Last week I spent 3 days in Cambodia visiting Angkor Wat as part of a Travel sphere Group from the UK. You were a wonderful guide.  

 

I should like to express what a wonderful guide you are. You must say the same thing every week to numerous groups yet you still make it seem fresh and interesting. Your enthusiasm for your subject and Cambodia is boundless and you were a real source of information about Cambodia. I have tonight sent you this e-mail to express my thanks:

 

“Tarth” (or is it Nu?)

 

I felt I should e-mail you and thank you for the wonderful time my wife and I spent in Siem Reap with you, as part of a Travel sphere Group from UK last week.

 

Your knowledge of your country, and your passion and devotion to it made a deep and lasting impression and certainly we will be passing on good news about Cambodia,-well apart from the pouring rain!!

 

I have now started to read up on what your country’s recent history – it is certainly very complicated!!

 

Angkor Wat is just so impressive. I still can’t believe I’ve seen it, as the visit seemed all over in a flash. Photos just do not convey the majesty of it at all.

 

It amazed me that despite the problems your country has faced over the passed 20 years, everyone smiles and expresses genuine happiness. We met a young girl in the tourist market and she was great fun; she passed on her e-mail address and I have sent her copies of the photos I took of her. Bargaining again was a great experience and good fun.

 

Of course it is very upsetting seeing people with no arms and legs and I got quite distressed seeing them, but it’s right that tourists should see them. We want to see the real Cambodia and not an artificial one created for us. You give 2 or 3 dollars to each limbless person you see and you feel you should give more. How do they get by?

 

Here in the UK where we have seemingly everything that perhaps Cambodian people would like, few people are happy; smiles just don’t happen like they do in SE Asia. I sometimes wonder if we are actually better off, financially we are but not in terms of happiness. This I know you may well find difficult to believe.

 

So many thanks once again Tarth for your introduction to your country–it was a great experience and you are without doubt a real professional at your job and hopefully I’ll be able to visit Cambodia again and see a bit more of the real country.

 

As expressed above we found you very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, never failing to answer any of our questions. Our whole group found you without fault and as a guide top-class.

 

All the very best

 

Regards to you and your family