Siem Reap to Phnom Penh

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Tuesday, December 14th

We saw a lot of poverty in Siem Reap, but nothing to compare with what we saw when we visited Tonle Sap Lake, the fishing villages, and the nearby farms. People in this area do not even have clean drinking water. Some charitable organizations have started drilling wells that the locals hand pump to get clean water. Only 25% of people have electricity - most generate it off old car batteries that they periodically take to a “recharging station.” Plastic bags were introduced to this area in 1993 and are given out for free. These bags have created a major pollution problem as people throw them on the ground all around their houses. The houses are built on stilts to accommodate rising waters in the rainy season. People view anything not within their house as “not their problem” so all these bags and other trash on the ground below the houses bothers no one. Nothing is recycled in Vietnam or Cambodia.

Tonle Sap Lake is the largest fresh water lake in Asia. It expands to five times its size and 70 times its volume during the rainy season. Tonle Sap provides irrigation water to half the people of Cambodia. Today, the water level is much lower than it should be at this time of the year. As China builds dams on its major rivers, other countries downstream from China (from Hanoi throughout Cambodia) lose their water supplies. Additionally, as forests are cut down, silt builds up in the lake and rivers. Recently, the Mekong River Delta Commission met to address these problems, but China refused to attend.

After our boat ride on Tonle Sap Lake, we stopped at the Angkor Arts and Crafts School where training is provided for 18 to 22 year old handicapped young people. These talented students learn to be silversmiths, woodworkers, stone carvers, and textile craftsmen. Housing is provided to them free for the first 6 months after which they can begin to earn wages in their crafts. Their goods are available for sale here and throughout Cambodia.

After lunch we set out on a 6 hour bus ride for Phnom Penh. Passing through farmlands of rice fields, we got a close up look at the manual backbreaking efforts people go through to harvest this crop. In Cambodia there is only one rice crop per year, but in Vietnam there are two crops per year.

A highlight of this drive was a stop at Skune, a busy transit town and a place where locals come to buy delicacies such as large hairy tarantulas, water cockroaches, beetles, and cooked baby ducks. Some members of our group tried eating tarantula legs…but not I, said the spider to the fly!

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Photos

Small boy on the way to Tonle Sap Lake
He and his mother live in this "house." The average household has 8 children.

Woman selling lotus fruit along road
This fruit is very tasty

Long showing us how MSG is bagged
In the village where Long came from MSG was sold like this. MSG adds flavor to food when spices are too expensive.

Little boy scratching himself and the sores bleed
Many children die each year from diseases caused by not having safe drinking water

Little boy with snake
Children are often used as pawns to beg for money. These kids don't go to school. They come alongside the boats and ask for money instead.

School girl in her uniform paddling
A uniform and supplies costs $5 per year per student

Comments

[Dori]

So interesting!
I can't say that Cambodia looks appealing, in a normal tourist sense. But I'm sure you've learned a lot and I'm eager to hear your reactions to all these experiences!