Discova Cambodia Guide Sokhoeun Bout has a bright and goofy smile, which would disarm even the most cautious of visitors. But life for him wasn’t always like this.
Sokhoeun was born in 1973 in a remote village 40 km from Siem Reap city. During the brutal Pol Pot regime (1975-1979), he lived in a children’s camp and considers himself very fortunate to have survived that period.
“After 1979, my mother sent me to school, and I eventually passed the tour guide exam in 2000,” says Sokhoeun, who chose to become a guide because he was deeply passionate about sharing his experiences, knowledge, and the rich history and traditional culture of his country with visitors.
Working with Discova since 2013, Sokhoeun has won the Top Guide of the Year Award multiple times and is an expert in navigating the unanticipated hurdles or roadblocks that may come his way. But he treats even an unpleasant experience as a lesson in what can be done better next time.
He adds, “My biggest challenge occurred when some of my customers got sick from eating raw vegetables at a restaurant. I addressed this by asking the restaurant to change the dish and avoid serving raw vegetables in the future.”
As a guide, Sokhoeun believes he has learned a lot from interacting with his customers, from gaining general knowledge about their countries to understanding their behaviour. He also contacts the office staff at Discova Cambodia whenever he has questions. As such, the Discova Guide Academy has played a major role in helping him pursue his ambitions and chase his professional goals fearlessly.
