HEM BUNRAK .... Driver Extraordinaire
In Cambodia, where smiling faces abound, one smile stands out like a ray of sunshine .... Mister Hem Bunrak.
Known by his nickname Rak, his always cheerful countenance, his solid local knowledge and his pleasing manners will make YOUR experience in Siem Reap Angkor an unforgettable experience if you contact him to look after your transportation needs for visiting the world-famous Angkor Wat temples or many other experiences he will introduce to you in the area.
Rak was born in 1984 in Siem Reap Province near a small rural village. He is the ninth and last child (“the baby,” he jokes) of poor rice farmers who still farm in the distant countryside. His six older brothers and two older sisters are all married now, many of them with their own children.
The 1980s was a difficult time in Cambodia with Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge still at war with the Vietnamese. A peacekeeping unit from the United Nations arrived in 1989 which was largely responsible for Rak being able to start primary school at the age of six which made him a very happy little boy. He went on to attend high school but he was forced to stop his formal education when his aging parents needed his help augmenting their farm income so he started to work at the age of 17 as a parking lot attendant at the small village market near his parents’ rice paddies where he earned the princely sum of $6.25 a month. He was to excel at this “career” and after a short time, he received a raise to $7.50 a month. Yes, times can be very tough for the young people of Cambodia.
Needless to say, an ambitious young lad named Rak wanted far more from life. So, without being able to even say “thank you” or “goodbye” in English, he “emigrated” to the town of Siem Reap to seek his fortune. Times were very difficult for him in those early days with absolutely no money in his pockets but his ambition soon saw him finding small part-time jobs and he started to study English which he continues to do to this day. With his big grin always in place, he’s become a chatterbox with his new English-language skills and there are those who say that he can now talk the ears off an elephant!
Rak’s first “real” job in Siem Reap was working in the laundry at the Royal Villa Hotel where he “mastered” the care of bedsheets before becoming the hotel’s receptionist. For the next two years, he worked evenings on Siem Reap’s well-known Pub Street as a “front man” greeter and waiter at the World Lounge, one of the town’s finest eateries, catering to locals and foreign visitors alike. Some people joked that Rak’s biggest problem at the restaurant was breaking away from his lively conversations with patrons to actually serve tables!
This fine young man could undoubtedly have a successful career in restaurant hospitality but he has many other interests and dreams. He really likes computers and has become adept with technology and he even has his own computer now in his small home near downtown Siem Reap. The year 2008 was a banner time for fulfilling some of Rak’s dreams. In addition to starting his own transportation enterprise, he enrolled in a good Siem Reap university where he is studying the tourism business.
Rak is also a devout Buddhist and his passion for the history of Cambodia from the millennium-old era of the Angkor dynasty is encompassing and he would easily enhance your visit to Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. If YOU would like to hire an exceptional young man for your transportation needs during your visit to Siem Reap Angkor, please contact Mister Rak .... NOW!!!!
HEM BUNRAK
Túk-túk, moto, car, van & mini-bus driver
Siem Reap Angkor
CAMBODIA
855-92-932-199 from outside of Cambodia
092-932-199 local
hembunrak@yahoo.com
“Thanks for giving me your business!”
