Take Me Back To Cambodia!

Angkor Wat in Cambodia, is one of THE things to see before you die. We’ve already been, which puts us in a pretty fortunate position. Although Angkor Wat isn’t one of The 7 Wonders of The World, this ancient temple complex is absolutely one or the biggest and best world landmarks to see.

We spent just one week in Cambodia the first time, we crossed the border from Saigon by boat, spent a couple of nights in Phnom Pen, caught the boat up to Siem Reap for a few days at Angkor Wat, then crossed the border into Thailand by road.

On this next trip we won’t need to be rushing from country to country mentally ticking off globally significant landmarks. Travelling that way does tend to spoil your trip a bit.  It’s hard work, you get tired, you get sick of the pressure to find a room, negotiate with drivers, make sure you cram everything into one day to maximise experience and  minimise expenses.

We will be slowing down, trying to immerse ourselves in each place we visit,  avoiding burn-out and getting a real feel for the local way of life. Instead of a few days we’ll stay a few weeks, so long as we can find accommodation we like, at the right price. I’ve been following other travellers’ blogs closely, The Nomadic Family spent 7 months in Cambodia. I like the look of what they did, they fell in love with Cambodia and Cambodians.

That doesn’t mean we’re going to bypass the big-ticket day trips, there’s no way I’m taking the kids round South East Asia and skipping the biggest Hindu temple complex in the world, it’s absolutely stunning, even if they will want to use it as a giant adventure playground.

That’s why I would consider taking a small group tour to show the kids the highlights of Cambodia. We have used group holidays before and find them a really good way to see everything we want to see and relax a bit at the same time, they take the pressure of organisation off Mum and Dad. Click the link to find out what small group adventure holidays are really like, I met my husband on one, so I have to be a fan.

Once the big sites are dealt with, we can relax and hit the areas of Cambodia that we totally missed last time, maybe the beach at Sihanoukville and gorgeous Koh Rong Island.

One Week in Cambodia

I can’t believe we only spent a week in Cambodia, we must have had a reason, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was. Despite our lack of time, we did most of the things that were expected of us, learnt a lot and had a great time.

We visited The Central Market, The Royal Palace and The Silver Pagoda in Phnom Pen.

Spent a harrowing day visiting Tuol Sleng and the Killing Fields.

We peeked into lives in backcountry Cambodia as we took the slow boat to Tonle Sap Lake.

I got myself invited to Cambodian wedding, that was a pretty special day.

We wandered the markets of Siam Reap and saw many, many amputees, victims of war and landmines.

And of course, spent a few days touring the magnificent Temple Complex of Angkor, riding pillion on the backs of scooters. We took the photo that everyone takes.

So, take me back to Cambodia! That is my thought for today.

I keep having to pinch myself, I can’t believe we are so lucky, visiting Cambodia twice in a lifetime.

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We leave in 3 months, first stop Malaysia. If you’d like to, put your name in the box below to follow our journey, see how we manage travelling the world with the kids.   Thank you!

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