I See Through my LeNs: March 2015

CHONG KHNEAS

Floating village at the edge of the lake closest and most accessible to Siem Reap.

It’s a sort of port and long canal about 12 kilometres from Siem Reap, flanked by scrubby green-brown banks to the west side of which you can see the edges of part of the floating forest that makes the Tonle Sap Lake such a richly abundant source of food.

It is estimated that over 1.2 million ethnic Vietnamese and Cham people inhabit the floating villages around the lake, mainly living from fishing (and tourism). More than half of Cambodia’s fish supply comes from this lake.

It is obviously not a clear water. The lake does not smell bad..but I get to think

if they are conscious of their ecosystem. There are garbage floating around.

This village has a Catholic Church...

A school and a gym....

One of their stores....among other else..

This is one of the places where tourists can admire the sunset...

Honestly, I was kinda paranoid standing on top most level of this...'structure'..

Yes...this is the reason why---small crocs all cramped up

in this make shift stand..ouch.. !

From the cage..on to the store for sale...

At the docks....finally...land..

This is a nice museum...well organized and properly cataloged just like the museums in Europe.
Unfortunately, no photo-taking is allowed. Worth a visit.

ARTISANS ANGKOR

A Cambodian company which was originally created to help young rural people find work near their home village. As the offshoot of an educational project called Chantiers-Ecoles de Formation Professionnelle, aiming at providing professional skills to communities with limited educational opportunities, Artisans Angkor has maintained its commitment to education by developing its own training program. (http://www.artisansdangkor.com/)

In the mid-1990s, this training was extended to traditional Khmer craftsmanship, as this essential part of the Khmer cultural heritage had almost disappeared. At the end of the training, there were many employment opportunities for the young people trained in the building sector but as the tourism was not yet well-developed in Cambodia at that time, it was more difficult to find a job in the field of handicrafts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artisans_Angkor)

For every craft, each artisan has its own way of working. If his/her movement is gentle rather than firm, the final piece will turn out to be slightly different from the other ones,

which makes of each craft work a unique piece.

Just like any other private organizations, it is unfortunate that this group lacks funding.

Who suffers most---but the artisans.

ELEPHANT RIDE
It is always fun to ride an elephant.
This is a good concept: a mahout's shirt has a slit for tips.

This is my perspective when I look up..

Poor Dumbo---but he's tough..

Such a behaved one......the elephant..

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
This section is always a part of my blog...
to see the real thing...on the streets..

For every temple tour---there are souvenir stalls and eateries.

Just doing it from the scratch.

Night-life at Pub Street

Tuk-Tuks
It's a motorcycle with an attached carriage. It is comfortable.
There are different 'designs' all catered for the passengers' glamor and convenience.
Make sure you always haggle for the fare.