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Angkor Wat is without a doubt one of the top man-made architectural destinations in the world. Over 100 temples form the Angkor Wat complex

ANGKOR WAT, CAMBODIA

Dave
2004-02-22 13:19:45

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border - if you are alert and aware of your surroundings you almost guarantee that you will have no problem with these criminals.

In the Rong Klue market on the Thai side of the border "Street urchins" will run up to you and beg or try to be your "tour guide". They will quickly approach you with open umbrellas in hand - if you let them walk next to you - they will demand payment for their service of providing you with shade. In mid 2003 a Cambodian group kidnapped several Thai children and held them for ransom.

Before you actually enter Cambodia you will be approached by tour guides who will offer to "guide" you and provide transportation to Siem Reap. Your guess is as good as the next persons as to which tour guide to pick from. The guides will not let you tell them you want to travel alone - they will surround you until you pick one. One transportation company is Hangtap Tours - they offer mini buses and Pickup trucks. I used them for the ride from Poipet to Siem Reap which cost $10. However, with Sara Tours I only paid $4 for the return trip (their Phone Number is: (855) 12 833 252. Something to be careful of is what happened to me when using Hangtap tours. This company waited about 90 minutes to leave after I arrived and as a result we arrived in Siem Reap quite late and well after dark. They dropped us off at a hotel and told us it was unsafe to walk around at night and it would be best for us to stay at this hotel. Unfortunately it also happened to be raining. This is problem you might run into if you leave Poipet late in the day.

Be aware that the mini-buses or pickups will NOT leave Poipet until they are full - and by full this means every available seat in the bus is filled, including the uncomfortable pull out seats which effectively fill up all the aisles. This may mean you might have to wait for an hour or longer until the driver can find more tourists. If somehow you make it ...