Day 54 – Outside Siem Reap - Thurs 18 Apr

Day 54 – Outside Siem Reap - Thurs 18 Apr
Drove up past Wats – stopped to watch women and children making rice dough (for noodles to sell) using fulcrum on a log to soften dough. 

 
Next on to silk farm, mulberry tree plantation and factory. Silkworm cocoons in Cambodia are yellow, rather than the white thread of the ones GirlRob grew in her childhood in Oz. A spinner could weave half a metre a day, a jacquard patterned scarf in 4 days, which sells for US$120; working 6 days a week she earns $60 month.

  











We looped down to Tonle Sap and took a longtail boat (with fuel in a plastic bottle) to see the floating village.  Lake very low in dry season so had great fun on boats sliding closely past and ducking each other’s mud spray to share narrow channel. Saw bamboo dry dock, floating basketball court, church, hardware store. Boat beggars came alongside, parents pushing forward a child with a snake, a woman pleading for a toddler clutched to her.

Chad our guide and his younger sister were orphaned when mother died and father remarried. Went to live with grandmother and attended floating orphanage school. Most were orphaned in great typhoon several years ago which killed hundreds of the fisherman who were out on lake. Chad is studying mathematics in Siem Reap in mornings, fishes for income in arvos, sometimes guides the boats. When he graduates he will teach as a volunteer at his old school, which is now supported by Vietnam Catholic Church. We were finally able to do our good deed for Khmer New Year by contributing rice to the orphanage school. A long, but satisfying day.