Why Cambodia?

To be honest, when we first moved to Thailand I don't think I knew anything about Cambodia.  I had a very small world view and knew very little about any other places on the map.  If I'm being REALLY honest, I knew nothing about Thailand before we moved here! Crazy, I know!  After much discussion, Ben and I decided that it would be best if we took the boys on a trip for Christmas instead of buying presents.  For one, the boys have enough toys (and plenty that they don't play with), two, when you live overseas you are always thinking about what you buy and how you will move it to the next place, and three, why would you move your family to another country and never explore the places near it? After two years of travelling Thailand, it was time to see a little more of Asia.

We knew we wanted to go to Hong Kong to see Hong Kong Disneyland.  The boys had never been to Disney before and I thought it would be fun to see Disney outside of the U.S.  That was our original plan. Then we started discussing a trip to Cambodia after seeing pictures from friends that had traveled there.  I knew Cambodia had Angkor Wat, but not much more about the history this country had. I knew nothing about Cambodia's involvement in the Vietnam war or the terror brought upon the country from the landmines.   I also didn't know much about Angkor Wat, but after a little research found that it is the largest religious complex and archaeological site in operation in the world.  It is also considered one of the 8th Wonders of the World, and how cool to say we had the chance to see that?

I had also heard that there is very little that cannot be explored in Angkor.  You are able to climb and explore almost anyplace in Angkor and what little boy wouldn't like pretending to be an explorer trying to discover  lost temples?  We hadn't planned on doing both of these trips at the same time, but after looking up flights, it made more sense to do them together and cut out one flight.

So, we planned our 9 day trip to Cambodia and Hong Kong, and the boys found out about their surprise trip when Santa brought them 8 presents explaining the adventure they would be going on.  Of course the boys received a few gifts from their grandparents and had stockings to go through, but never once did I hear them ask why Santa didn't bring them any toys.  I was a little worried how they might react, but was so proud of them.  At first they didn't quite get where they were going or what they would be doing, but after we got online and looked up pictures, they were so excited.  A trip for Christmas is our plan from now on.  I hope my boys grow up to appreciate experiences and adventures more than toys and material possessions.

This week I will be sharing posts about our time in Cambodia and why this country stole a little piece of my heart.