Originally Posted by RichardInSF

The hotel provides a free boat to view the ceremony, or you can just walk there and sit down on shore to watch it if you arrive 30 minutes before to find a decent spot (and listen to the 'pre=show') -- it's like a five minute walk. I doubt that paying for a guide or a private boat will add much.

For the tour the next day, you will have to bring your passport and take off your shoes on occasion. You will not exactly be walking in your socks on anything immaculately clean although fortunately there aren't any cow patties inside the actual temple. The passport bit allows you to skip a two-hour queue for one of the temples, but there still will be a very silly security check.