded hats from the old market and the next morning (on our way to the bus sation), he gave me a bag with the 3 hats which I glady reimbursed him.
Day 1 - DH and I arrived Phnom Phen at 8:10 AM via Air Asia on Aug 23/06 and Sokun arranged for a driver and a university student, Salin, who spoke very good English, to pick us up at the airport and take us to visit the Killing Fields and the Russian Market.
About 1 KM to the Killing Fields, the road was flooded - only scooters could go through part-way and in one section, the water was up to mid-knee. Along with a few other tourists, DH and I decided to proceed and hired 2 scooters with drivers (US$2 each). DH, I and driver were in 1 scooter and Salin was in the other scooter holding our shoes. Our feet was very muddy and it was also very slippery while crossing the flooded road. Now, as we look back, the whole experience was very funny.
After a quick visit to the Russian market, we had a quick lunch and was dropped off at the Mekong Express bus station for our 12:30 PM bus ride to Siem Reap. Sokun, who arranged our bus tickets (front row behind the driver), met us at the Siem Reap bus station and dropped us off at Day Inn Angkor Hotel (4*), which we booked directly with the hotel.
Day Inn Angkor Hotel(www.dayinnangkor.com)had an internet promotion of 4 nights at US$177 + extra US$15 for extra bed for DD. The package included breakfast and a choice of either lunch or dinner (set menu) for 2 pax. The hotel also had specials on massages - 1st person pay the full price and the 2nd person pays 30% of the full price, which we took advantange of for 2 nights.
DH and I spent the first 2 days touring Siem Reap with Sokun and his driver, Kumnith. DD joined us on the 3rd day (she flew in from Toronto with a late-night stopover at BKK). I asked Sokun to arrange our 3-day itinerary such that DD would be able to visit all the highlights of SR.
Day 2 - 8:30 AM start - Bayon Gate, Elephant Terrace, Leper King Terrace, Royal Palace, Phimeas Akas, Prah Palilay, lunch at a local restaurant, 2 hour rest in our hotel, Prah Khan, Neak Poan and Pre Rup, back to hotel for dinner (included with our hotel package)
Day 3 - 7:30 AM start - Banteay Srei, Phnom Kullen and River of Thousand Lingas, waterfalls, reclining buddha, lunch at a local roadway restaurant, Rolous group (Prah Ko, Bakong and Lolei), Les Artisan D'Angkor, back to hotel for dinner.
Sokun brought with him steamed meat buns for our morning snacks during the long drive (ice cold water bottles were plentiful) and he also bought bananas, sticky rice, fried bananas, young coconut drinks and waffles from street vendors for us to try. Kunmith (our driver) accompanied Sokun, helping us hold our shoes and lending his arms while we waded along the river getting a close look at the lingas and the Shiva carvings. Kunmith also watched over our shoes while we visited the Reclining Buddha.
Day 4 - DD was picked up at SR airport. Our touring started at 10:30 AM, visited Ta Prohm, Bayon Gates, Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple, lunch at our hotel, floating village (Tonle Sap), Angkor Wat, Bakheng (we skipped due to rain), Apsara dinner.
We didn't get to do the sunrise visit because it was cloudy during the 3 days we were in SR and we skipped Bakheng because it started to rain and we had to get ready for the Apsara dinner that night.
Day 5 - Sokun and Kunmith dropped us off at the Mekong Express bus station for our 7:30 AM bus trip back to Phnom Phen where we visited S-21, Grand Palace/Silver Pagoda and the National Museum with Salin and driver. We stayed at BougainVillier which we booked directly with the hotel.
Day 6 - The driver and Salin dropped us off at the airport for our Air Asia flight back to BKK.
Our costs (payable to Sokun) -
In Phnom Phen - US$45/day x 2 days (Day 1 and Day 5 plus airport transfer on Day 6) = US$90 (no discount for half day unfortunately) plus tour guide and admission fees. We had the option of hiring taxis in Phnom Phen to visit the attractions but because of our luggage and security issues, we decided to pay the US$45/half day. We enjoyed Phnom Phen with Salin, who is a 4th year Economics student. He gave us good insights in local politics, Khymer Rouge, local life and customs, etc.
In Siem Reap -
Tour guide/car - US$50 x 3 days = $150
Banteay Srei - extra US$10
Phnom Kullen
- extra admission US$20/pp x 2 = US$40
- extra US$40
Apsara Dinner - US$11 pp x 3 = US$33
Boat ride (floating village) - US$25
Sunrise visit - extra US$10 but no charge as we didn't go
Bus tickets to PNH - US$9 pp each way x 5 = US$45
Total bill - US$433 which we paid cash to Sokun on our last night at SR.
We paid for our own Angkor Wat passes.
Sokun made our trip to Siem Reap a very memorable one and we highly recommend him as your Siem Reap tour guide. Please check out his website at www.angkorexperience.com
Extra services provided by Sokun -
- DH brought his videocamera but for those who didn't bring theirs, Sokun would bring his and take footage of the tours, download it to a disc and present it to his clients as a souvenir.
- He downloaded our photos from memory cards to a disc.
- On the way to our Apsara dinner (the night before we left SR), I mentioned to Sokun that I regretted not buying the Cambodia-branded hats from the old market and the next morning (on our way to the bus sation), he gave me a bag with the 3 hats which I glady reimbursed him.
Day 1 - DH and I arrived Phnom Phen at 8:10 AM via Air Asia on Aug 23/06 and Sokun arranged for a driver and a university student, Salin, who spoke very good English, to pick us up at the airport and take us to visit the Killing Fields and the Russian Market.
About 1 KM to the Killing Fields, the road was flooded - only scooters could go through part-way and in one section, the water was up to mid-knee. Along with a few other tourists, DH and I decided to proceed and hired 2 scooters with drivers (US$2 each). DH, I and driver were in 1 scooter and Salin was in the other scooter holding our shoes. Our feet was very muddy and it was also very slippery while crossing the flooded road. Now, as we look back, the whole experience was very funny.
After a quick visit to the Russian market, we had a quick lunch and was dropped off at the Mekong Express bus station for our 12:30 PM bus ride to Siem Reap. Sokun, who arranged our bus tickets (front row behind the driver), met us at the Siem Reap bus station and dropped us off at Day Inn Angkor Hotel (4*), which we booked directly with the hotel.
Day Inn Angkor Hotel(www.dayinnangkor.com)had an internet promotion of 4 nights at US$177 + extra US$15 for extra bed for DD. The package included breakfast and a choice of either lunch or dinner (set menu) for 2 pax. The hotel also had specials on massages - 1st person pay the full price and the 2nd person pays 30% of the full price, which we took advantange of for 2 nights.
DH and I spent the first 2 days touring Siem Reap with Sokun and his driver, Kumnith. DD joined us on the 3rd day (she flew in from Toronto with a late-night stopover at BKK). I asked Sokun to arrange our 3-day itinerary such that DD would be able to visit all the highlights of SR.
Day 2 - 8:30 AM start - Bayon Gate, Elephant Terrace, Leper King Terrace, Royal Palace, Phimeas Akas, Prah Palilay, lunch at a local restaurant, 2 hour rest in our hotel, Prah Khan, Neak Poan and Pre Rup, back to hotel for dinner (included with our hotel package)
Day 3 - 7:30 AM start - Banteay Srei, Phnom Kullen and River of Thousand Lingas, waterfalls, reclining buddha, lunch at a local roadway restaurant, Rolous group (Prah Ko, Bakong and Lolei), Les Artisan D'Angkor, back to hotel for dinner.
Sokun brought with him steamed meat buns for our morning snacks during the long drive (ice cold water bottles were plentiful) and he also bought bananas, sticky rice, fried bananas, young coconut drinks and waffles from street vendors for us to try. Kunmith (our driver) accompanied Sokun, helping us hold our shoes and lending his arms while we waded along the river getting a close look at the lingas and the Shiva carvings. Kunmith also watched over our shoes while we visited the Reclining Buddha.
Day 4 - DD was picked up at SR airport. Our touring started at 10:30 AM, visited Ta Prohm, Bayon Gates, Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple, lunch at our hotel, floating village (Tonle Sap), Angkor Wat, Bakheng (we skipped due to rain), Apsara dinner.
We didn't get to do the sunrise visit because it was cloudy during the 3 days we were in SR and we skipped Bakheng because it started to rain and we had to get ready for the Apsara dinner that night.
Day 5 - Sokun and Kunmith dropped us off at the Mekong Express bus station for our 7:30 AM bus trip back to Phnom Phen where we visited S-21, Grand Palace/Silver Pagoda and the National Museum with Salin and driver. We stayed at BougainVillier which we booked directly with the hotel.
Day 6 - The driver and Salin dropped us off at the airport for our Air Asia flight back to BKK.
Our costs (payable to Sokun) -
In Phnom Phen - US$45/day x 2 days (Day 1 and Day 5 plus airport transfer on Day 6) = US$90 (no discount for half day unfortunately) plus tour guide and admission fees. We had the option of hiring taxis in Phnom Phen to visit the attractions but because of our luggage and security issues, we decided to pay the US$45/half day. We enjoyed Phnom Phen with Salin, who is a 4th year Economics student. He gave us good insights in local politics, Khymer Rouge, local life and customs, etc.
In Siem Reap -
Tour guide/car - US$50 x 3 days = $150
Banteay Srei - extra US$10
Phnom Kullen
- extra admission US$20/pp x 2 = US$40
- extra US$40
Apsara Dinner - US$11 pp x 3 = US$33
Boat ride (floating village) - US$25
Sunrise visit - extra US$10 but no charge as we didn't go
Bus tickets to PNH - US$9 pp each way x 5 = US$45
Total bill - US$433 which we paid cash to Sokun on our last night at SR.
We paid for our own Angkor Wat passes.
Sokun made our trip to Siem Reap a very memorable one and we highly recommend him as your Siem Reap tour guide. Please check out his website at www.angkorexperience.com
Sep 30th, 2006, 11:16 PM
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I used Veng Sothy, you can ask Ponheary about him, all the guide know each other and he was great.
[email protected]
[email protected]
Oct 4th, 2006, 02:36 AM
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I can also totally recommend "Vesnu".
Charming is the perfect description of this guy.
I kept a travelogue of my Cambodia experience. Feel free to read about our visit to Angkor with Veasna.
http://www.colin-julie.com/khmer06.htm
There are plenty of drivers/guides available when you get there, but it's always good to have a recommendation.
Have a great time !!!!
Charming is the perfect description of this guy.
I kept a travelogue of my Cambodia experience. Feel free to read about our visit to Angkor with Veasna.
http://www.colin-julie.com/khmer06.htm
There are plenty of drivers/guides available when you get there, but it's always good to have a recommendation.
Have a great time !!!!
Oct 4th, 2006, 01:14 PM
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I am not Veron but did stay at Day Inn Angkor last January. It was clean and well equipped. Very accomodating staff. Decent breakfast, especially if you ate asian style breakfast, rather than the western food. The restaurant and bar was good for getting a quick bite or drink, though there are better places in town to eat. The pool was nice, though very heavily chlorinated.
The best part was the fact that it's one of the few hotels in SR actually owned by Cambodians. I liked the idea of keeping the income inside the country.
The best part was the fact that it's one of the few hotels in SR actually owned by Cambodians. I liked the idea of keeping the income inside the country.
Oct 4th, 2006, 02:05 PM
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Offwego, thanks for the comments. We're not arriving into Siem Reap until 3pm (from Luang Prabang). Will be in SR for 3 full days + 1/2 day which is the day of arrival. Our guide wants to start on the day of arrival but we are thinking it's so late in the day already....should we start the tour on the day of arrival or just take it easy that day. BTW, there were no creepy crawlies in your room at the Day Inn, were there?
Oct 5th, 2006, 12:46 AM
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Remember that you'll have to purchase a Pass to enter the Angkor temple complex.
They come in one day ($20), three day ($40) or one week ($60) passes.
If you buy a three day pass on your day of arrival (before 5pm) then that's one day used up.
If you buy an entrance ticket after 5pm on your day of arrival then it will be valid that evening and the following day.
I'm not too sure of the timing of the sunset but if it's 6pm then that will give you enough time to head to Phnom Bakeng and climb the hill for the sunset view of Angkor Wat in the distance.
Remember also, to save time, to bring a passport size photo with you. A three day pass requires one. There are photo booths at the ticket office but if it would be quicker if you already had one.
Have an amazing time !
___________________________________
Thailand and Cambodia Travelogues
http://www.colin-julie.com/travel.htm
They come in one day ($20), three day ($40) or one week ($60) passes.
If you buy a three day pass on your day of arrival (before 5pm) then that's one day used up.
If you buy an entrance ticket after 5pm on your day of arrival then it will be valid that evening and the following day.
I'm not too sure of the timing of the sunset but if it's 6pm then that will give you enough time to head to Phnom Bakeng and climb the hill for the sunset view of Angkor Wat in the distance.
Remember also, to save time, to bring a passport size photo with you. A three day pass requires one. There are photo booths at the ticket office but if it would be quicker if you already had one.
Have an amazing time !
___________________________________
Thailand and Cambodia Travelogues
http://www.colin-julie.com/travel.htm
Oct 5th, 2006, 05:31 AM
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If you are arriving too late in the day to start touring the temples, you might want to consider going up in the tethered balloon for a view of Angkor Wat. Here's a view from the balloon:
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/View...amp;p=73622004
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/View...amp;p=73622004
Oct 5th, 2006, 05:46 AM
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The tethered balloon is worthwhile at any time of day. Here are some more photos:
http://craigandjeane.photosite.com/Album1/?page=14
http://craigandjeane.photosite.com/Album1/?page=14
Oct 5th, 2006, 06:30 AM
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Actually I think if you buy your pass late in the afternoon that it does not eat up one day of the pass that you kind of get that afternoon as a freebie so you can go to see the sunset somewhere. Others can confirm this but I am pretty certain that this is what we did on our last visit.
J
J
Oct 5th, 2006, 06:33 AM
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Craig thanks for the link to the balloon photos. Looks like an interesting perspective.
Also sorry you do mention that if you buy the pass after 5 then you are OK I was not sure of the time but you have! (I need to leave to read more slowly!)
J
Also sorry you do mention that if you buy the pass after 5 then you are OK I was not sure of the time but you have! (I need to leave to read more slowly!)
J
Oct 5th, 2006, 07:06 AM
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I can highly recommend Saron Soeun! his English is perfect and his knowledge commendable!
He also heeded to our wishes and brought us to the different temples during times when they would be less crowded.
Sunrise at Angor Wat was well worth getting up at the crack of dawn for!
He can be reached at [email protected] and he has a good website at www.sarontours.com
The places he recommended for lunch were not the group tour type but very good locals spots.
I also highly recommend the boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake!!
Cheers!
He also heeded to our wishes and brought us to the different temples during times when they would be less crowded.
Sunrise at Angor Wat was well worth getting up at the crack of dawn for!
He can be reached at [email protected] and he has a good website at www.sarontours.com
The places he recommended for lunch were not the group tour type but very good locals spots.
I also highly recommend the boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake!!
Cheers!
Oct 5th, 2006, 11:03 AM
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Thanks for the tip on climbing the hill for the sunset view...that just might be what we do. Our guide is eager to pick us up at the airport and get going on with our tour on the day of arrival (probably b/c he will charge us a full day for only 3 hrs of service...oh well). Anyone have any info on the balloon ride (that also seems interesting) - cost, where to pick one up, how long the rides last, etc. THANKS.
Oct 5th, 2006, 11:11 AM
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Your guide will know where the balloon is. I think it costs $20 per person. Since it is teathered you go pretty much straight up and straight down - takes about 20 minutes. The platform is quite large. When we went it was only us and one other couple but at sunset, I imagine that it could be packed.
Oct 7th, 2006, 10:23 PM
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Hi Haliburton33,
I am sorry for the late reply. I don't visit this forum everyday. I was just catching up with the postings when I saw your question.
My family enjoyed staying at Day Inn Angkor Hotel. I agree with all of Offwego's hotel comments. The dining room's decor could have been nicer but that's just me.
Our room was on the ground floor which was lovely as we have easy access to the pool. Since we were out touring during the days, we usually use the pool at nights (around 7:30 PM) and we loved it because we were the only ones using it. From the pool, we can hear the lovely instumental music played by an hotel employee in the courtyard (daily).
In the hotel lobby, there is internet access for USD$1 for 25 minutes, which I used very often to email my family in Vancouver Canada. The normal rate charged by internet cafes close to the old market is USD$1 for 1 hour.
Creepy crawlies - we found a lizard one night in the bathroom. The next morning, I asked housekeeping to get rid of it. We also found a lizard in our hotel in Phnom Phen (BounGainvillier).
I am sorry for the late reply. I don't visit this forum everyday. I was just catching up with the postings when I saw your question.
My family enjoyed staying at Day Inn Angkor Hotel. I agree with all of Offwego's hotel comments. The dining room's decor could have been nicer but that's just me.
Our room was on the ground floor which was lovely as we have easy access to the pool. Since we were out touring during the days, we usually use the pool at nights (around 7:30 PM) and we loved it because we were the only ones using it. From the pool, we can hear the lovely instumental music played by an hotel employee in the courtyard (daily).
In the hotel lobby, there is internet access for USD$1 for 25 minutes, which I used very often to email my family in Vancouver Canada. The normal rate charged by internet cafes close to the old market is USD$1 for 1 hour.
Creepy crawlies - we found a lizard one night in the bathroom. The next morning, I asked housekeeping to get rid of it. We also found a lizard in our hotel in Phnom Phen (BounGainvillier).
