Round about Cambodia

We had very patchy Internet access while away so just catching up on a few items I didn’t get to post. 

Here are a few shots and a video from our travels on the river and on shore to give you a feel for the everyday life we saw ( the video is our rickshaw ride in Tan Chau.

Here’s a shot of our boat.  All the rooms have small balconies  on the upper left is the sundeck and covered outside deck.  There was also a Jacuzzi, but I omly ever saw the Getmans use it  

Last Day in Siem Reap

On our last day of the trip we visited two artisan workshops in Siem Reap. The first one was especially impressive for its well thought-out design and organization. Designed to train people from the surrounding area in various trades, it also connects with a network of workshops in villages outside the city. We watched the artisans carving wood, sculpting animals and deities, working with copper and applying gold gilt. 



We even got to try working with stone and a chisel ourselves. The tools are from repurposed motor bike parts. 



Because it’s so loud in the workshop, the workers communicate via sign language. This has the additional benefit that deaf people can enter the training program to become skilled artisans. 

The workshop was originally supported by government and private money, but now is self-sustaining. 


The second workshop was more focused on candles, soap, woven goods, and spices/condiments. My favorite was amok spices (for the national dish - fish amok). Had to buy some because how could I not go home with amok?


Later we had lunch at a little restaurant in Siem Reap. Spring rolls, pumpkin soup, Khmer crepe (a lot like the Vietnamese dish banh xeo), a stir fried dish and a soup. Good end to our adventures. 


Angkor Thom

After our morning expedition to Angkor Wat and Pra Thom, we had lunch at the Foreign Correspondents' Club (how very Graham Greene) where Chris enjoyed her mango smoothie.

 I was pooped by then so I headed back to the hotel, but the rest of the group went on to Angkor Thom which is a Buddhist temple site, famous for the huge carved faces of Buddha. Hopefully I can coax a photo or two out of Linda later. Meanwhle here's one I cribbed from Larry and the overlay of what it would have looked like:


I think I prefer the weathered look 

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat was one of the main things that drew me to this trip. Built in the 12th century, it is a massive feat of engineering and the largest religious structure on earth. I remember seeing pictures of it when I was 15 or so and thinking I wanted to visit it one day.  Well, I finally made it. The Angkor area actually has many temples and other structures. Some Hindu and later ones Buddhist. Some went back and forth as different factions prevailed. 


We started at Angkor Wat, the largest and a Hindu site. Massive moat which used to be crossed by a stone bridge. Now it’s a sort of floating bridge (a little disconcerting since it moves as the crowd walks over it).



 The central structure has a tower in the middle, surrounded by 4 smaller towers. Here are some pictures from our visit and also an artist’s rendition of what it would have looked like when it was intact (from a book with plastic overlays is that I bought -   The Angkor Guidebook by Andrew Booth)




It’s also famous for bas relief carvings of historic scenes and apsaras (celestial dancers in some sources or female spirits of the clouds and waters elsewhere)



Next we made our way by Tuk-tuk to Ta Prohm, built for a queen. It’s famous for the kapok and fig trees that have overgrown it. The preservation workers have to balance restoration efforts with respect for the iconic trees that have grown around it. This one is also famous as the site for filming Lara Croft Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie. 

And here’s one of me and Annie Marie

Kampong Chhnang

As I mentioned earlier, one of the more interesting things we did on our Mekong cruise was to stop and visit a number of small villages. One particularly different one was Kampong Chhnang, a Cham village.  The Cham are mostly Muslim in this 95% Buddhist country. We happened to be docked there so we scrabbled up the river bank for a visit with our guide. It seemed a bit more prosperous than some of the other villages we'd visited - more cars and better maintained homes, a school that seemed to be thriving, and a lot of small stores along the way, including a pharmacy. 


Our guide told us that they follow Islam, but are not as strict in some practices as in other parts of the world. Women were riding motorbikes and while most had their hair covered, we only saw one or two with their faces covered.  We didn’t see any women driving cars, but we didn’t see that elsewhere either. 


School was just letting out for mid-day as we arrived



This baby was only a few days old. She was born by Cesarean section and was now settled in her mosquito net/crib while her mother and family worked. Note the ever present motorbike nearby. 

Pagodas and temples

One striking thing about Cambodia is how many temples and pagodas there are everywhere. Along the river and in our travels on land we would see several to a dozen an hour. Perhaps it’s my inborn Protestant sensibilities, but it’s hard to see so much gold gilt and statuary in a country so poor. I understand the idea that a place of worship can uplift the even those who struggle daily , but surely some moderation  in favor of food and healthcare would be better?  

Still, many of these temples are beautiful and a number of them have a palpable sense of spirit and stillness. The most remarkable to me was the Vipassana Dhura Pagoda near Oudong. The video gives only a small sense of its majestic vistas. There is also a huge reclining Buddha. This one does include a school and a monastery for nuns who take vows mostly in later years after raising a family. 

This Buddha’s scale can be appreciated if you know that the small portrait near his shoulder is about 24 in. across

The inside of the temple at the top of the hill

We visit a school and chat with kids learning English

One if the most enjoyable moments in our explorations of the villages along the Mekong was a visit to a school in Chong Koh outside Phnom Penh. The cruise line takes a collection from each group of passengers to support weekly English lessons since that’s a skill that leads to better employment. So we arrived in time to  help them with their dialogues. Our guide who is a former teacher led us in a clapping/name-recognition game. 


I lost and my penalty was  to dance or sing. You can guess which one I chose so I led a group rendition of "If you're happy and you know it".


We all left smiling. 

More photos of silk farming and production

We went to two silk factories.  One was mostly concerned with weaving. This one showed the whole process from worm to fabric.  I've read about this,but never seen the actual process.  The larvae hatch and are placed into baskets with mulberryleaves to eat (according to our guide, they tried many other plants, but the worms only like mulberry leaves which have to be imported). When they mature, they are moved to frames of branches where they weave their cocoons.  These are collected and spun into silk thread (video).