Street kids selling flowers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
When I think about the time we spent in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, I always remember these two sweet, silly sisters. Each afternoon, they roamed the streets selling bracelets made out of flowers. After we had been town for a few days, we started to look familiar, and they would play games with us - tapping us on the back and then running around to the other side before we turned, or generally being silly.
These girls were too sweet to resist, and instead of giving them money we took them, almost daily, to a restaurant where we bought them a warm meal and some juice. Who knows where they are now? In my mind they haven't aged, and the school we're building is for them.
Please come back on Monday to see the list of fabulous prizes you can enter to win just for making a $10 (or more) donation to help build the Passport School in Cambodia
Photo Friday:
Share a favorite travel photo by adding your link below. Please take a moment to make sure that you are linking directly to your photo post instead of your homepage. If your url is longer than 100 characters, you will need to use a url shortening service, like bit.ly
As much as I love to travel, I prefer to avoid the holiday rush - so this year we'll stay close to home for Thanksgiving and head further afield in December. Whether you are staying home, on the road, or flying to be with your family, I wish you a wonderful holiday and smooth travels.
Here are some of my favorite past articles to help you get packed, through the airport, and safely to your destination.
Enter to win a coveted Flip Mino just in time for the holidays.
Win a sneak preview of Paramount's "Up in the Air" and have Conde Nast Traveler solve your biggest dilemma you face when it comes to using your miles and points in this giveaway on the Perrin Post
When the Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, the toll wasn't limited to the estimated 1.5 million human lives lost, it was a whole culture. In an effort to return to a simplistic agrarian-based Communist society, the intellectual elite were specifically targeted for "re-education" or even death. Fine arts including weaving, metal work, music, and traditional dance were all but lost.
That's why it was so touching to visit this traditional Khmer dance school, founded by one of the last living traditional dance teachers. As the country rebuilds itself, there is lots of work to be done. Mines to be cleared, roads to be paved, factories and an economy to be rebuilt. But just as important is the education of the children - not just in reading, math, English and the technical skills that will carry Cambodia into the future, but also in the arts that were almost lost forever.
Photo Friday:
Share a favorite travel photo by adding your link below. Please take a moment to make sure that you are linking directly to your photo post instead of your homepage. If your url is longer than 100 characters, you will need to use a url shortening service, like bit.ly
D has been obsessed with the Eiffel tower lately. It's not hard, images of it appear everywhere... on the side of the DHL trucks that circle our city, in her story books, and on posters in local businesses. But what does she really think, I wondered? Does all that exposure make her interested in visiting it?
Yesterday as she leafed through a children's picture book of Paris I asked her what she would want to do if we went to Paris together. "Go to the grocery store" she said, flipping immediately to a picture of French pastries. Smart girl. That's my first priority in Paris too.
Inventive treats in the Bon Marche Pastry Case in Paris
What's your first priority on an imaginary trip to Paris?
If you have been reading DeliciousBaby since last year, you may remember Passports with Purpose, the travel blogger's fundraiser founded by Pam Mandel of Nerd's Eye View, Beth Whitman
of Wanderlust and
Lipstick, Michelle Duffy of WanderMom,
and myself. In a few short weeks, with the help of travel bloggers around the world, we raised $7400 for Heifer International. We also gave fabulous prizes to many donors, ranging from hotel rooms to video cameras and high-end travel gear.
Kids outside their floating home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
This year we will be fund-raising to build a school in Cambodia through AAfC. We first learned about this program, through an article in the New York Times just as last year's fundraiser was wrapping up. There was no need for discussion, we all knew that this was the right fit for this year's Passports With Purpose fundraiser. As the four of us wrap up our planning, and head towards the launch on Nov 30, I hope you will start thinking about how you can contribute.
Why A School?
One of the things I was struck by on my own visit to Cambodia was the strong spirit of hope, and the desire to rebuild both at a personal level and a national level, the intellectual society and successful economy that had been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge in the late '70s. English language and computer schools seemed to be down every alleyway in Phnom Penh. Parents scrimped to sign young children up for lessons in English and computers and to learn the cultural arts that were all but lost during the Khmer Rouge Regime.
In rural areas, the sense of hope and the desire to rebuild might be just as strong, but the options are more limited. This year Passports with Purpose will establish a school in a rural area whose children have been deprived of any educational facilities. A school provides a much needed alternative to poverty or sex trafficking.
How it Works
Each participating blogger will procure a prize valued at $75 or more and post about it on their blog. A complete list will appear on the Passports with Purpose website. Last year, prizes included travel gear, camera equipment, multi-night hotel stays, and more.
For each $10 in donations that you make to AAfC, you will will be entered to win a prize (or prizes) of your choice. The fundraiser begins on November 30th and closes on December 21. (Complete rules appear on the Passports With Purpose website) All proceeds go directly to AAfC. Get your pocketbooks ready, this is one fundraiser you are not going to want to miss!
How You Can Help
If you are a DeliciousBaby reader: Please come back on Nov 30th for information about how to make a donation. Each $10 donation will not only help build a school, but it will also enter you in a drawing for a travel related prize of your choice (I have an insider's look at the prize list and WOW are they fabulous)
If you have a blog: Consider posting about passports with purpose or even procuring a prize. Not only will you help build a school, but the Passports With Purpose effort can help bring new readers to your blog. Learn more here
If you work for a travel company: A Passports With Purpose sponsorship is a great way to reach out to travelers and travelbloggers. We are also looking for a few more high-quality prizes.
About DeliciousBaby
DeliciousBaby is about Traveling with Young Kids. We have lots of tips and helpful advice to make your family vacation easier and more enjoyable. If you are new to DeliciousBaby, you might want to check out some of these useful links and resources:
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I often write about what I hope the kids will get out of travel. A sense of their place in the world, a more open-minded attitude towards differences, a sense of history, and more. But sometimes travel is just fun. I'm more likely to introduce some special childhood treat on vacation, in the knowledge that we I won't face weekly (or daily) begging for a repeat.
A hot day, a tired kid, and an opportunity to learn just how red your tongue can get! What could be better?
Photo Friday:
Share a favorite travel photo by adding your link below. Please take a moment to make sure that you are linking directly to your photo post instead of your homepage. If your url is longer than 100 characters, you will need to use a url shortening service, like bit.ly
Lately, we've been playing a lot with small Playmobil sets, Little Dover Activity Books, and the kids have really gotten into making their own puppets out of the barf bags. I've also been loving card games, even if the kids don't understand the original rules, we can usually figure out something fun to do with a few colorful cards.
I'm interested in hearing some new ideas... what are your favorite ways to entertain your kids on an airplane (or in a restaurant)? Tell me in comments.
About Me I'm Debbie, mother of three delicious kids and I write about traveling with little kids. That's my daughter in the backpack and my son in Paris on Halloween.
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