From India, we moved on to one of our favorite countries, Cambodia. We flew to Siem Reap, home to the famous temples of Angkor Wat. We predicted that exploring these temples would be one of the highlights of our trip for the boys. When Jay and Christy had visited Siem Reap in 2000, there was only 1 large hotel in town. Many investors have identified Angkor Wat as the next big destination and have invested in over 50 large hotels. The Cambodian government is also making large investments in rebuilding and preserving the temples. We felt like Indiana Jones as we explored the temples. Our favorite temples where the ones that the trees had overtaken and that were in ruins. They boys were little monkeys and climbed the steep stone steps without fear. They loved using their rock climbing skills and being free to be crazy boys.
One highlight was riding elephants amongst the ruins. We learned that horses are much more comfortable to ride. After our ride, we fed the elephants whole bananas that they grabbed by the end of their trunks and popped in their mouths.
The Cambodian people are warm and friendly and it was the easiest country to travel in so far this trip. They use US dollars and lots of people speak English. Entrepreneurship starts early and we met many young children who were expert sales people. We stayed in 2 small bungalows at a bed & breakfast only walking distance to town. It was great to get away from the large hotels.
