Soyean's Tuk Tuk services
Soyean can pick you up at the airport at any time, drive you around all day, take you to the best places for sunset followed by a show, and then deliver you safely back to you hotel door, for less than it would cost to by a typical lunch!
His daily charge around Siem Reap, Angkor Wat, and Grant Circuit temples is USD $13 (including airport pick up), but trips further out including Banteay Srei (32 kms away), are a little bit extra. These prices are fairly standard among drivers which you can pick up in the street, perhaps what is not so standard is the level of service, reliability and English fluency which Soyean has.
Why tuk tuk?
A tuktuk, also known as a moto-remorque, is a wonderful way to experience the local ambience. It is an open-air carriage – comfortable for two adults passengers, and three at a squeeze - pulled along by a motorcycle. It is the most common (and fun!) way to get around the temples: you can feel the cool breeze, smell the local street stalls, hear the cicadas and be protected from the harsh sun.
Other options for travelling around the temples are air-conditioned cars and minivans (good for bigger groups, though less memorable) or hiring a pushbike (if you’re super fit)! The temples themselves are a bit hard to walk around, except perhaps Angkor Thom complex, which has a lot of shade and you could easily spend 7 hours wandering by yourself.
Can Soyean be my guide?
Soyean is a tuktuk driver, not a guide. Tuktuk drivers are not allowed to head into the temples, as Angkor complex only allows those with a guide’s licence to conduct the tours. We managed to do without a professional guide (just used a book and some background from Soyean before we entered!), but for those wanting a bit much richness of history or less pre-reading, a tour guide is a wonderful idea.
The Khmer Angkor Tour Guide Association ([email protected] +855 63 964 347 ) provides qualified guides, as could you guesthouse or hotel, most likely. The guides can speak multiple languages, and would be able to travel alongside you at the front of the tuk tuk.
Alternatively if you’re after a ‘one stop shop’ – such as someone to organise guides, accommodation, itineraries, trips to the floating villages etc all at once – then keep in mind Soyean’s brother, Kim Soryar. Kim Soryar has a tourist service, and can arrange multiple things for you, hassle free, via email or phone (he has a website too, but it’s still in development and doesn’t do justice to his amazing services www.kimsoryar.com). Send him a note, and the happiness and warmth conveyed in his email back to you, will keep you smiling for days!
