Mono Man, the Best Driver and Tour Guide in Town
In Siem Reap, Cambodia, tourists can be overwhelmed with activities. What do you do first? Shop and eat. Sightsee and pamper. Drink and dance. The options and combinations are limitless. When we visited this land of ancient temples, we lucked out. We found Mono.
Mono is a family man who drives a van and helps tourists wind their way down narrow roads. He knows the shortest ways to the most elusive temples, the sites where tourists don’t always visit. While traveling with 5 friends, Neil and I found ourselves paying a few bucks for 5 full days of history, culture, food, and drinks. Note to US citizens: Cambodia’s economy runs on the American dollar. When you hit the ATM, greenbacks come out.
The Ladies Temple in Siem Reap, where everything is delicately structured for noble born women
Each morning, our group rolled out of bed, hair messy and clothes wrinkled. We’d catch the elevator down to the first floor for breakfast and in the lobby, Mono would greet us with his cheerful, pearly smile. Even though we told him not to bother, he always arrived promptly at 8am and waited for us to get ready.
SE Asia's largest lake, Tonle Sap still hosts a string of floating villages, living the way their ancestors did
After some strong coffee (and a bowl of rice soup for me), we’d meet him to discuss our day. Mono was always gracious, taking into consideration what we wanted to do and suggesting little-known sites that might also interest us. From his recommendations, we visited the largest lake in Southeast Asia, a war museum, memorials, and ancient temples off the beaten path. He took us to sing karaoke and to eat Amok, a tradition Cambodian dish. He explained the history behind the temples and discussed the significance of King Jayavarman VII who built and died in Angkor. The many faces etched into stone at Angkor Tom and Bayon are his likeness, casting a serene gaze over the ancient city.
If you’re looking for an excellent and reasonably priced tour guide in Siem Reap, contact Mono. Or if you’ve another recommendation, feel free to add a name below!!
The face of King Jayavarman VII
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Thank you, Melissa for the timely article. We are going to Siem Reap at Christmas time and are looking into finding a tour guide. We weren’t sure if we would get a tour guide and hotel package or just a tour guide and choose the hotel ourselves. Our preference would be to choose the hotel ourselves and then get a tour guide, but this would be taking a risk as you can’t be sure what kind of guide we might get. A personal recommendation like this is just what we need! Thanks for that. Did you end up going to Phnom Penh?
Hi Heather!! We didn’t make it to Phnom Penh–maybe next time. Neil and I are absolutely in love with Cambodia. Mono is a great guy, definitely look him up. In terms of hotel, we booked the Centara off of Agoda.com. It’s a 4-star hotel with full Asian and American breaky (yum!), infinite pool with pool side bar, and hardwood fixtures/down comforters in the room. Lovely!! We got a great deal at $35 per room, per night.
Check out Mono’s site: http://www.monotransport.com/
The AC is fab–very important in the humid SE Asian weather! Cheers!
I agree that a guide is necessary in Siem Reap. Cambodia does a great job educating and certifying guides. Make sure your guide is certified because there are many tuk-tuk drivers that will pass themselves off as “guides.” A certified guide will wear a uniform with a badge and have proper ID.
Hi Marc! Cambodian education is wonderful and I agree about being careful about shady tuk-tuk drivers. They’ll whisk you away before you know what’s happening! Thanks for stopping by!
I was in Siem Reap in 2009 with Jim Cline Photo Tours, an excellent small group photo tour operation. We had a very knowledgable guide called Ta. He took us all over, including Beng Melea. I dont have his contact info, but you can find him through the Peace of Angkor Guest House. Dave, who owns the guest house also leads tours. We went with him to Tonle Sap – an amazing dont miss trip!
Didnt get to to to Bantay Srei, the woman’s temple – so I need to go back at some point. Cambodia is a place I definitely want to spend more time.
Hi Eva! Cambodia is definitely one of those places where once you leave you want to go back! I’ll have to check out the Peace of Angkor Guest House. Is it cheap? Isn’t Tonle Sap amazing? Bantay Srei was magical.
It seems Siem Reap has a bevy of fantastic guides!
Thanks Melissa for the helpful information! I have not been to Cambodia so will contact him when I visit! I also have a travel partner in Cambodia and honestly speaking, they are very friendly and professional too!
Thanks!
I find Cambodians to be such warm people! And their smiles are seriously award-winning, such beautiful people