|
CAMBODIA UNCOVERED
What our guests have said |
February 2009
Well here we are home after a trip of a lifetime. Everything went exactly to plan and the holiday was everything we wanted and more.
I am writing to thank you for both being such wonderful hosts to Josh and myself.
Josh and I cannot thank you, Souen, enough for the time we shared with you. Your knowledge of your country and its people and vegetation was amazing and has made us hungry to come back and see and learn more with you.
We would particularly like to thank you, Souen, for sharing with us the very private, sad and extremely painful period of your life. This could not have been easy for you to do and we will always treasure this special time with you. It has helped us to try and understand the terrible things Cambodian families endured for many years and to appreciate that people like you who lived through these years can still smile and bring such joy to the likes of Josh and me.
We saw many wonderful places and particularly loved the mountain areas (of Vietnam) and sharing time with the minority groups but throughout our trip we talked about Cambodia and how much we loved our time there and wished we had planned more time in Cambodia and less in Siagon for you to be able to show us much more and to have experienced more time with the people of your country.
Cambodia touched our hearts.
Now it is time for me to get back to my life in Adelaide but my mind keeps drifting back to Cambodia and Vietnam.
WHAT WONDERFUL THOUGHTS.
February 2009
We greatly enjoyed our time with you, the apartment, the country trips and the Mekong, and were very pleased we started our journey in Phnom Penh.
You gave us a valuable introduction to Cambodia's recent sad history and first-hand insights into the present way of life and social/economic/political issues. I dont think we've ever spent so many dinners discussing such issues on our travels, even when travelling to other third-world countries...
We thoroughly enjoyed the boating experience, the sunset G&Ts and Souen's food - among the best meals we had on the whole trip.
....once again - many thanks for the never-to-be-forgotten experience you gave us.
October 2008
The boat trip on the Mekong was really spectacular and exciting and the food which Souen prepared played a really important part. We all enjoyed it immensely.
My photos remind me of the several times Souen stopped by the road and encouraged us to eat food – delicious food – which we probably would not have touched were we on our own - one of the advantages of having someone like Souen with local knowledge and a strong desire to have guests appreciate the real Cambodia.
The highlight was definitely the cooking class. Full marks. Brilliant to start with buying the ingredients and essential to give guests the recipe to take away.
Morag and I would like to thank you both once again for a most memorable experience. I think you achieved your objective of uncovering Cambodia.
September 2008
Thankyou for the best day we had in Cambodia, on your boat floating down the Mekong. The food was fantastic especially the banana blossom salad and we enjoyed the visit to the village where that family was producing the cement water tanks.
You showed us the real Cambodia in extremely relaxing circumstances
Souen needs to know, he’s not just a great cook and tour guide, but we really appreciated the fact that we could ask often quite painful questions of him and he was so generous in his response and sharing of knowledge. We hope to enjoy your hospitality again soon.
September 2008
...thanks to Souen for a great day trip. It was ideal for us and our visitors to get out and about and learn more about real Cambodia. The food was a particular highlight, despite the rain!
September 2008
An overdue note to thank you for a great stay. If I'm ever back in PP I'll definitely look you both up
July 2008
We have now returned home and we have such wonderful memories of our time in Cambodia. Thank you so much for your hospitality
July 2008
Once again thanks for the cooking.....I enjoyed it and learnt alot
July 2008
Thanks again for such a memorable time, we are still talking about how much fun we had and what a great time you guys gave us
February 2008
Thank you both very much for making our stay in PP so enjoyable. It was great to meet you both and do everything we did.
As I begin telling friends about our holiday I have realized that our time in PP with you both was certainly the highlight.
Thank you again for all your hospitality and friendship.
February 2008
And from a guest who wrote an article for a newspaper................
Perhaps the best way to see the real Cambodia is with a Khmer guide who can take you on road and river trips to small villages where people go about their daily activities of weaving, fishing, cooking, farming etc. You will be fascinated by the skills needed to eek out a living, and humbled by the genuine warmth of engaging people. This experience can be provided by Cambodia Uncovered, a small boutique business that tailors your travel and accommodation to suit your interests.
February 2008
Dear Sok Souen
This is to belatedly thank you for the trip you organised for us to see some aspects of Cambodian life and country side in January. We have only recently returned to Australia and your day trip was one of the highlights of our time in Cambodia.
We thought your boat was beautiful and obviously much thought and care had gone into preparation for the day. We have some wonderful photos of our time on the river, the fishing families and the aspects of village life you were able to show us.
We do hope that others enjoy your trips as much as we did.
With our very best wishes,
January 2008
........a huge thanks for showing us around. Fin and I both agreed that the #1 highlight was the visit to the school in your home village on the first day. It may seem a strange choice, and we were surprised at each other!! And I am sure that many of your customers would not agree - but we both enjoyed the brief engagement with the kids.
Best wishes to you, and every success to Cambodia Uncovered.
December 2007
Hi you 2,
Have been thinking of you. The trip was really fabulous.
August 2007
We were most appreciative of our 2 great days with Souen. My guests were particularly pleased as they only had a few short days and were very eager to ‘uncover’ a little of Cambodia – we enjoyed the food too!
September 2007
Dear Souen,
This is to let you know how much my wife and I enjoyed our recent holiday with you in Cambodia. We were most impressed with the effort you made to ensure that we got all that we wanted from our vacation and we left feeling that we had seen Cambodia in a way that we could not have done without your expert guidance. We will soon be booking again for next year!
August 2007
Still remembering our great trip to Takeo! It helped me arriving in Cambodia very much and I enjoyed your company and the hours with all of you
July 2007
Souen and Frances are welcoming hosts with lots of helpful advice and added extras
The clean tasteful accommodation has all the comforts of home with many thoughtful touches.
Both the tours and cooking class were fun and exciting and planned to my individual needs and interests
Souen is a wonderful guide and provides a unique opportunity to see a different side of Cambodia
March 2007
Cambodia Uncovered - the Highlights
Anything to do with boats and water! We really enjoyed your boat and wished we had spent more time travelling in that way.
The boat trip from Takeo was worthy of a TV documentary. From our point of view it was an amazing insight to a world we didn’t know existed.
We packed in so much that day with the pre-angkorian temples, the museum, not to mention a picnic lunch on the banks of the river. Before we had even got to the boat I think we had visited a salt farm and training school as well. The boat trip warranted a full day in itself.
A surprising thrill for us was riding on the back of motorbikes- so much so that we thought of taking lessons here until Mike said he had given up riding in this country because it is so dangerous.
Anything to do with textiles and silk. Being able to go into villages and see the weaving being done was priceless and something we wouldn’t have been able to do on our own I suspect.
Souen’s cooking. His picnics and cooking lessons were a pleasure. It was interesting to hear from him that rice outside Cambodia tastes stale.
Souen’s deep knowledge of plants and the country and history that saved the Killing Fields from being a totally depressing experience.
We very much appreciated the local information you both gave us and the use of the mobile phone which was a little life line for us
Your Flat - was decorated in a way which reflected Cambodia nicely and it was good to have the back up of dvds and books. The flat was well equipped. You are in a good location, close to facilities and we felt safe! It was great not to have to go far in the evening to get to a decent restaurant –in fact to have quite a choice!
We appreciated your flexibility in wishing to accommodate our needs. We felt you both went out of your way to find out information for us. We were also grateful for the back up medical advice that stopped us panicking.
And finally we enjoyed your friendly laidback attitudes that did not interfere with the professional way you looked after us.
Mary and Rodney Vormawah, England
March 2007
We have never had an experience that measures up to this one. Cambodia would have been out of the question for us without support and local knowledge
Talina and Winston Vizard
Victor Harbour, Australia
January 2006
I was one of Souen’s first customers, in January 2006
Being my first trip to Cambodia and because I only had two weeks there, I wanted to understand as much as possible about the country while visiting the popular sites
With Souen as teacher I was given a delightful, “insider” account of the history, culture, events, the food, and the way Cambodian people think. But touring with Souen was not like a lesson – it was fun – and importantly, it was flexible. If I decided I wanted some time out, or something more active, there was no problem. Always cheerful and thoughtful, Souen is the ideal host. With his beautiful river boat and gourmet picnics you can laze away on the Mekong going where a whim takes you or you can plan a tight action packed schedule that fills the day and night. There were lots of times for laughter, despite the tears that were unavoidable at some of the massacre sites
Souen’s partner Frances is Australian and when she has time to spare from her medical work, she joins him as a generous host. She also provides interesting insider information about Cambodia – but through the eyes of an expat! She is also on hand for medical attention if ever needed
Travelling alone was no problem - I felt pampered and safe on my memorable trip to Cambodia. I learned about the terrible suffering the people have endured, but saw how strongly they are returning from the brink. Supporting enterprises like Souen’s not only means that you have a good time, but that you are also doing something for Cambodian development
Helen Morris
Melbourne, Australia
Tropical sunsets are often very beautiful
70601-1847 (1, 7, 20, 570)
