- Siem Reap
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Cambodia
because he is a local English speaking man who has extensive knowledge of the temples and surrounding area. He can help you with which temples to visit and inform you of local cultural events.
www.siemreapdrivers.com
or tel: 00855 12202796
Your hotel will recommend a driver and guide (two separate people) for a hefty mark-up. I can recommend Nhep Sophea who's known as Tee for short. He's punctual, courteous and knows his way round all the temples. A car is much more comfortable than a tuk-tuk given the heat and dust and not a whole lot more expensive .
Packed with information on Cambodia including Siem Reap, this is essential reading before you get there, including the latest on the various Poipet border crossing scams.
Vanny is the best tuk-tuk driver/guide in town; reliable, funny and good English. Honest, talkative, competitive.
pechvanny@yahoo.com
Call him 012-876369
I recommend this spectacular light and sound show. Set against the back drop of the east entrance of Angkor Wat, a cast of some 160 Cambodians performed traditional Khmer dances, including the unique aspara dance. The hour-long show will play only until January 20 2008. A truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.
If you are looking to volunteer in Siem Reap as a teacher for kids this is by far the best option!
They are a charity so there is no profit involved as with other operators in the area. I have seen where the money goes - new buildings, education, food, clothes, bedding etc for these kids. They are not just in it for the money, they really care.
When I checked out some of the others in Siem Reap they send volunteers to these places but that's where their support ends - Globalteer are also the cheapest so good news all round. Really friendly people working there too.
They take people for three months or even if you are in the area for a few days and want to help they will find a placement for you.
Cambodia is dealing with an outbreak of dengue hemorraegic fever. Many Cambodians can't donate blood because of previous illnesses and so Kantha Bopha/Jayavarma VII (which is partly funded by a Swiss organisation), and Angkor Hospital for Children (funded by an NGO called Friends without a Border), actively make appeals to foreigners.
I gave blood at Jayavarma VII hospital. The blood bank room was clean, my vein was wiped with alcohol before the needle was put in, and the phlebotomist took an extra sample of my blood to put in a test tube for analysis. I had to complete a questionnaire on my health, medications, sexual partners etc.
If you like music, Jayavarma VII also holds fundraising concerts each Saturday evening from around 7:15 pm.
AHC has an online shop with some beautiful cards and prints of Angkor.
Jayavarman VII Children’s Hospital
Street to Angkor
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Tel 063 964 803
Angkor Hospital for Children
Street Achar Mean, Mondul 1 Village, Svay Dangkum Commune, Siem Reap District
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Tel 063 963 409
www.beat-richner.ch/Assets/richner_present.html
www.nationalradio.com/DrBeat.shtml
angkorhospital.org/default.php
www.fwab.org/
Paul of Hidden Cambodia Adventure Tours looked after us from the minute we arrived to the minute we left.
He booked all accommodation, guides dinners & Angkor Tours. The big one for us was a 4 day 4WD adventure tour to Beng Mela and Koh Ker with an overnight in the village beside the temple. The second night was at Preah Vihear, a fantastic eleventh century temple on a mountain.
We stayed an additional night in Anlong Veng, a very interesting location which has strong Khmer rouge connections.
All in all, food, services and attention to detail provided, Hidden Cambodia was excellent and I would highly recommend them!!
Don't just 'do' Siem Reap in a day, take a bunch of photos and then shoot off to Thailand. Once you've seen one temple you've not seen them all, any guidebook will tell you that.
Take time, find a decent guesthouse and spend at least five days there. Hire a bike and pedal round, stopping at anything that catches your eye. A five-day pass costs 60$USD, it will be one of the best buys you'll make.
This is an amazing place run by an amazing man. It is not really more than a shack so don't expect a posh museum. But it is a really interesting place to visit and chat to the children who live here.
Along the back streets about 2 km out of Siem Reap. Get a tuk-tuk driver to take you as it is really difficult to explain.
Beware of the border crossing at Poipet. There is a scam to tell you that Cambodia no longer uses the dollar and to get you to change your money into Reils for dodgy exchange rates. It is not true. Also there are ATMs in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and a few other places.
This is an NGO which has been set up to train young Cambodians in the tourism industry. Tues - Fri lunchtime the restaurant is open. For 8USD you are served a 3 course lunch in peaceful surroundings by the students who are learning about catering, serving, bar, and hospitality.
NH6 West, Siem Reap
Angkor hospital for children encourages visitors to the area to donate blood. Blood banks are in scarce supply in Cambodia and your donation really will save a life. It only takes half an hour. The equipment is all safe and sterile.
Near the central market in Siem Reap town centre
Clinic times 10am - 4pm
Blue Pumpkin is a cafe/bar in the centre of Siem Reap. Go all the way upstairs as far as you can until you reach the A/C enclave with the most divine sofas for a comfy and relaxing drink or bite to eat. Their ice cream shakes are to die for.
Psar Chaa area
It is a fab bar run by an English couple who each week on a Thursday host a quiz night. All of the proceeds go to five charities in Siem Reap.
They also serve great English food for those who have been away from home a while and crave sunday lunch, bangers and mash etc.
On the river in Siem Reap
Great guides and transport to distant locations.
I went on day trips to Koh Ker, Beng Mealea and a day trip on the Tonle Sap lake. As a photographer they look for good light situations and locations where people out of the city were less bothered by tourists with cameras. Amazing photo opportunities with small groups and reliable transport with knowledgable guides that mostly spoke good English.
I was picked up by a tuk tuk driver at the bus station which was chaotic. He took me to the hotel I had booked without any detours or hardsell and then politely offered his services as a driver.
After I had been sick I started leaving some of my camera equipment with him and he would mind it while I explored the temples. He also made me aware of tourist spots that I may have missed and knew the way everywhere.
His name is Arong ph 855 (0)12 534470
Friendly guesthouse run by an Austrian guy, Michael. Really close to the old market and bars at the centre of town. Free breakfast and bikes, reliable tuk-tuk drivers and hot water available.
Wat Damnak Street, tel:011-221838, email: gutmeyr_m2gmx.at, www.queenvilla.com
If you get on a bus from Bangkok or get in a 'bargain' moto, of course you are being scammed, just roll with it. If you think about how rich we are in comparison and how much you are actually being scammed by, it's never that much. After all who is going to need that money more? Besides, it can work to everyone's advantage. My friend and I were on a bus from Bangkok that took us (after 18 hours) to a guesthouse just outside Siem Reap centre called the D&D Angkor Villa. It was run by a friendly family who took us round the wats, into town whenever we wanted, fed us, had pleasant rooms and it turned out to be half the price we were expecting to pay. It was worth the uncomfortable bus journey which most people have to do anyway. This one is not that much of a 'scam' anyway, the buses drop at the guesthouses who give up their staff as drivers or guides on the journey. It's a fair exchange, don't get angry with them.
This small Cambodian NGO is where one can go if you want to learn about wildlife, conservation and especially seeing birds in Cambodia. They have partnered with Wildlife Conservation Society and are the conduit to the endangered species found in north-east Cambodia.
The center was created in memory of Sam Veasna, to carry on his work of promoting wildlife conservation and research. It is located in an inviting building, open to the lovely garden, with a library full of resource material, publications for sale and a donation box in the lobby.
The SVC can arrange visits to several remote birding locations where visitors can see such rarities as Giant Ibis, White-shouldered Ibis, Bengal Florican and Sarus Crane, and many other bird species.
0552, Group 12, Wat Bo Village, Sula Komreak Communue.
- Off Wat Bo Road just past the Angkor Village Inn, 5 minutes away from the Old Market.
www.samveasna.org
info@samveasna.org
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