June
19, Tuesday
Today we leave Siem Reap and drive to the Cambodian – Thai border and return to Bangkok.
We stopped along the way to visit a silk farm and find out that the entire life process takes the silk worm only 47 days. This time I actually get to see live silk worms, not just the processing of cocoons into silk thread.
Fattening up the worms with shredded mulberry leaves
They are placed in special baskets so that they can weave their cocoons
They still also traditional used branches
Same processing as I saw in China. Wet the cocoons and start unravelling to form a thread.
All done by hand
Then the dyed threads are put together on to a HUGE spool for weaving
Large skeens of silk are dyed using natural products.
Ingenious.... using bycile wheel rims as looms!
The ladies work in an open air complex, providing shade and natural air conditioning
And then we come to the looms
and see some finished products
A "designer" dress made using full coccoons
It is a full day on a fairly comfortable mini-bus. We have a great driver who manages to pass 2 very full large tourist busses so we aren’t stuck behind them when we walk across the border through “no man’s land”.
Someone is selling fresh sea food at the border crossing
which is full of casinos, stores and restaurants
Back on to a different bus on the Thai side and our journey continues to Bangkok.I check back into the Viengtai Hotel and am reunited with the rest of my luggage.
This is another "last" dinner since tonight we say good bye to Violet, who continues on her travels through Turkey. We meet for dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.
Two for one cocktails before dinner !
Delicious seafood dinner with some of the tiniest shrimp (krill ?) I've ever eaten.
Today we leave Siem Reap and drive to the Cambodian – Thai border and return to Bangkok.
We stopped along the way to visit a silk farm and find out that the entire life process takes the silk worm only 47 days. This time I actually get to see live silk worms, not just the processing of cocoons into silk thread.
Fattening up the worms with shredded mulberry leaves
They are placed in special baskets so that they can weave their cocoons
They still also traditional used branches
Same processing as I saw in China. Wet the cocoons and start unravelling to form a thread.
All done by hand
Then the dyed threads are put together on to a HUGE spool for weaving
Large skeens of silk are dyed using natural products.
Ingenious.... using bycile wheel rims as looms!
The ladies work in an open air complex, providing shade and natural air conditioning
And then we come to the looms
and see some finished products
A "designer" dress made using full coccoons
It is a full day on a fairly comfortable mini-bus. We have a great driver who manages to pass 2 very full large tourist busses so we aren’t stuck behind them when we walk across the border through “no man’s land”.
It is actually part of Cambodia
Someone is selling fresh sea food at the border crossing
which is full of casinos, stores and restaurants
Back on to a different bus on the Thai side and our journey continues to Bangkok.I check back into the Viengtai Hotel and am reunited with the rest of my luggage.
This is another "last" dinner since tonight we say good bye to Violet, who continues on her travels through Turkey. We meet for dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.
Two for one cocktails before dinner !
Delicious seafood dinner with some of the tiniest shrimp (krill ?) I've ever eaten.
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