about me, driver from Siem Reap to Koh Ker |
Pheak (nickname)
hor sopheak (full name) number 648 group 8 vihear chen village svaydongkom commune siemreap district siemreap province cambodia domestic: 069 51 01 41 international: 00855 69 51 01 41 facebook: hor.bunhak sopheakraksar@gmail.com |
my transport service to Koh Ker
My name is Hor Sopheak, relatives and friends and guests call me “Haak” or "Pheak". I have been in Siem Reap near Angkor for more than a decade, I live here with some of my relatives close to the town centre. I started as an ordinary Tuktuk driver with a driving licence. Now I also offer van or taxi tours from Siem Reap near Angkor to Koh Ker and other Khmer temple towns. My ambition is to show you the less famous sites, too, because many guests ask for tranquil places. Koh Ker, Cambodia's second largest temple town, is highly recommendable in this respect. Other great destinations off the beaten track are Banteay Chhmar and Prasat Bakan (Preah Khan Kampong Svay). I am an experienced driver and try to satisfy my guests by offering good service for reasonable prices and avoid pushing them to shops or any activities they did not ask for, because only satisfied guests will recommend me, for example this website is created by a customer. I can speak English fluently, though not without mistakes. I cannot speak German or other foreign languages, but I could recommend other drivers or guides in Siem Reap speaking your native language. my 15 seats SsangYong tourist van
my transport services in Angkor
My main business are private tuktuk or van or motorbike day-excusions to Angkor temples and other places in the vicinity of Siem Reap, for example Roluos, Tonle Sap and West Baray or unknown temples such as Phnom Bok and Chau Say Vibol. Usually tuktuk excursions, particularly Angkor's so-called Small Tour and Grand Tour, are my every-day business. But I can offer more comfortable vehicles, too, for example for those who prefer A/C. I am experienced to assist travellers with special wishes and can offer transport to many rarely visited monuments that are, in some cases, not easy to find without the help of a local resident. In some special cases such as Phnom Kulen, Banteay Thom and small western Angkor temples, motorbike transport for only 1 person is the best choice, this means, you need 2 drivers for a couple. Otherwise you would have to consider long walking distances on small pathes, using the more comfortable vehicle only on the roads. Much more information about Angkor Wat and surrounding temples is available on the comprehensive website Angkor-Temples. with my tuktuk in Angkor Thom
How to find me in Siem Reap, CambodiaAlmost every day I am available for guests in Siem Reap's popular guesthouse area, in front of the Village Garden, which is well-known among private travellers, or a few hundred metres closer to the town centre in front of the Bun Seda Angkor Villa, which is not far away from the Siem Reap main street called Shivata road. My home is in this area, too, it's only half a kilometre to the west of the Old Market and Pub Street in Siem Reap's town centre. One of my Cambodian phone numbers is 069 51 01 41.
my favourite tuktuk car park in Siem Reap
invitation to my hometownI very much appreciate to welcome regular visitors of Cambodia several times and sometimes can invite them to my hometown close to the Vietnamese border. My homeland is near Angkor Borei in the south-east of Cambodia. It is very close to the very first centre of the Khmer civilization, Phnom Da. In case you accept local food and simple clean accommodation with a shared local-style bathroom, you could stay with my family for a night or two, but most of my relatives do not understand English. For more information about stays with my family please click to my private tours page. view from Phnom Da to the plains of Angkor Borei
my homeland Angkor BoreiI have been living with my family in Siem Reap for more than a decade now, but my hometown is Angkor Borei. Don't be confused, Angkor Borei is not close to Angkor, on the contrary, it is located in the very south-east of Cambodia, close to the Vietnamese border. Not many tourists visit this place. Nevertheless, for those interested in Khmer history, Angkor Borei is a famous place, too. It is Cambodia's most important city of the first indianised culture in mainland Southeastasia, the so-called Funan maritime empire. One interesting monument surviving from the following Chen-La period can be seen on the hill Phnom Da near Angkor Borei. For a detailed account study the page about the history of the Funan period and the Phnom Da style.
If you like to see my homeland and the origins of the Khmer culture and if you agree to accept very simple accommodation, I could invite you to visit this remote destination, too. On the way you could visit other attractions and afterwards I could drop you to beach resorts or to the capital Phnom Penh if you do not return to Siem Reap any more. location of my family's hometown Angkor Borei
Koh Ker's location in CambodiaKoh Ker belongs to Preah Vihear Province in northern Cambodia. The length of the road from Siem Reap to Koh Ker is 110 km. As the crow flies, Koh Ker is located 80 km north-east of Angkor. The most important ancient Khmer road, connecting Angkor with modern Annam at the South China Sea, crossed Beng Mealea and Koh Ker.
The distance between Phnom Penh and Koh Ker is 370 km via mainroad NH6 to Kampong Thom and then NR62 northwards, direction Preah Vihear. From Bangkok to Koh Ker the road distance is 510 km via border crossing Aranyaprathet/Poipet and mainroad NH6, crossing Siem Reap. The best place for accommodation far and wide is Siem Reap. In the closer vicinity of Koh Ker there are only very simple accommodations, guest houses of the hostel category. Normal guest houses and a 3-star hotel are available in 70 km distance from Koh Ker in Preah Vihear City (Tbaeng Meanchey). Don't be confused: The well-known "Koh Ker Hotel" is not closer to Koh Ker, it is in the heart of Siem Reap, too. Koh Ker in Cambodia's Preah Vihear Province
Weblinks: recommended external sources about Koh Ker
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Koh Ker - the forgotten city
In 928 Koh Ker instead of Angkor became the capital of the Khmer empire, during the reign of King Jayavarman IV and his son. The landmark of Koh Ker is the perfect step pyramid belonging to the vast complex of King Jayavarman's state temple Prasat Thom. Altogether, ruins of at least 180 temples are scattered throughout an area of more than 80 square kilometres. Among temple towns of this size, Koh Ker clearly is the only one in the entire world which, until now, remains untouristed. To learn more about Koh Ker's attractions, please visit our Koh Ker page.
Preah Vihear - world heritage site
Preah Vihear is spectacularly situated on the highest cliff of Cambodia, in the Dangrek hills close to the Thai border. Every visitor is overwhelmed by the beauty of this unique Khmer temple. Most buildings are Gopuram gates arranged along a procession alley. The rearmost complex, close to the cliff, includes several courtyards. Preah Vihear is beautifully decorated with carvings from various style periods. The best way to visit Preah Vihear is a 2-days trip including sightseeing in Koh Ker on the first day, with an overnight stay in Srah Em. For details, please study our Khmer temple tour proposals.
Banteay Chhmar - mystic face towers
Banteay Chhmar is unkown, but really very, very huge. The main temple is 1.9 km long and 1.7 km wide. You will not find a single complex of temple ruins of this size outside Cambodia. Banteay Chhmar was built by Jayavarman VII, the founder of Angkor Thom. There are many similarities with Angkor Thom, for example face tower temples and long galleries with historical carvings. Off the beaten track, the nearby village offers only very simple accommodation. Full day excursions from Siem Reap and back are possible, too. More information can be found on my Khmer temple towns page.
Prasat Bakan - largest Khmer temple
Prasat Bakan is the local name for Preah Khan Kampong Svay in Preah Vihear Province. The outer embankments are 5 km long and 5 km wide, making this the vastest temple compound in the entire world. But the buildings are smaller and more dilapidated than Angkor Wat, of course. Among the five largest Khmer temple towns Prasat Bakan is the one which, until now, is most isolated and rarely visited, but a new road from Angkor is under construction. For details, how to visit this remote temple, please feel free to contact and ask me.
Sambor Prei Kuk - first temple town
Sambor Prei Kuk is the earliest temple town with many groups of stone or brick buildings in Southeast Asia. Most of the structures are from the seventh century, hundreds of years earlier than Angkor Wat and other classic Khmer monuments. There are peculiar characteristics that make Sambor Prei Kuk's temples unique and others that shaped the styles of Angkor. A special attraction are three fairytale jungletemples completely strangled by tree roots. Find their names and locations on one of the best Cambodia websites of a local travel agency offering a separate page about Sambor Prei Kuk.
Beng Mealea - overgrown temple
Beng Mealea (also transcribed Bang Melea) is famous as a large Khmer temple which is completely overgrown. In size and style Beng Mealea is similar to Angkor Wat. The trees inside the temple are less big but there are many more in Beng Melea than in Angkor's jungletempe Ta Prohm. Beng Mealea is reachable on a half day excursion from Siem Reap. I can even organize it as a cheap Tuktuk tour. For details study the Bang Melea page on my Angkor temples website and for price offers please contact me.
Banteay Srei - jewel of Khmer art
Banteay Srei, besides Angkor Wat, Bayon in Angkor Thom and jungletemple Ta Prohm, is one of the 4 must-sees for every tourist coming to Siem Reap. Banteay Srei is small, but of exceptional beauty, due to its decoration. It is located a little bit far outside Angkor. I can offer cheap half-day excursions by Tuktuk or comfortable taxi tours or full-day excursions including Phnom Kulen, or even breaks at Banteay Srei on longer round trips. More information about my offers and ambitions can be found on the about-me page.
Angkor - unsurpassed
Doubtless, Angkor is the most exciting temple town in the world. The numbers of Khmer temples and the sizes of these historical monuments are record-breaking, the beauty of the ornamentation and the scenic setting are breathtaking. As a driver, whose main source of income is arranging daytrips to Angkor, I offer comprehensive information about more than 80 monuments in Angkor and neighbouring Roluos on my separate website called Angkor-Temples.
Phnom Da - near Angkor Borei
Phnom Da is much smaller than the other temple towns and complexes mentioned above and in contrast to them it is not located in the north-western part of Cambodia, but at the south-eastern border. It is mentioned in this list simply because it is the temple hill at my hometown.
Phnom Da is the name ot the first Khmer style in sculptural art, because this hill and the surrounding areas of Angkor Borei are the archaeological sites where most of the early works of Khmer art were found. Besides Oc Eo, which is situated in today's Vietnam, Angkor Borei and Phnom Da were core areas of the Funan civilization, which is of utmost significance for the cultural development of Southeast Asia. There are no buildings left from the Funan period, as they were made of perishable materials such as wood. The two ancient temples on Phnom Da are from later eras called Chenla and Angkor. However, the Ashram Maha Rosei is considered to be the oldest stone monument in Cambodia. It's small but well worth a visit. |