Jax Stumpes: Cambodian Villages (12/26,27/2012)

Still Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Passing under the Prek Tamak Bridge, we continued south on the Mekong:

Passed a mosque:

The Cham people are Muslims.
And the Cham people are famous for fishing:

Here are the more normal bobbers along the edge of the fishing net:

But we saw many empty plastic bottles, and also aerosol cans, used as bobbers.
At 16:30 we arrived at the Khmer village of Prek Bangkong, and immediately disembarked for a shore excursion.
The crew put together this gangplank for us:

The riverbank was crowded:

Boys were playing in the mud, swimming:

and doing backflips:

We walked along the road, where dirt dust had covered the nearby plants:

It's the motor scooters that kick up so much dust.
Someone in the village has some money:

Others keep their oxen in the front yard:

But everyone is assisted to set up pipes to collect rainwater.
This pipe is not currently connected to either of the two water containers below it:

Youngsters:

Drying fish:

Strange fowl (Thai game fowl?):

The "Great Prawn" Temple:

Monk novices:

Temple sanctuary:

Volleyball:

Prek Bangkong is known for its silk weaving production, so we were taken to a place that explained the process.
They grow the silkworms on mulberry leaves:

They put the silkworms in "trees" to make their cocoons:

They soak the cocoon (to kill the insect and loosen the gumminess, and begin drawing the thread over a wooden roller:

Reeling the silk:

Natural dyes:

Weaving loom:

It was getting dark and we had to walk back to the RV Indochina.

We set sail again, and as it got dark, we passed by Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
The Royal Palace complex was lighted:

We had a Welcome Cocktail with introductions to the captain and crew:

After the briefing and dinner, our movie was "The Killing Fields."

Thursday, December 27, 2012
In Phnom Penh we left the Mekong to sail up the Tonle Sap. Cruising along this river, most of what we saw of the land was the dike that minimized flooding.
Houseboats:

The shore excursion at 8:30 was in the village of Kampong Trolach.

A large crowd of children were on hand to greet us with lotus buds and flowers:

Apparently this was highly unusual. The Program Directors, who have cautioned us not to give money unless we are purchasing something, suspected that since they last were here, some tour group visited the village and "spoiled" the children by giving money. Now they seemed to expect it.