Biking Bangkok to Angkor Wat

Really great trip: scenery, biking, food, and company. It was good to be in a small group – we could be nimble and adjust our daily plans as needed. Very high praise for our guide Kim Sampath: he was generous with his insights about the culture and the people, and highly knowledgeable regarding the many temples we visited. Plus it was a treat to have such an experienced cyclist showing us all the back roads and trails, in addition to the main routes. We had a GREAT time.

We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Bicycling is a great way to experience a country. Without a bus window in the way, the sights and smells are more immediate and you can interact with people you pass. We enjoyed exchanging greetings with villagers and high fives with children also on bikes and getting a more intimate look at life in the countryside. Good food, good guides and the best way to beat the crowds and get a more peaceful meditative experience of the temples.

Bicycling was a wonderful way to visit the Angkor complex. We were able to get away from the crowds and see aspects of the area that most people don't see.

Our guide in Thailand, Mr. Pakorn (Korn) was a solid bicyclist and knowledgeable about the routes. Our guide in Cambodia, Mr. Ran Khemarak (Pheap), was a fun and engaging guide. Clearly loves cycling and guiding. Set good comfortable paces. He was good about reminding us to stay hydrated. We appreciated the pictures he took of us and posted on facebook. He adjusted plans when needed to meet our pacing and food requirements. He dealt well with food preference issues. He addressed bike maintenance issues competently and quickly. He checked in with all of his group regularly while riding - would drop back to join the slower riders sometimes, then speed up to take the lead again. He paid attention to all of us throughout the day.

Our driver, Mr. Lee, was very attentive and helpful. He was always ready at each snack break with cool towels and fruit and made sure that all of our water bottles were topped off before the next ride. He was an attentive, careful and skillful driver.

Our history guide in the Siem Reap area (Samol?) was excellent, knowledgeable, engaging. It was great that he was willing to bicycle along with us much of the way, providing more opportunity to learn informally from him.

The fruit snacks provided by both teams (Thailand and Cambodia) were excellent. They always provided a good variety of very fresh interesting local fruits. The meals on our trip were generally excellent. We got to experience a wide range of Cambodian cuisine and most of it was excellent.

A [ground operator] tour makes for a memorable trip: our guides enabled us to see their country and meet its people through their eyes. It is a way to be a tourist without feeling like a "tourist".

We want to give special kudos to Mr. Slm Ousaphea (Phea). Everything about his guiding was superb. Phea's openness, knowledge, friendliness, warmth and compassion for us (his group), his fellow Cambodians and all the people we met along the way made our trip an experience we will not soon forget.

We had a fantastic time. Cycling Cambodia with the local guide allowed us to see places we never would have seen and have experiences and interactions we never could have otherwise. The cycling was a fun challenge, always rewarded with delicious meals and fun and relaxing evenings.

The local fruits were delicious. The drinks were good too. Our guide in Cambodia, Huy, was great. He really knew the area, was humble, patient, and was open to talking to us about the country.