Advice for Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand?
:: Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 @ 5:50:28 pm
:: Tags: Travel
Two of my good friends are planning a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand this coming March. Does anyone out there have some good advice for them? Specifically, they are looking for the following information:
1. Siem Reap - Does anyone have a great English-speaking guide for Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, etc.? We will be in Siem Reap for 3 days. 2. Ha Long Bay - We booked an overnight boat trip through Inserimex Travel, who we were referred to by John Gray’s Sea Canoe. As far as I can understand, the boat is not the most luxurious and we will be the only passengers on it, but it is the only option that takes people kayaking deep into the caves. I would prefer a bigger, air conditioned boat with other tourists on it, but don’t want to sacrifice the opportunity to kayak into the caves. Thoughts? Recommendations? 3. Chiang Mai - I’ve heard that the Four Seasons arranges wonderful hikes in the area. We are not staying at the Four Seasons. : ) I’ve also heard that visits to towns around Chiang Mai seem staged (because they are). Any recommendations for good guided tours or hikes in the area?
Journal RSS 
Hi there,
Greetings from the most authentic, beautiful and colorful city of Siem Reap, Cambodia! It’s great to know such thing.. I would like to offer my time and assistance if haven’t found anyone here.. If you don’t mind, please let me know your itinerary as early as possible. My email address: smart_khmer@yahoo.com And my mobilephone: (+855) 12 464 695. Hope you will grant me a privilege to serve and show you around our thriving and lilvely city, especially ANGKOR WAT area…
With my best wishes, Meang
Oh i am sorry! I entered an incorrect phone number: It must be (+855) 12 46 64 95..
Thanks alot, >Meang>
Cambodia - I have the business card of the driver we found when I went there 2 years ago. We found the guy outside the airport and he took us to 5 hotels until we found one we liked. Let me know if you want his name & number.
Ha Long Bay - on the same trip to Cambodia I spent a week in Ha Long Bay. I booked through the hotel we stayed at. 99% of the boats there are multi-level diesel wooden boats, the rooms are ok on those. There are smaller boats, but don’t offer much in terms of food & beds. The kayaking there was amazing. It’s what got my wife into kayaking.
Contact me if you’d like more info.
I recommend Kao Samreth in Siem Reap. We were tipped to him here and have since recommended him to several people who’ve all reported positive experiences. Email me for updated contact info if you have trouble getting in touch with him.
Be sure to ask for some time to see the lakes or villages near Siem Reap as the guides have a tendency to focus on temples rather than the other very interesting contemporary Cambodian sights and issues.
We only kayaked for a few hours in Ha Long Bay but had a great experience with the food and crew on a mid size boat (”Tropical Sails”, booked via Handspan). The larger boats seem to have a less fun crowd, lower quality buffet style food, and less flexible schedules.
Hi Eric,
I just came back from a 2 1/2 weeks Thailand trip. I didn’t made either Cambodia, Vietnam or Chang Mai but I can strongly recommend the Lonely Planet Travel Guide as it contains a lot of useful information for this kind of trip. I just the german translation while traveling trhough Thailand and was very satisfied. If your friends think about diving, I can recomment Aladdin Diving in Ranong. They are doing trips to the Similan Islands and as well to Burma as the border is very close. You’re welcome to contact me if you (or your friends) have more questions.
Best regards, Tobias