Cambodia travel guides: Siem Reap-Angkor-Ankor-Phai Prearom

Private Tour / Travel Guide for the World Famous Wat's /Temples & Tonle Sap Lake, (Boeung Tonle Sap)

Want your own private Tour Guide to show you one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient World?

Phai Prearom, Licensed Tour Guide, was born in the Kingdom of Cambodia, he is well educated, knowledgeable, he works very hard & is a professional tour / group guide as good as you can get

He has aspirations of growing his career but cannot afford the next level of education. We hope to assist him with success via this website. We had a lifetime memorable experience and trust him. We hope you might do business with him.

He can speak to your private tour/s, couple or group in several languages. He speaks English, Cambodian, Korean & Thai. He knows the places to go very well, he is fun, very informative & a caring person......

Well versed in the history of the Kingdom of Cambodia you will enjoy information on the construction, lives of the workers & many Kings He will tell you how it all was made and what took place over the many centuries.

He has worked for tourists from all over the world such as Korea, America, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, Thailand, etc...all countries are welcome :)

Prearom can also provide airport pick-up service, transportation, accommodation assistance and can assist you with hotel reservations when you use his guide services.

Your itinerary will be customized to meet your needs. Send him an email or give him a ring, he will have to work with a licensed travel services company to properly arrange all your tour details to comply with Cambodian Tourism laws.

Not many are aware ( of course ) the Cambodian people always knew of the the famous temples, ( it is said they were discovered by the french ) there are tons more if one wanted to venture into the Jungle. When you arrive and see this will become instantly obvious once you have visited a few temples / wat's as they are all very close to each other. Enjoy your journey !

You will likely see a some monkeys & regardless of the weather and lighting can vary from day to day. It's truly a once in a life experience you will tell all your family and friends forever. Take lots of photos even when you are overwhelmed with the historic beauty.

This website was make to hopefully assist him (Phai Prearom) , in providing his professional services to tourists and the traveling public to enjoy all of Siem Reap and the world famous Wat's / Temples just a few minutes drive. We sincerely appreciated our time with him and would recommend him to any interested group or couple. He really cares about your experience and will offer himself for the entire day not just at the temples.

Angkor Tours & Travel Photo Gallery
(Just text in hope it helps for internet searches)

A typical one day tour as we experienced ( G n V, Kelowna, BC. Canada , email us

We / You are finally here. Let the experience begin !
Your in your Taxi or Mini Bus / Van He will start to tell you about what you are about to experience, please do stop him of you don't get it all. He is happy to repeat and work with you to get the most of your experience.	The first entrance we walked into. Amazing faces / over the water. Many have been restored, ask Prearom about how some traded these for food during the Dark times of Pol Pot		Bayon Temple Your first sighting of the famous faces you have seen in photos prior to arrival. You enter via majestic gates, we had to step aside to make way for an elephant taking up the entire entrance with rider on his way into the temple.
Check out the intracate carvings, they all have a detailed story and Prerom can explain it all to you, he's amazing ! It all makes sense once explained	The famous Face ! We had a flat lighting day but still nice and warm & exciting, people from all over the world were checking it out. Some nice climbing on various stairways and mind blowing entrances		A courtyard that many went different directions, lots to look at on this level. One could spend an entire day in this temple. At one time there were over a Million Cambodian People working on this temple, ask your guide for details and the story.
A short ride via your private limo / taxi / mini bus and you can see several temples this one we only had time for 10 minutes but enjoyed the views.	Onward to an easy walking low level areas with many stories, again ask your guide for details. This spot was special for locals to pay respect. They keep this freshly decorated daily		Wander with Prearom via some walkways with amazing deep carvings, the stories are obvious and easy to understand.
Now you are about to enter the most current famous and easy to recognize temple where the Tomb Raider was filmed	This temple / wat was left natural at the time they started to remove the jungle in the other temples, thus showing you how it was at the time restorations started. Go further into the Jungle and there are tons more !		A walkway that hosts shade on a very hot day you will be looking for some of this and a good time to peek at carvings and tales
Look at the roots of the trees, they seem to be gentle to the Temple as they grow together in nature	A famous spot that many photos are taken		Another Majestic Moment and Scene
Encounter a local Artist We were fortunate to purchase his art We paid $15 ( $10 off ) for an 8"x10" Original !! He was gentle & very pleased to sell a piece	A band you will encounter along your tour, they are all war vets with lost limbs, feet & have been injured by the war. You can make a contribution and it really helps them as you know where its going, $1 - $5 would be super ! You will remember doing this after you go home and it feels good.		On our day we did alot and tried to do as as many of the temples as we could. Now we are at the entrance of the most famous and sacred temples of all Angkor Wat The next photo is where you actually walk up the steps to see the long breathtaking walkway.
Enjoy !! Your finally here !! This is one of the moments in life where you should stop for a moment and take it in, its all far away and the moat is large and will make sense to you if you think you were a King wanting to make the Best Place on Earth in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Capitol of Asia	Once inside you have tons to see, our photos just show you some very basics This was a horse enjoying some lunch while we made our way to the center about 600 meters from the entrance. Its very cool to get closer and closer, you will take a few deep breaths on your way.		Once inside the stories of the artwork and carvings tell an amazing story of live in the the ages of this the most Sacred of all temples Prearom will tell it all and please do ask alot of questions
More of the history, its all preserved in an amazing way for you to see.	Move amazing, one could spend timeless moments taking in history		Now you have reached the opposite side f the main entrance and can walk out and look back at the exterior walls without leaving the temple
This is a cool photo in that is shows the phases of carving, the first phase is to carve out the outline then work deep into the sandstone to create the 3 dimensional images	At work and at Play there is always fun Have your photo take with some of the local artists, we did and glad we did, please tip at least $2 to the photographer that will offer to take photos for you with your cameras and $1 per person to the talent with costumes to assist them with keeping this beautiful art ongoing, they all will appreciate your efforts ! Everything helps		Check out the beautiful costumes and don't be surprised if you get an opportunity to pay to be photographed with them they are all volunteers and rely on your tips !
Now we are near sunset, we hiked up to the top of the local peak for the views and sunset, its quite a hike at the end of the day and they sell beverages including beer on the way up, do take your camera.	One last shot before heading back to the hotel		Prearom was very gracious and offer to assist us in attending the local dinner theater show on the main street, we had no idea this was there, it was a huge buffet with super food and very inexpensive, $12 per person all you can eat, including the show, which went on for 2 hours. Very professional, we invited Prearom, we purchased wine and he only had one sip but was there to explain any questions we had, he only ate foods good for his body. He takes very good care of himself and also knows a bit about wine as he works part time in his 2nd job for a wine merchant t/ distributor.
Floating Village & Tonle Sap Lake Please note all the fun is not far away and drivers are very good. Enjoy the ride ! The Lake holds an immense part of the Khmer's history of fish, food, rivers, history & offers changing moments, Cooll ! Map of Tonle Sap Lake & Siem Reap Going to the Lake for some Fun and Unforgettable Scenery ? Hop Aboard Please and Thanks
The Captain and his lovely daughter, smiles are abundant ! Please tip them as they work for food and do not own the boat	Chong Khneas Village and Docks On your way out check out the various boats and changing living quarters as you go		Once out of the main Village you will see tons of small boats with various services as well as arts and crafts available to you, they will simply pull up as your cruising and ask if your interested, I bought a beer from this family for $1 Check out the boys pet snake, it does not move much and is NOT Dangerous at at all
After about 45 min you will get a break to a small floating store with everything you can imagine as well as an alligator farm and fresh local fish as well as farmed catfish. Yum Yum, music is played and its a good place to pick up something of memory or art	The Catfish at feeding		The Alligator Farm This will get your attention fast !! They are big !
Your guide has been working hard, I insisted that he kick back in the hammock and got a nice photo, he has a nice smile eh?	Children playing in the water, they took turns splashing each other & were very cute. This went on for 20 min and they never came close to falling out.		Another merchant selling bananas and beverages , seems snakes make a good pet for the kids
Now were on the way back and seeing the boats going out. This was very nice and peacful		Check out the Bamboo Construction
Now we are at the famous Art School & Gallery in Siem Reap It's all made here !! This is very cool !
An artist preparing the hair of a large bust	Close up preliminary sandstone carving		A working gallery where they make many things from wood, sandstone and paper. This is a must see part of your trip
The finished products in the store		Check it out, its amazing and very inexpensive. They can ship to all countries but shipping is expensive Opp's -I didn't know I wasn't to take photos but stopped when notified
I hope you enjoyed, if your interested please hire Prearom and do tell us if you did, we would love to hear from you, email also at top of this website. Home Page Website Owner in Canada mailto:alexstar44@hotmail.com

Is the most prominent feature on the map of Cambodia - a huge dumbbell-shaped body of water stretching across the northwest section of the country. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, swelling to an expansive 12,000 km2. During the dry half of the year the Lake shrinks to as small as 2500 km2, draining into the Tonle Sap River, which meanders southeast, eventually merging with the Mekong River at the 'chaktomuk' confluence of rivers opposite Phnom Penh. But during the wet season a unique hydrologic phenomenon causes the river to reverse direction, filling the lake instead of draining it. The engine of this phenomenon is the Mekong River, which becomes bloated with snow melt and runoff from the monsoon rains in the wet season. The swollen Mekong backs up into the Tonle Sap River at the point where the rivers meet at the 'chaktomuk' confluence, forcing the waters back upriver into the lake. The inflow expands the surface area of lake more than five-fold, inundating the surrounding forested floodplain and supporting an extraordinarily rich and diverse eco-system. More than 100 varieties of waterbirds including several threatened and endangered species, over 200 species of fish, as well as crocodiles, turtles, macaques, otter and other wildlife inhabit the inundated mangrove forests. The Lake is also an important commercial resource, providing more than half of the fish consumed in Cambodia. In harmony with the specialized ecosystems, the human occupations at the edges of the lake is similarly distinctive - floating villages, towering stilted houses, huge fish traps, and an economy and way of life deeply intertwined with the lake, the fish, the wildlife and the cycles of rising and falling waters.

The lake sits only about 15 km south of Siem Reap town. If you take the ferry between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap you will cross the lake and dock at the village of Chong Khneas. There are several ways to see the culture and wildlife of the lake area depending on the amount of time you have and your interest.

Chong Khneas
Chong Khneas is the floating village at the edge of the lake closest and most accessible to Siem Reap. If you want a relatively quick and easy look at the Tonle Sap, boat tours of Chong Khneas are available, departing from the Chong Khneas boat docks all day long. Take a motodup or taxi the 11-15km from Siem Reap to the boat docks where there are always boats waiting for passengers. A two-hour boat trip through the floating village runs $10 per and the boats may carry as many as 15 other people. The boatman will probably point out the differing Khmer and Vietnamese floating households and the floating markets, clinics, schools and other boatloads of tourists. You are at your own risk though. Best to go with your guide and book via a tourism agency to assure of licensing and quality of boats & skippers.

There are two great complexes of ancient temples in Southeast Asia, one at Bagan in Burma, the other at Angkor in Cambodia. The temples of Angkor, built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD, represent one of humankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements. From Angkor the Khmer kings ruled over a vast domain that reached from Vietnam to China to the Bay of Bengal. The structures one sees at Angkor today, more than 100 stone temples in all, are the surviving remains of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis whose other buildings - palaces, public buildings, and houses - were built of wood and are long since decayed and gone.

Prices
Entrance into the Temples / Wat's area is $20 USA per person including tx, (2007) Paid when you arrive at the entrance, your guide or taxi will ask for the funds, please be ready in advance, this is a separate cost.
Private / Tour Guide all day $25 per person, 2 persons minimum 2 Persons to- Groups of any size ? $$$ Negotiate with Prearom direct	Your own private Taxi or Mini Bus $15 per person, 2 persons minimum, includes driver all day. ( $30)
Groups, Families & Events please call for prices, typically it can be negotiated to your satisfaction, if you are reasonable.