Terryr's upcoming trip with daughter to Siem Reap, Cambodia
May 28th, 2008, 06:46 PM
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Terryr's upcoming trip with daughter to Siem Reap, Cambodia
Our 25-year-old daughter and I will be traveling to Siem Reap, Cambodia together this early July. Before starting her graduate program this fall, our daughter has decided to return to Siem Reap where she will teach English to some of the school children in the poorest rural areas surrounding the city. As some of you know, from previous trip reports, our daughter went to Thailand for a year to teach after graduating from college, and during her year there, she traveled to Siem Reap to volunteer teach for a short period. She had an amazing experience then and was moved by the Cambodian children, who were spirited and appreciative of the learning they received. She recently asked me to join her on her two-week return trip this July, and I plan to go and be her teaching assistant in the classroom!
Our family sees our trip also as an opportunity to re-connect with Ponheary Ly, and her brother, Dara Ly, whose work our family has supported over the past three years. Not only are Ponheary and Dara well-known and sought-after tour guides in Siem Reap, who taught our own family a great deal about the temples of Angkor Wat and Cambodian culture when we were first with them in 2005, but we have since learned that they are much more than that, being the social work advocates extraordinaire in their community on behalf of poor families and their children. Ponheary’s work especially has allowed many village children, whose families can not afford to send their children to school, to get the education they need to better their future. And the Lys believe that providing education to all children can help insure that the tragedies from the Khmer Rouge regime, less than 30 years ago, would never happen again in their country.
Another American traveler, Lori Carlson, was so moved by Ponheary’s work that after she returned home to Texas, she founded the Ponheary Ly Foundation in 2006, in order to support all of Ponheary’s efforts in the Siem Reap schools. We want to take this opportunity to share information about this grassroots organization with new and experienced travelers to Siem Reap.
1. To read about the Ponheary Ly Foundation and stories about their work in Cambodia, you can go directly to their website www.theplf.org. You can also read our daughter’s travel blog on http://tinyurl.com/4jv6a2, which she wrote following her first volunteer teaching experience in the spring of 2006.
2. As fellow travelers, perhaps you yourselves may want to consider a volunteer teaching stint and/or with your young adult children! Love of adventure, love of basic teaching and children, and a big heart are the main ingredients for a mutually successful experience. The returns back to you will be priceless. You can inquire about this through www.theplf.org website.
Terryr
Our family sees our trip also as an opportunity to re-connect with Ponheary Ly, and her brother, Dara Ly, whose work our family has supported over the past three years. Not only are Ponheary and Dara well-known and sought-after tour guides in Siem Reap, who taught our own family a great deal about the temples of Angkor Wat and Cambodian culture when we were first with them in 2005, but we have since learned that they are much more than that, being the social work advocates extraordinaire in their community on behalf of poor families and their children. Ponheary’s work especially has allowed many village children, whose families can not afford to send their children to school, to get the education they need to better their future. And the Lys believe that providing education to all children can help insure that the tragedies from the Khmer Rouge regime, less than 30 years ago, would never happen again in their country.
Another American traveler, Lori Carlson, was so moved by Ponheary’s work that after she returned home to Texas, she founded the Ponheary Ly Foundation in 2006, in order to support all of Ponheary’s efforts in the Siem Reap schools. We want to take this opportunity to share information about this grassroots organization with new and experienced travelers to Siem Reap.
1. To read about the Ponheary Ly Foundation and stories about their work in Cambodia, you can go directly to their website www.theplf.org. You can also read our daughter’s travel blog on http://tinyurl.com/4jv6a2, which she wrote following her first volunteer teaching experience in the spring of 2006.
2. As fellow travelers, perhaps you yourselves may want to consider a volunteer teaching stint and/or with your young adult children! Love of adventure, love of basic teaching and children, and a big heart are the main ingredients for a mutually successful experience. The returns back to you will be priceless. You can inquire about this through www.theplf.org website.
Terryr
May 29th, 2008, 06:40 AM
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Thanks, Kathie, for your reply. I will report back after our trip. I hope that I may meet you perhaps at the Boston GTG this year (or maybe you had attended last year's, which I missed due to a family event)? Good to re-connect with you through this forum.
Terryr
Terryr
May 29th, 2008, 02:34 PM
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Hi Terry,
when will you be in SR? We have Ponheary as our guide July 4 and 5 and Dara on July 6 and 7.
We are staying at Victoria Angkor.
It's our first trip to SR. We plan to visit a school with Ponheary to donate breakfast or whatever she feels is needed.
when will you be in SR? We have Ponheary as our guide July 4 and 5 and Dara on July 6 and 7.
We are staying at Victoria Angkor.
It's our first trip to SR. We plan to visit a school with Ponheary to donate breakfast or whatever she feels is needed.
May 29th, 2008, 04:30 PM
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Alison,
I am actually arriving in SR on Sat eve, 7/5, so there's a real possibility that we will get to meet! My daughter will already have been there for a week, and we will be staying at the Marina Villa Guesthouse that is run by the Ly family. And I look forward to finally meeting Lori, offwego, whom you all hear from on this forum.
Hey, perhaps we can organize a Fodor's Siem Reap GTG (get together) that week of July 6-7th?! If they can do it in Boston (thanks Bob K and Gpanda), why not in SR?! Any other Fodorites in Siem Reap around that time? Lori, we look to you to suggest a restaurant recommendation for the occasion!
Alison, you and your family are in for a real treat with Ponheary and Dara...and will be in good hands! I wrote a trip report following our first visit to SR, which included temple touring with Dara and assorted recommendations for travelers. Feel free to check it out by doing a search under my name, terryr, and finding my posting: Just back: trip report from Siem Reap. Kathie definitely helped me and my family out for that trip!
Kathie, I am intrigued about your next adventure...care to share? Or we will read about it through your next trip report, which are always so much fun to read! Bon voyage!
Terry
I am actually arriving in SR on Sat eve, 7/5, so there's a real possibility that we will get to meet! My daughter will already have been there for a week, and we will be staying at the Marina Villa Guesthouse that is run by the Ly family. And I look forward to finally meeting Lori, offwego, whom you all hear from on this forum.
Hey, perhaps we can organize a Fodor's Siem Reap GTG (get together) that week of July 6-7th?! If they can do it in Boston (thanks Bob K and Gpanda), why not in SR?! Any other Fodorites in Siem Reap around that time? Lori, we look to you to suggest a restaurant recommendation for the occasion!
Alison, you and your family are in for a real treat with Ponheary and Dara...and will be in good hands! I wrote a trip report following our first visit to SR, which included temple touring with Dara and assorted recommendations for travelers. Feel free to check it out by doing a search under my name, terryr, and finding my posting: Just back: trip report from Siem Reap. Kathie definitely helped me and my family out for that trip!
Kathie, I am intrigued about your next adventure...care to share? Or we will read about it through your next trip report, which are always so much fun to read! Bon voyage!
Terry
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May 29th, 2008, 05:52 PM
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Terry, I wish I could be in Siem Reap for the gtg.
We're headed to Nepal for our next adventure in Oct/Nov. I haven't been there since 1994 and am looking forward to see what has/hasn't changed. We'll also spend some time in our favorite city, Bangkok. And of course, I'll post a full report and Cheryl will post extensive photos.
We're headed to Nepal for our next adventure in Oct/Nov. I haven't been there since 1994 and am looking forward to see what has/hasn't changed. We'll also spend some time in our favorite city, Bangkok. And of course, I'll post a full report and Cheryl will post extensive photos.
May 29th, 2008, 06:12 PM
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Hey, terryr and alison. Hubby and I will be in Siem Reap with Ponheary on July 6,7 and 8. Would be fabulous if we could all get together one evening for drinks or dinner. I just sent out a request to family and friends for donations to send to Ponheary in order to be able to bring food, supplies, whatever to the school when we visit - probably on the 8th. I have been so inspired by the reports that I have read about her work and the work of Lori Carlson that I had to make sure we had a cahnce to see it for ourselves. We are both educators so this is something near and dear. Let me know if you'd like to do a gtg.
Jenni
Jenni
May 30th, 2008, 09:59 AM
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Hi Alison and Jenni,
Lori, Ponheary, my daughter Alissa and I are organizing a dinner GTG for Monday evening, July 7th, and we hope that you will be able to join us for this! I will do a separate post about this soon, reaching out to other Fodorite travelers who will be in the area at that time, and we will fill in the details of the GTG on that post as the time approaches.
Please let us know if you are interested in joining us then and how many will be in your party that evening. You will also have a chance to meet with other volunteer teachers, who are high schoolers from the States, who will be there at the same time. It will be a full house at the Marian Villa Guesthouse at the end of June-beginning of July...Ponheary and Lori will have all that they can manage!
Hi Kathie,
You and Cheryl take the greatest trips...Nepal is another one of my future destinations...I'll never forget Cheryl's stunning photos of the temples in SR when you toured there! I wish too that you could join us for our GTG in SR...another time, another place perhaps? Have a wonderful time!
Terry
Lori, Ponheary, my daughter Alissa and I are organizing a dinner GTG for Monday evening, July 7th, and we hope that you will be able to join us for this! I will do a separate post about this soon, reaching out to other Fodorite travelers who will be in the area at that time, and we will fill in the details of the GTG on that post as the time approaches.
Please let us know if you are interested in joining us then and how many will be in your party that evening. You will also have a chance to meet with other volunteer teachers, who are high schoolers from the States, who will be there at the same time. It will be a full house at the Marian Villa Guesthouse at the end of June-beginning of July...Ponheary and Lori will have all that they can manage!
Hi Kathie,
You and Cheryl take the greatest trips...Nepal is another one of my future destinations...I'll never forget Cheryl's stunning photos of the temples in SR when you toured there! I wish too that you could join us for our GTG in SR...another time, another place perhaps? Have a wonderful time!
Terry
May 30th, 2008, 10:25 AM
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Terry, We leave SR July 7 5:20 p.m. flight to HCMC, so we'll miss the GTG, but may run into you!
Jenni, remember we corresponded months and months ago and you had already booked Ponheary so that's why we are with Ponheary our first 2 days and Dara our last two days when you are with Ponheary.
We are at the Victoria Angkor.
And we all have adult children, so we must be around the same age.
In SR, we will have 1/2 day July 4, full days July 5 and 6, and 1/2 day July 7 and I'm already feeling rushed.
We really want to go to Kamphong Phluck (sp) even though it will take time away from temples. But will try to do as much as we can.
This will be towards the end of our trip, having been 2 weeks in Vietnam. We leave June 22 for Hanoi.
Terri, I'll check out your trip report. thanks.
Jenni, remember we corresponded months and months ago and you had already booked Ponheary so that's why we are with Ponheary our first 2 days and Dara our last two days when you are with Ponheary.
We are at the Victoria Angkor.
And we all have adult children, so we must be around the same age.
In SR, we will have 1/2 day July 4, full days July 5 and 6, and 1/2 day July 7 and I'm already feeling rushed.
We really want to go to Kamphong Phluck (sp) even though it will take time away from temples. But will try to do as much as we can.
This will be towards the end of our trip, having been 2 weeks in Vietnam. We leave June 22 for Hanoi.
Terri, I'll check out your trip report. thanks.
May 30th, 2008, 03:10 PM
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Alison, I do remember now that you mention it. Maybe we will bump into each other on another evening. We arrive at 7:40 on the 5th. Perhaps drinks and/or dinner on the 6th? I'm 51 and hubby is 61 to enlighten your assumption on age.
Terry - we would definitely like to join you for the GTG - there will be two of us. We will be with Ponheary that day so she either end our day at the guesthouse or give us info on how to get there from our hotel (we are staying at the Bopha Angkor). I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to meet everyone. I have heard so much about Lori and the foundation. And I think we go to the school the next day so what perfect timing. I'll look for the other post also.
Terry - we would definitely like to join you for the GTG - there will be two of us. We will be with Ponheary that day so she either end our day at the guesthouse or give us info on how to get there from our hotel (we are staying at the Bopha Angkor). I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to meet everyone. I have heard so much about Lori and the foundation. And I think we go to the school the next day so what perfect timing. I'll look for the other post also.
May 31st, 2008, 07:51 AM
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Terry--
How wonderful to read of your plans with your daughter. We will likely be en route between Bangkok and Hanoi on July 7th. I wish that we could have joined you in SR. Our memories of our time there with Dara are at the top of our list of all-time favorite travel experiences. We certainly do hope to go back. (Before tragedy struck Burma, we had also hoped to visit Bagan this summer...)
Our best to you, your family, all the Lys, and everyone connected with the PLF.
How wonderful to read of your plans with your daughter. We will likely be en route between Bangkok and Hanoi on July 7th. I wish that we could have joined you in SR. Our memories of our time there with Dara are at the top of our list of all-time favorite travel experiences. We certainly do hope to go back. (Before tragedy struck Burma, we had also hoped to visit Bagan this summer...)
Our best to you, your family, all the Lys, and everyone connected with the PLF.
May 31st, 2008, 10:24 AM
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Hey Bob and Marya, how great to hear from you both! Thanks for your messages and good wishes...I look forward to meeting Jenni and company at our GTG in Siem Reap...wish you both could be there. Marya, hope you and Arn can come to this year's Boston GTG, would love to see you guys and catch up!
Will be writing up a separate posting about our GTG on July 7th...please look for it.
Will be writing up a separate posting about our GTG on July 7th...please look for it.
Jun 1st, 2008, 01:32 PM
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Looking forward to seeing you, Jenni, and your husband at the GTG scheduled for 7/7. I have now opened up another posting specific to the GTG, and more details will follow when we get closer to the date.
In the meantime, good luck finishing up the school year and have a wonderful start of your trip! Can't wait to hear the details when we get together.
Terry
In the meantime, good luck finishing up the school year and have a wonderful start of your trip! Can't wait to hear the details when we get together.
Terry
Jun 2nd, 2008, 05:53 PM
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Thanks - I am really looking forward to meeting the various fodorites et al on this trip. Bob and Karen in BKK and now you, your daughter, and Lori in SR. I am hitting up all of the family and friends who have hit me up over the years for donations to their causes so I can bring a little bit in the way of support for the schools with me. Two weeks and two days and we leave!!!! Hooray!!!
Jun 3rd, 2008, 09:24 PM
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I'm with you, Jenni. Going on this trip and asking for donations for the Foundation is equivalent to others doing the Pan-Mass Challenge (local bike) race or Cancer Walks, many of which I have donated to when asked ...it's a great opportunity to raise some funds that's needed for a good cause.
