Cambodia 4

Pippa here- 
Our second day in Phnom Penh was less busy, but just as exciting. 

We started out by getting up and walking to the yuppie-tourist cafe located half a block from our hotel. The coffee was good, and the wi-fi signal was much stronger than the one at our hotel. Afterwards, we walked in the direction of the night-market (north) to purchase some coffee for Willa. Along the way back to the hotel we bought some excellent fry-bread from a street vendor. Of the three cities we have been to, Phnom Penh has the largest amount and greatest variety of street food. 

After we dropped off the coffee at the hotel, we returned to the streets and got a tuk tuk to the central market. Phnom Penh's central market is a big market-place which is housed under Cambodia's largest free-standing dome. When we finished at the central market, we returned to the hotel for midday showers. Once refreshed, we set out to visit the animal preserve outside of Phnom Penh. Our hotel helped us get a good tuk tuk driver, which is good because it is a half-a-day excursion (especially considering how slow some tuk tuks go). 

The preserve was amazing. Some of the animals were rescued from land-mine accidents. There were a surprising number of Sun Bears. The animals seemed to be not unfamiliar with humans, and many of them came up close to the fence. The preserve's enclosures also allowed people much closer than any American zoo would. At the end of the preserve there was a small enclosure, around which a large crowd had gathered. Inside the circle stood a few preserve workers and Mrs. Lucky, the preserve's dancing elephant. Mrs. Lucky first walked around and collected money (donations for the preserve) and fruit (for herself) from the children, she then danced to a traditional cambodian song. 

After watching Mrs. Lucky, we found our tuk tuk driver (Moonin--he speaks Khmer, English and French) and he suggested we eat while still at the preserve. So we relocated the tuk tuk over to the huts where a good meal could easily be procured. Moonin helped us with translating and we settled down. Outside of such cities like Phnom Penh it is typical to see set-ups where outside of houses (or underneath houses, as khmer homes predominantly stand on stilts) are small open-air huts; beneath which stand platforms covered in straw mats for lounging. Then, above the platforms (or between the house stilts), hang multitudes of hammocks; also for lounging in, particularly after meals. 

After a while of sitting around and talking, our meal came. Khmer food isn't typically spicy itself, but there are usually a variety of sauces and peppers offered with the meals for the individual's preference. Our meal was chicken in a broth, rice and a beef dish. Mom and Moonin drank waters, I had  lychee drink and dad had an Angkor ("my country, my beer"). On the drive back, Moonin bought hearts of palm for his family and shared a few with us. They were a gelatinous shape with juice in the center; bitter and practically flavorless. 

The next day we took a bus to Siem Reap. Transportation in Cambodia never takes as long as it says it will. Driving out of the city into the countryside the landscape grew absolutely lush with rice fields, and everywhere you looked lotuses were growing like weeds (Note to Ann; 1 pond with all white lotuses spotted. Must be rare). Siem Reap has a lot to offer, but as a city goes it was somewhat disappointing to us after Phnom Penh (and still is in hindsight after experiencing Battambong). The town is markedly divided between the areas for the touristas, and the area for the locals. 

As a result, we found ourselves immersed in a sea of fellow tourists (of whom there were a great variety; mostly families with small children, and the young partying type--lots of Aussies). We ended up spending four days in Siem Reap, three of which were spent at the Angkor temples (which merit their own post), and one at the Silk Farm Angkor d'Artisans and one of the Floating Villages on the Tonle Sap. The Silk Farm was ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. Angkor d'Artisans works with local villages teaching trade skills to people to help them make a living. We did tour both their workshops (one was for lacquering, stone-carving, and wood-work; and the other was their silk-farm). The work that they do, particularly at the silk-farm, is so exquisite. I wish that I could have gotten one of everything in their shop, but I sadly lacked the funds (next time, I'll be prepared ;) ). 

The floating villages each vary slightly in style. The one that we toured while in Siem Reap was all beautifully colored and decorated houses on stilts. Beside many of the houses were floating pens for livestock, like pigs and chickens. We pulled up to the village's temple after motoring around a bit and got out. We met with a young girl named Sena who gave us the tour. Despite the fact that it was a beastly hot day she was dressed in long pants, and two shirts (both long-sleeved, one with a turtle-neck) because she was cold (we appear to have come to Cambodia during its winter season). She was 17 years old, and she hoped to become a teacher for her village. 

At the end of the tour she asked if we would be willing to buy a pack of workbooks for the students in the school, which we were more than happy to do. Each pack was $3.00, and had 10 notebooks. We bought a pack and mom and I climbed up the ladder to the schoolhouse on stilts and handed out the notebooks. The children were very cute and very appreciative. I felt like a bit of a heel deciding who would get a notebook and who wouldn't (since there were 10 notebooks and about 40 students), but I'm sure that we wouldn't be the last ones that day to buy from Sena.