tnnc

I searched this topic but responses seem to be from a few years ago. We're thinking of taking our kids- 7 and 10 in July 2007, as a side trip from Thailand. Has anyone taken their children? How many days would you recommend staying?

Kathie

One of the considerations to consider is that Siem Reap is a malarial risk area. So consult with a travel med doc about anti-malarials for your children. Of course, you'll have them up to date on their vaccines for any international travel.

Other safety issues to consider are:

the heat: It will be very hot! You'll want to make sure that your kids stay well hydrated. You can buy bottled water from vendors at most of the temples.

The temples: The temples are huge complexes with steep stairs, some built for elephants. You'll want to watch them closely and be clear with them about not climing on anything other than stairs, as there are unstable parts of the complexes.

Land mines: Land mines have been cleared fromt eh areas around the main temples. If you are going far afield, you'll want to make sure they know to stay on the marked paths. (You'll have to get pretty far afirled for this to be a consideration).

Generally, it takes three days to see all of the major temples. There are dozens of accessible temples. I spent a week there and didn't see all of them. One question is how long will your kids tolerate visiting temples? You'll want to make sure you are up early and out at the temples, back for lunch and a rest and a swim at mid-day, then back to the temples in teh later afternoon. (That's the traditional way to visit the temples, and it makes good sense.)

Craig

I think kids would tire of seeing temples very quickly if they went on the standard tour with all of the stories and detail usually provided. On the other hand it would be a great experience if your tour guide has been intructed in advance to orient the tour towards the kids. I am sure they will get something out of the experience. The balloon ride at Angkor Wat would be a highlight for them. Its not overly expensive and a cool thing to do. I would recommend doing maybe 3 temples - Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (the kids will love the "faces&quot and Ta Prohm (in the jungle) plus the Vietnamese Floating Village at Tonle Sap over 2 or 3 days. If you can arrange with someone like Ponheary (often mentioned on this forum) to visit a school and donate supplies that would also be good for the kids.

Ben

We took our two children when they were the same ages as yours. We went in April - the height of the "hot" season. They had a fantastic time. We spend 5 days, starting early each morning when it was cool, taking a long lunch break to cool down and rest, and beginning again in late afternoon. Our children took Malarone for malaria prevention. When we went 5 years ago, many outlying areas had not been cleared of mines, and local villagers showed us the "safe" trails. We sternly lectured our children to stay on the trails and follow in the footsteps of the villagers, and we kept a very close eye on the them. It is my understanding that there has been substantial landmine clearing in these outlying areas during the last several years, so this should not be much of concern for you.

KimJapan

We're taking our daughter in August 2007. She'll be 9.

Our plan is to spend a week or 10 days in Siem Reap, 1/2 in Ponheary's family guesthouse and 1/2 in a hotel with a pool. We'll have a month in total, and haven't decided whether to stay entirely in Cambodia or to return to northern Thailand or to include Laos...we have time to decide though, lots of time.

She's already learning about Angkor Wat and Cambodia. Last week, we went to an exhibition from the Phnom Penh National Museum that was held in a museum in our city. Although most of the objects on display were small, the exhibit was well thought out and with photos and display techniques managed to convey some of the feeling you might get when visiting the real thing. Last night, there was a documentary on Japanese TV about a Cambodian family's daily life. We have been in contact with Ponheary already and we will have her as our guide and we will do a school visit with her. I have hopes that we can connect our duaghter's class with a Cambodian class somehow.

I would think an absolute minimum number of days would be 3, but we're stretching it out to allow plenty of time for swimming and relaxing. What has worked for us is some early morning sightseeing, lunch then a swim, then more sightseeing or shopping or reading...depends on our mood. Our daughter has always been involved in the planning before the trip and the day to day choosing of what we will do.

Craig

Kim, you and your children will have a wonderful time. I look forward to hearing about it.

Gpanda

Ponheary is an ex-school teacher. I'm guessing she would be particularly skillful at keeping children interested. her Email is [email protected],

tnnc

Thanks for all the responses so far. I really like the idea about visiting a school and donating supplies. Our kids did that in Thailand- actually just went to school with their cousins. Wow, Kim you really plan in advance- I was just starting to think about next July. We definitely will be in Thailand for a month, but I was trying to think of a side trip for about a week. Another option is to stop in Hawaii on our way to Bangkok from the US, but I don't know if that's planning too much for one trip.

KimJapan

Not so much in advance because we considered going this summer, for Christmas/New Year this year, or next summer...and ended up going to the states this summer, nowhere for Christmas but we bought a new car this month instead, and have plans in place for next summer. We also have to long term plan holidays as we need to get to the states at least once a year because no one in our family visits us in Japan...although we welcome anyone, so if the mood to visit Japan, you are welcome!

tnnc

KimJapan- Despite the distance for you to return to the states once a year, you're in a great location to travel to SE Asia often! I really enjoy reading your comments with the "traveling with kids" point of view.

offwego

TNNC

You may want to visit the website for the Ponheary Ly Foundation to get more info about making donations at the schools.

www.theplf.org

You can also email me or Ponheary directly.

[email protected]

Have a great trip. I think this trip will have a lasting impact on your kids.