Click click man: A guide to traveling with one's parents

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My father takes pictures of everything. Yesterday, my mother and I waited outside a Khmer temple for him for a full half hour. Doesn't sound long, but when street kids are pestering you to buy post cards and guide books and the tuk-tuk drivers are trying to look down your shirt, it can get trying. He's distracted, I'm bossy, and my mother's forgetful. Most of my friends thought I was crazy. "Three weeks with your parents? I'd die." However, with a positive attitude and a sense of humor, we've been having a blast. Our biggest fight so far has been about how Americanos compare to regular coffee, or about who's dish was better at a Khmer restaurant.

Keys to our success:

bonding over making fun of other people, like the chubby "belly brigade" from Germany or the pushy guy from Sri Lanka who tried to cut us in the airport check-in line but got kicked back to the end of the customs line for forgetting to fill out his departure card;

including other random travelers in your plans to take the pressure off the family dynamic, such as the lonely Brit we found biking near Moon Hill or the Dutch pair who were on our pub quiz team in Yangshuo, the American planning on running an orphanage in Namibia who we met in KL, or the man who had been living in Bali for 20 years running a hotel and travel agency who we chatted with in Siem Reap;

doing things on your own or in pairs without the third;

patience, flexibility, and tolerance for other people's preferences;

and cocktail hour.

We started in the glitz of Hong Kong about a week ago, explored my current Chinese city of Shenzhen, went bamboo rafting on the Li River between the karsts of Guilin and Yangshuo, flew off to diverse Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and then arrived at the famed temples of Angkor in Siem Reap. I'm back in Cambodia for the second time, so I've been able to show my parents around and help them decide what they want to do. I won't be posting pictures but my dad will be putting his up once he gets back to the States. Other than being too cold, too hot, too hungry, or too tired, traveling with my parents has been a breeze. They're go getters-- our itinerary rivaled that of my most ambitious friends, and we've been incredibly active every day. Whether we're climbing mountains, learning Tai Chi, ambling over the ruins, or sampling the delicacies of the local culinary traditions, we've had full days. And quite a few gin and tonics afterwards. I forgot what it was like to travel on an American salary...we got an upgrade at the Renaissance Hotel in KL, which was phenomenal because it came with a two hour happy hour in the Club Lounge for free cocktails, free buffet breakfast, and free sweets after dinner...delectable. Our hotel in Siem Reap, the Golden Banana, is like an oasis of calm and serenity with a waterfall and banana trees shading our breezy balcony. Oh, and there are temples here, too. 😊

Tomorrow we fly to Thailand. Beaches, curry, and the land of smiles await us. Write again soon! <3

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Photos

Mom at the lovely Golden Banana Resort
for pictures of Angkor Wat, see earlier posts from 2009.