Meet the Team

Beyond Angkor is the brainchild of Allan Lim, he originally come up with the idea back in the early 2000's to create an online, comprehensive and user-friendly database of Angkorian and pre-Angkorian historical sites, but lacked the technical know-how. (Also, he freely admits; - he just didn't know where to start!) Fast forward 20 years, and after meeting like-minded, would-be explorers via Facebook, he decided it was time to give it another go. Here we are at the start of 2021, in the middle of a pandemic, stuck at home with further exploration sadly put on hold, so...what better time to undertake this massive labour of love!? We hope that with the release of Beyond Angkor to the public, the team will grow and we'd love to welcome you into the Beyond Angkor family.
	Allan Lim Founder, brainchild and Would-be Explorer Melbourne-based Allan first became interested in Cambodia and Angkorean history after researching the history of Cambodia prior to a family trip at the end of high school. After visiting his parents' homeland for the first time in 2001, he fell in love with the place and didn't want to return home. Over the next twenty years or so, Allan returned no less than fifteen times, with his initial trips as a typical tourist, to then exploring off-the-beaten-path sites and destinations. Over the years, Allan has also managed a variety of philanthropic projects such as; providing school supplies to primary school kids, raising funds for a local orphanage, supplying daily staples to rural villagers, funding a library and rock climbing wall for a rural primary school in Siem Reap and facilitating the construction of over 260 much-needed water wells for rural communities in Siem Reap.
	Mark Ord Admin and Would-be Explorer Although based in neighbouring Thailand (which of course has plenty of Angkorian sites of its own) - Mark has been visiting Cambodia regularly for over 20 years and - although he has zero Khmer ancestry (!) - like Allan, fell in love with the country, people and rich history. Mark researched areas of Burma (Myanmar), Thailand and Cambodia for online travel guide Travelfish as well as running All Points East, a tour company specialising in off-the-beaten-track areas of Southeast Asia, including plenty of remote ancient temple sites. With neither occupation being very compatible with a major pandemic, Mark jumped at the chance to explore new temples remotely, and now contributes text, photos and historical background to Allan's vast store of knowledge and awesome technical prowess!
	Suon Sopheaktra Admin, Consultant Archeologist and Researcher Sopheaktra aka Ta Mab, has been fascinated by the Angkorian monuments since he was young. He spent his childhood living close to Prasat Wat Nokor Bachey in Kampong Cham. Once he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Education in late 2013, he started working in Siem Reap in early 2014. There he would spend his days-off and weekends exploring the less-visited/off-the-beaten-path temples in Angkor Park and beyond. Upon returning back to Phnom Penh in 2014, he decided to enroll for a Bachelor's Degree of Archaeology, he was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship, which he graduated in late 2018. He has been working at the Faculty of Archaeology since his graduation and teaching English part-time since 2016. He has also been working on many projects, including helping Beyond Angkor as a consultant in Khmer language. Do you know how he got to know Allan? - through Facebook! It brings like-minded people together.
List of Beyond Angkor Member Contributors
Thon Varathana (Independent Researcher of Khmer Arts) - Art style consultant
List of Non-Member Contributors
Heang Song (Local Guide and Remorque Driver) - Photo contributor and location verifications
Chamnan Soeun (Local Tour Guide) - Photo contributor and location verifications
Peter Kasteiner (Would-be Explorer) - Reviewer, Photo contributor and location verifications
Lon Nak (Local Student & Aspiring Explorer) - Photo contributor and location verifications