Cambodia 2019

Published by

Sonya

on

February 2, 2024

In the fall of 2019, we set out to explore the temples of Angkor Wat near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our adventure also took us to the island of Koh Rong Samloem in the Bay of Thailand and the very busy city of Saigon, Vietnam.

We had a rough start due to a plane malfunction departing from Colorado, resulting in a complex and tenuous trek from Denver to Siem Reap. Our flight from Denver to Seattle had to make an emergency stop in Salt Lake City due to a software malfunction on the plane. As a result, the dominoes began to fall and we watched as the entire trip crumbled before our eyes; all of our flight connections through the US and Asia would be missed. We spent hours (and hours!) frantically calling and emailing multiple airlines in an attempt to salvage the trip. Along the way we hopped on random last-minute flights through Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

At one particularly surreal moment, we were rushed through the airport in Saigon as “US Diplomats” in order to catch our final flight to Siem Reap. Luckily, severe sleep deprivation seemed to blunt any emotional response other than amusement in the ridiculous situation we had found ourselves in.

However, once we finally arrived (after 64 hours of tenuous travel), the beauty of Cambodia immediately captivated us.

The ancient Angkor (Khmer) Civilization constructed over 1,000 temples that once stretched across Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The area near Siem Reap, Cambodia, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with 72 Khmer temples, many have been restored over the past two decades.

During our week in Siem Reap, we explored the temples of Pre Rup, Ta Som, Neak Pean, Angkor Thom, Baphuon, Beng Mealea, Bantdeay Kdei, Ta Prohm, Bayon, Ta Keo, and finally, the iconic Angkor Wat. Navigating the temple complex in a tuk-tuk was so much fun for all of us and provided a refreshing breeze, such a relief from the hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia.

(Despite the fairly relaxed rules towards vehicular safety in Cambodia, they didn’t *really* let our kiddos drive)

As a family, our favorite temple was Ta Prohm. Timing our visit for late evening, we found ourselves nearly alone in this special place. The experience of wandering within the temple, partially reclaimed by massive tetrameles trees and accompanied by the sounds of the lively jungle, was quite magical.

The final segment of our trip, which included Sihanoukville and the island of Koh Rong Samloem, was very beautiful, but also more emotionally and physically challenging. Geopolitical forces have resulted in the excessive overdevelopment of the once tranquil seaside town of Sihanoukville. Additionally, the absence of wastewater and trash management on the beautiful island of Koh Rong Samloem reminded us of some of the ongoing challenges faced by many developing countries. This last part of our journey also involved fairly epic gastrointestinal distress, jellyfish and tubeworm stings, frequent vomiting (after a kiddo swallowed some gulps of sewage-laden ocean water), and the fun discovery of cockroaches climbing on our toothbrushes.