Two weeks ago, we had a pretty standard weekend at home. Ben played his favorite game:
Can you spot the 18 month old hiding in this picture?
There he is!There's been a big kite flying fad at the central park lately, so we took the suggestion and headed there ourselves. Ellie (with help from Daddy) even made her own kite! Sadly, it was a bit too heavy to fly so we ended up buying one at the park.
Ellie and her kiteThen, last weekend, we headed up to Kirirom, a resort sort of place in a national park two hours outside of Phnom Penh.
Nathan and the kids on the deck of our bungalow.
Nathan and the kids on the deck of our bungalow.We took walks, swam, and had a campfire with the other embassy families there (Ellie and Ben both loved their first s'mores), but the big event was hiking to some nearby waterfalls.
The waterfalls were 4km from the start, and we knew that we wouldn't be able to carry the kids a total of 8km there and back, so our first task was to convince someone to go to a nearby village to find an oxcart and driver for us.
While we waited, Ben had a great time playing in the mud. Messy, yes, but probably an important part of any 18 month old's wilderness experience.
Our oxcart, which took us the first 2 km in and out. The other 2 km were narrower, rockier paths, and we had to go on foot with a guide.
As we got off the oxcart and carried the kids, gloppy with sunscreen, bug spray, and mud, through 4 km of forest, under vines, up the hill, and over rocky trails, we decided that we had evented a new sport: extreme parenting. However, it was all worthwhile, as we saw two beautiful waterfalls. In fact, out of all the embassy families that tried to make the trek, we were the only ones who made it to the last waterfall! (Thanks to both persistence and the Khmer language ability to get an oxcart and guide!) It was a tough test of Nathan's recovery since dengue, and he passed with flying colors.
Chambak waterfall
The waterfalls were 4km from the start, and we knew that we wouldn't be able to carry the kids a total of 8km there and back, so our first task was to convince someone to go to a nearby village to find an oxcart and driver for us.
While we waited, Ben had a great time playing in the mud. Messy, yes, but probably an important part of any 18 month old's wilderness experience.
Our oxcart, which took us the first 2 km in and out. The other 2 km were narrower, rockier paths, and we had to go on foot with a guide. As we got off the oxcart and carried the kids, gloppy with sunscreen, bug spray, and mud, through 4 km of forest, under vines, up the hill, and over rocky trails, we decided that we had evented a new sport: extreme parenting. However, it was all worthwhile, as we saw two beautiful waterfalls. In fact, out of all the embassy families that tried to make the trek, we were the only ones who made it to the last waterfall! (Thanks to both persistence and the Khmer language ability to get an oxcart and guide!) It was a tough test of Nathan's recovery since dengue, and he passed with flying colors.
Chambak waterfall
2 comments:
You all (except Jen who seems to be missing from the photos!) look great, especially the former sick-boy. Nice country side and that was a good looking OX. I must say that all that green looks pretty good from Saudi!
Take care!
Alex, Charmagne and Isabel
It's great to see you all together having fun, strenuous vacations rather than holding your breath hoping Nathan's "numbers" come up! What a wonderful relief! The photos of the kids support my personal feeling that you two are the greatest parents ever (except for your own of course!)
Love,
Mom
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