I've been informed by Ponheary that her brother is available for my two days of touring in SR for $135 inc. airport transfers(which I may not need since the hotel inc. them). I want to avoid crowds of course but after doing some reading, am sure that there will be certain temples I'd like to see-is Dara flexible about this and do they just take cash, or prefer it?

There have been several positive reports about Dara, if you do a search.
Dara and Ponheary will show you any temples you'd like to see, but they know the best timing to avoid the crowds.
I'm pretty sure they're not able to accept credit cards.

US dollars are the best/only method of payment in Cambodia. I'm sure Dara wants cash. Twenty dollar bills are best.

Thanks, I'll be prepared. Now I'm thinking that my breakfast buffet that's inc. in the hotel price is probably a waste-how early do you have to get going in the a.m.?

Yup. We used Dara last year. Pay him in cash...US Dollars.

When you meet with him for the first time, you'll discuss what you want to see/do...and he can also make suggestions (which I highly recommend following, as he knows some fantastic off-the-beaten-path sites).

Enjoy--happy travels!

Great! Thanks, can't wait.

some like dara better than ponheavy..

take a stash of us cash as you can totally use it, esp. $1 and $5 bills...

"totally use it"? A valley Bob? What have we come to?

No problem, I live in LA and understand "valley speak."

We met Dara last year when we spent 11 days in Siem Reap. We had Ponheary as our guide for some of the time and then used one of their drivers for the rest of the time. We stayed at Ponheary's families guest house so we saw a lot of Dara and Marina the other sister that also guides. Dara is a lovely man and I am sure you will enjoy his company. Just let him know what you would like to do and listen to his sugestions. Ponheary was great at getting us around places without running into crowds and I am sure Dara will be equally as good. Pay in cash. Have a wonderful trip. J

I would definitely recommend Dara, especially if you like to take pictures, since he knows all the best spots. And, he had wonderful stories about some of the places we visited, like the river of 1,000 Lingas. He grew up in SR during the Khmer Rouge regime.

As for start times, they're usually not too early, unless you want to do something silly like watch the sunrise over Angkor. Get a good breakfast before you start your day. You'll need the energy.

We had Ponheary as our guide, but one day Dara filled in for her when she was doing things with two boys who volunteered there for two weeks. We liked both, and found both were more than willing to adapt and adjust itinerary and content on the fly. Their style is different, and I can't pinpoint what it is about them that it is...my husband preferred Dara because he told lots of stories about what we were seeing and provided lots of historical backround...which is where I get lost. Ponheary, I had asked her to keep it simple for me, and she did, though when asked questions (husband) she had the same level of knowledge as Dara did. I preferred Ponheary, husband preferred Dara, but for no reasons we can put our finger on, just preference. Dara is great for pointing out top photo spots.

When we arrived, we made a plan with Ponheary based on recommendations and what we wanted to see based on the book. With our lazy style, though, going out to temples only in the morning, we barely dented our list. Both of them know how to avoid the crowds, so no worries there. Starting times can vary. All the "tours" of buses and groups start at 8:00. So, Ponheary correctly advised us to start either earlier or later than that time to avoid the crowd getting through the main gate where they check passes. Once through there, though, we didn't encounter huge crowds. Definitely eat before you go out. They provide a huge cooler of water, which is great.

We went to Siem Reap one and a half years ago and though we used Dara, we ran into Ponheary while touring. Both are wonderful people, especially when I had a medical emergency. Neither could do enough for me. Well worth the money, and they are so knowledgeable.

Thanks everyone and it sounds like we should get going at 7:30 rather than 8.

moremiles- Have you seen Liz S.'s blog? She had Dara as her guide. If not, I can find you the link.

I just searched for it but did not come up with her link for it.

Here you go!
http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/2007_adventures/

Great blog and photos-thank you!