Our guides are the backbone of our company and our biggest asset. I thought we would do a weekly Saturday blog dedicated just to our guides. Feel free to send in recommendations on who we should interview next and we will try to get to everyone.
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I thought it was appropriate to start it off in Cambodia, where it all began after-all. Sina was one of the first guides we ever worked with in Cambodia and we were drawn to him right away. In the beginning Sina was pretty new to guiding so he didn’t get rave reviews, guests said that he was a bit shy and seemed nervous, but we saw such potential we decided to work with him on building his confidence and becoming the guide we knew he could be. Well Sina now exceeds all our expectations and is a joy to work with and be guided by. He gets amazing reviews from guests and is truly a part of the family. I sat down with Sina to discuss who he is and what he does…
Name: Sina Kaam
Age: 35-years-old
Married with two kids, a 7-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl
Started Guiding in 2002
How do you become a guide in Cambodia?
You have to go to school for 4 month, 8 hours a day and at the end you have to take and pass a test. When I did it you could do it for about $200, but now it is much more expensive.
Why did you want to be a guide?
In 1992 I met some of the UN Army and I always asked them the questions and practice my English with them. I like to hear about other cultures and I like to find out about other people.
What’s the hardest part about being a guide?
A lot of guests ask questions about politics in Cambodia and it’s hard because in our culture we aren’t used to talking about this.
What are your favorite sites to show guests?
Of course I like Angkor Wat, everyone in my country is very proud of it. I also like Bayon and Banteay Srei because they are the unique temples and have the amazing carvings.
Where do you like to take guests to eat?
Journeys Within always recommend Khmer Kitchen so I take the guests there, but when I eat there I like it so much so I think it’s the good choice.
What do you recommend for guests visiting Cambodia?
To know everyday life in Cambodia and how they live. I think they should tell me their job and then we can compare to the job here, compare salary and experience and see how the same job is different in different countries.
Any favorite moments in guiding?
I like when the guest teach me things too. I learn the saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” I always tell the guests that it’s funny that Western people want the dark skin and Cambodians want the white skin and then they teach me this saying and I think it’s very true.
Thank you to Sina for being such a great member of the team and stay tuned to learn more about our guides in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar!
Sina rocks! I am still in shock that Sina was ever referred to as “shy”