By Jacqui Rawson
Koh Ker Treks is a recently established tourism enterprise set up for graduates of the Srayang dormitory in Koh Ker by the Ponheary Ly Foundation.
The graduates, Dieb and Ty lead the tours through Koh Ker, which is about 2 hours northwest of Siem Reap. The tours are the first in their area, which encompasses the ancient, almost forgotten temples of what was once an Angkor Capital. They take their customers through the temples and the jungle-like forest surrounding them, and their own rural village.
They have their own personal touch, which can’t be provided by any other tour guide in this area and it comes in the form of story telling. They have at their disposal stories to retell that have been passed down to them from the community that they’ve grown up in.
Each tour also forms a learning experience for Dieb and Ty as they continue to extend their English, computer, customer service and marketing skills. They are more than happy to evolve along with their business in order to provide a fulfilling experience for their customers.
With this in mind they recently enjoyed assistance from some Global Studies students of the New School University, in New York City. The students were here with the Ponheary Ly Foundation recently for the fieldwork component of their civic engagement course. They were a great help to Dieb and Ty by introducing them to some marketing concepts and then assisting them to put the concepts into action.
These two wonderful young people are motivated to develop their business for them, their families and their community.
Take their charming personalities, homegrown knowledge and couple it with a desire from tourists to “go off the beaten path” then this business looks set to attain success for all their goals!
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