On my first full day in Siem Reap, I spent the morning at the Angkor National Museum. The well organized museum provides a fabulous introduction to the historical periods represented by the temples. While some visitors might have gone straight to the temples, the museum provided much needed background on the detailed sculptures and bass reliefs I would see at the temples. Plus the daytime highs are in the 90s, so I’m having to be attentive to the impact of the sun and heat. Roy wisely suggested that I start with the museum today so that I’d know what I’m looking at when I go to the temples, and he quickly discerned that I probably shouldn’t do two back-to-back days in the sun.
In the afternoon, I visited the silk farm operated by Artisans D’Angkor. Chantiers-Écoles de Formation Professionnelle trains young adults in traditional arts and crafts (e.g., silk weaving, silk painting, ornamental sculpture), and graduates of the programs work for Artisans D’Angkor. At the silk farm outside of Siem Reap, visitors can take a guided tour of the entire silk weaving process, beginning with the fields of mulberry plants grown on site for leaf harvesting. Silk worms feed on the mulberry leaves and are moved to a cocoon basket when they are ready to spin their cocoons. While some worms are allowed to complete their metamorphosis and hatch as butterflies to sustain the population, most cocoons are boiled to harvest the silk. The silk is spun, dyed, and woven on site. I didn’t take pictures, but here’s a good overview of the silk farm with pictures.
My guide made a point of noting that the silk farm’s artisans make a respectable monthly income (which I later learned was above the poverty line, although the guide’s salary apparently was not). Nearly 1/3 of the population is below the poverty line.
I spent the evening exploring the immediate neighborhood and enjoyed dinner at Chamkar, a restaurant on The Passage that features vegetarian meals with a Cambodian twist. Chamkar was perhaps the busiest restaurant on the block with a steady stream of people waiting for a table.