Akim Ly

Akim was raised in Angkor Wat. She was born during Pol Pot's regime, where schools were not available.

During this time, her grandfather, Loung Sake, was the Grand Abbot of the Angkor complex, inside Angkor Wat and this is where she lived and was educated with monks which is unusual.

She went as far as to shave her head and pretend that she was a boy, since girls were not allowed to live in pagodas. Under her grandfather's guidance, the monks at Angkor Wat educated her in Sanskrit scriptures on palm leaves, practised prayers and rites.

Despite this difficult time period, Akim had a relatively enjoyable time. The statue of the Preserver God Vishnu, whom you can still see at the entrance of Angkor Wat, was a figure she could talk to and always rely on. When the rainy season commenced, the pools atop Angkor Wat were filled, where she spent most of her leisure time. After 5 years of living in the pagoda, suspicions were raised as she could no longer pretend to be a boy. Overtime, schools became available far away in town. She cycled many kilometres each day to get as much education as she could afford at the time.

Once she turned 13, she had no other choice but to stop school and work in a restaurant to support her family. At sixteen, she could afford to open one of her own in front of Angkor Wat. She lived outside of Cambodia for 15 years, when she became a businesswoman in Vietnam.

Being away from home for so long, she decided to move back to Siem Reap in 2013 whilst founding Vespa Adventures. To this day, she is still the proud owner of the ride of your life that is Adventures Cambodia.