Siem Reap Cambodia advice needed
 

Dear all,
i will fly to siem reap on 19-22 July 09.
Just would like to know:
1. What are the Must-Go places?
2. Can i go to temples without tour guide?
3. Where can i find cheap&clean guesthouse?
4. Tonle Sap must go?
5. Hot air baloon worth to take?
6. I saw from website stated that Jun, july is raining month, do i need to bring raincoat? it is a good month to travel?
Thanks!
Cheers,

1. Nowhere is a 'must'. Do what you think YOU would enjoy.
2. Yes.
3. Define cheap. i.e. How much do you want to spend?
4. Not neccessarily
5. Depends. Is that something you think you would enjoy?
6. It will take a lot more than a raincoat to keep you dry when the skies open. Better to just hang out in a sheltered area till the storm passes.

What about SEA attracts you? What are you looking forward to seeing/doing? What experiences have you enjoyed in the past?

Big thank Femi,

the guesthouse is about usd8-usd15 one night
Yes, I really enjoy sea. I'm gonna see temples and relaxing. it is enough for 3days?

Thank

See talesofasia.com for info on budget guesthouses in Siem Reap. Buy a copy of Dawn Rooney's book and you won't need a guide. You can rent a bike, or a motorbike (you ride on the back) or a tuk-tuk to get to the temples.

Good advice from Femi and thursdays.

Hot air balloon is rather expensive for a short aerial view of Angkor Wat.

Don't even think about a raincoat - it is sooooo hot. Take an umbrella, not just to keep the rain off of you but to keep the sun off.

Enjoy the magnificent temples!

Thank all, great to got some advices from you. I really enjoy that.

you do not need a guide but i find it makes things much easier and enjoyable.....but i do feel that you need transportation within the sites as they are spread out over a large area....i prefer a car with a/c, so you can cool off in between stops....this is not a lux item imo...

We have visited Siem Reap a couple of times. The first time we used a guide and driver for 3 days (cost $50 per day for both). Yes the guide knew a great deal about the temples and was v. informative but by the second day, being constantly bombarded by all teh info , quite honestly got a bit wearing.

The second time we visited we stayed a www.peaceof angkor.com, a mid range guest house and we arranged an english speaking tuk tuk driver called Savin for $14 per day directly from the guesthouse. He took us around the temples for a coup[le of days (incluing some of the very small, less visited ones which were excellent). He gave us some basic info about the places we were visiting and then left us to wander on our own and we much preferred this method (and the cost savings!).

Tonle Sap is definitely worth a visit, if only to the "port" area.

Finally, I agree with Kathie that an umbrella is a sensible move. Jun -July will be hot and wet but the surrounding landscape will be green rather tahtv parched and brown as it is in the main tourism season.