Siem Reap

We came here to see beauty of the temples of Angkor! However we did not expect an indiana jones and lara croft mix experience. Clearly the less accessible temples were the more fun (according to the kids). Trees growing out of temples and magnificent carving, Angkor lives up to his reputation, you try to see Angkor before you die. So we dedicated our morning to temples visit and our afternoon to relax at the pool of Villa Kiara, a nice boutique hotel that would have been perfect for a halfway acceptable group of French families.
One day we went outside the city and besides the untouched temple we explore up to the sacred mountain, it was only 1500 meters but we really sweated al the way up. On the river bed there are some incredible carving but what really put me back to life was the fresh waterfall.

Different centuries are cohexisting in this country. It is still very rural country but it is very rare to see a tractor, animals and men do the all work. house are more like cabana on stilt where the only difference comparing to a 1000 years ago is probably the tv antenna. Then once in a while you see a house built in bricks and you wonder how this family was able to have more money. It is still very misterious.

Siem Reap seems a typical town developed around tourism with good restaurant a good shopping clearly not representative of the rest.

Today we went to see a floating fishing village and the houses were really floating including the schools: one built by vietnamese and one by some church (!!!!). The fishing village has a majority of vietnamese probably cambodian of vietnamese descends, I can not imagine in the past 30 years any vietnamese wanted to migrate to Cambodia!

Reading this book about the khmer rouge years was really is a good key of understanding Cambodia today. A country wiped out of its intelligentia that suffer persecution from its own people. Somehow more difficult to reconcile the past when the abuser was not a foreign power, even if we can argue that the movement was a response to a western presence in the region and the political allignment left or right.


Today I finally understood how they really produce fine silk which give me on all new appreciation for the fabric for the patience it requires. This worker was putting one thread at the time and it takes one day to make 50 cm of this patterned scarf. The sad part is that I did not like the pattern....she would have probably not appreciate my criticism.
We are leaving tomorrow to Laos and as always I have the feeling to have gotten an appetizer of the country which leave me still wanting more.
Little notes
-Do you know how Cambodian moms solve the laundry, diaper problem of their kids? They leave them naked, one bucket of water is good enough for the all cleaning. Probably it also take care of the anti-body and building a strong immune system. (I don't ask about infant mortality but there seems to be no malnutrition)
Notes from Matthias and Oscar
In China we were photographed, in Thailand ignored, in Vietnam touched and in Cambodia commented upon, let's see what happen in Laos!