We said our goodbyes to the Philippines yesterday and hopped on a red eye flight to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The flight was not full by any stretch of the imagination. The kids each ended up with a row to themselves. The seats were roomy width wise, but anyone with legs was squished. I really wish I had taken a picture of the legroom Jered didn’t have.
After a quick nap we were already touching down in Phnom Penh. When we got off the plane the first thing I noticed was how clean everything was. And not crowded. Phnom Penh Techo Airport has only been open since September 2025, so the Manila airport feels dated and PACKED in comparison. It was a welcome change for sure.
Immigration was super easy. I filed for our visas and filled out our e arrival information last week, so all we had to do was proceed through the biometrics entry. I forgot to take my glasses off, so I got flagged because my passport picture didn’t match my entry photo, but I was quickly released. Ainsley also got flagged simply because she has aged three years and grown up so much since her passport photo was taken in 2022. J was flagged too. His passport photo is from when he was still active in the Army, and the new beard really threw the immigration officers off. He ended up taking a walk with them to the immigration office right there, and ten minutes later he joined us where all of our luggage was already waiting.
I’m not going to lie. After watching a zillion movies where people are detained in foreign countries while going through immigration, I was a little nervous until I saw him coming down the escalator.
Once outside the airport we looked at booking a Grab, but there were no vans available, so we opted for a taxi that was already waiting. I fully expected to get completely hosed on the price to get to the hotel. We were happily surprised that it was only five dollars more than a Grab would have been. We wouldn’t have all fit anyway, so it worked out perfectly.
After a thirty minute ride we arrived at the Courtyard by Marriott, and check in was the smoothest we’ve had anywhere. We were finally settled into our rooms and everyone was asleep pretty damn quick.
The hotel has a pretty good breakfast buffet, and they introduced us to Cambodian iced coffee. I’m hooked. Today will be spent at the rooftop pool working on homework and blog stuff. No one can complain about the view from our classroom slash office. Tonight we will venture out a little to grab dinner, then be back here before 8 pm for Ethan to have a meeting with his math teacher.
There is a lot of school to get on top of in the early part of this week. Then we are looking at a history tour focused on the destruction from the Khmer Rouge, a sunset river cruise, and a trip out to Silk Island before taking a van north to explore Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor Wat. I can’t wait to try the Khmer food and experience the Khmer culture.
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