Could this really be Goodbye to Angkor?!

As if Cambodia didn't already have ENOUGH problems...

A new study about the vast extent of the ancient city of Angkor and reasons for its demise is a wake-up call for Cambodia to be more vigilant in its efforts to conserve a centuries-old heritage, an official said Wednesday (August 15th, 2007). The study, published recently in a U.S. science journal, represents a new tool for preventing over-exploitation of Angkor, Cambodia's main tourist attraction, said Soeung Kong, a deputy director-general of Apsara Authority, the government agency managing the site.“ The findings are eye-opening for us. They awake us to a greater need for safeguarding (the ancient city),” he said.

The findings of the study, led by Damian Evans of the University of Sydney, Australia, were published in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They reveal that Angkor, during its zenith between the 9th and 14th centuries, was “the world's most extensive preindustrial low-density complex” and far larger than previously thought. It included an elaborate water management network encompassing nearly 1,000 square kilometers (390 square miles). The researchers mapped the area, long obscured by jungle, using airborne imaging radar data acquired over Angkor in 2000 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Research found that the complex was too vast to manage. Extending rice fields to support a population of more than 1 million resulted in serious ecological problems, including deforestation, topsoil degradation and erosion. The study's conclusions supported a theory in the early 1950s by Bernard-Philippe Groslier, a prominent French archaeologist, that the collapse of Angkor stemmed from over-exploitation of the environment. Impoverished Cambodia has relied heavily on the Angkor temples in the northwestern province of Siem Reap province to earn much-needed hard currency from an ever-increasing number of tourists. But in recent years, conservationists have expressed concerns about stress to the monuments, including the famed Angkor Wat, from the tourist invasion. They also fear that the unrestricted local pumping of underground water to meet rapidly rising demand of hotels, guesthouses and residents in the provincial town may be undermining Angkor's foundations, destabilizing the earth beneath the centuries-old temples so much that they might sink and collapse. Soeung Kong, the Apsara authority official, said what happened to ancient Angkor “appears to be repeating itself now” and thus highlights current challenges in managing and conserving the temples. “ Since we aware of this, we have to take measures to prevent it from worsening or to minimize the impact as much as possible,” he said.

Seeing how other critical issue are dealt with in this country, I don't see THAT happening anytime soon. Check out another recent article for more.

On a more positive note, we just had our own farewell to Angkor with a full day at the ruins of Beng Malea, an unrestored temple about 70km away from the main complex. It's an extremely peaceful, tree shrouded, stone jungle gym. Lots of mossy rocks, leaves falling down through filtered light... Beautiful! As I write, Darin's being flirted with by two Khmer women while they sweep up leaves and they're cracking themselves up with their brazenness (they keep glancing over at me to make sure I'm not mad). Little kids are running around clambering over rocks as if this is their private playground (which in a sense it is). They sit next to us, waiting to practive their English and begging for some candy. Another woman walks by, a red + white checked krama tied around her head - Stereotypical, picture perfect Cambodia! This is how I'll always remember it :)

Check the "link" for photos from our final days in the country visiting rural provinces.

From Super-Chill to Ulcer-Mode in no time flat

Friday - December 21

Not only is it our last day at work, but the last at our Phnom Penh apartment AND (as we realized this evening) two years TO THE DAY that we pulled out of the driveway of our home in San Francisco, first embarking on this trip! We've spent the week trying to wrap up our Kiva work at Maxima, mailing stuff home, burning photo cd's, saying our goodbyes... but as these things go, it always takes much longer to finish than planned. Now, we're down to the wire and scrambling to even get our airline tix to India + visa dealt with. Code Yellow.



Saturday - December 22

STILL packing up, the post office for package shipping is closed - What are we going to do with all this stuff?! STILL haven't bought our tix, but at least the visas are being processed - If our timing goes right we'll be back in Phnom Penh next Sunday night so we can pick-up the visas Monday morning the 31st, mail our package, and still catch a bus down to Sihanoukville for New Years Eve on the beach. I'll keep my fingers crossed! Code (Dark) Yellow.



Sunday - December 23

Woke up this morning and cooked up + packed up the rest of the food. Paid the landlords and they fortunately offered to store all our stuff 'til we get back. Went to an internet cafe to finally buy the plane tix only to discover they issue paper tickets only for this flight - Agh! Rushed to an agent to see what we could do with only 45 minutes to spare before the last bus of the day leaves for our destination. Tickets are available for the same price, but the agent has to wait for a call back from the airline to confirm seats. We go to the ATM and each withdraw our daily limit to buy them in the meantime. Then, I run over to the bus station to get us seats there. The bus is full, but I find out that there IS a later bus, which will give us time to wait for the call back and confirmation of our air tix. Please, no more glitches! Code Red.



Monday, December 24

In a small town of Kampong Chhnang now, 2 hours North of PP. Got the airline tix and got our asses out of town - which was no easy feat! Enjoying Christmas in a chill village on the southern end of the Tonle Sap. It's a full moon and super-quiet, with sugar palms silhouetted overhead. Time to chill on down. Code Green. :)

Where will we be in 2008?

As 2007 wraps up, I guess it's natural that everyone's minds are on the new year. So, you ask, just where in the world will we BE in 2008?

It's taken us a bit to answer that ourselves as we've been busy working and really enjoying where we are NOW. But, after 13 months in Southeast Asia, we've decided it's time to move on. Next stop, India.


We're going to stay in Cambodia through Christmas + New Year's for a final trip to Angkor and several days of beach/party time down in Sihanoukville. After the first of the year, we make our way back to Bangkok, then hop on a plane to Chennai. Here's a rough itinerary for anyone interested -

JANUARY - Tamil Nadu
FEBRUARY - Kerala + Karnataka
MARCH - Goa + Maharashtra
APRIL - Rajasthan
MAY/JUNE - Uttaranchal
JULY - Stateside

Kiva (+ Phnom Penh) Wrap-up

These past 10 weeks working in Phnom Penh will most certainly prove to be one of the highlights of this trip. Interactions with people are always one of the key ways by which I ultimately rate a country. If the people are downright unfriendly, I'll warn other travelers away. If they're stand-offish then I'll probably never return. If the people are feisty or challenging in some way, but they engage you, then I forewarn other travelers but urge them to go, and I'm likely to return myself. But if the people are downright friendly, smiling + curious then I never want to leave! The Khmers are these kind of people. It's not only the people that we work with at Maxima, but the Kiva borrowers - poor people living in thatched homes with little possessions - the ladies at the market, the smiling moto-dup drivers (both of who refreshingly don't give you the hard sell here). Even the poorest people here have dignity and there's little outright begging. Most people want to WORK and they'll create any little business or work with any skill they possess to earn a living. (Photo: Man plays traditional instrument at the ferry crossing)

Just as much as the people factor, Cambodia has a scruffy charm that we really dig. Besides Angkor, the country's not big on "sights", but the day-to-day "slice of life" is a treat in and of itself. And that brings me to what a joy it's been for us to settle and actually LIVE here for a brief while. Now that we're on the final countdown of our time here, I find myself noticing all the little things I like about this place and have endeared me to it. Things that I'm really going to miss...

I'm going to miss the blind man that plays every morning, sometimes struggling to be heard over all the OTHER noises, at one of the ferry crossing we sometimes take on our field visits. (See photo above)

I'm going to miss the slow pace of village life. Two to three day per week, for the past 10 weeks, we've been getting WAY off the beaten path into villages you'd never see without a guide. In most, there are virtually no cars and few motos. Most transport is done by bike, foot or other more ancient modes of transport (See photo). Both people and goods are moved this way. Whether it's 2 to a bike piled high with cut grass or a 2-wheeled cart pulled by hand, or horse, to move bricks, sacks of rice, or a dozen people... You just never know WHAT you'll see! And that sure keeps it interesting.

I'm going to miss being able to hop on the back of a moto-taxi (for the cost of 50 cents for 2 people) and quickly weave through town getting from one place to the next.

I'm going to miss the countryside of expansive rice fields dotted with sugar palms. And the docile, prehistoric-looking water buffalo that lumber down red dirt lanes, caked in mud and sniffing like crazy at us our unique scent. (Photo: THE classic Cambodian countyside scene)

I'm going to miss sweet, old people that live their lives with dignity and are actually still REVERED in the community for their knowledge. Many still shuffle down the dirt lanes barefoot or putter around on their bicycles to see what's going on in the neighborhood. Once they get older and their health begins to fail, instead of being shipped off and forgotten, they live with their families and laze the days away on a hammock in the warm tropical air. I certainly wouldn't mind ending MY days that way! (Photo: THE classic Cambodian coutyside scene)

I'm going to miss wild, curious children that remind me what a joy it was to be a kid myself.

I'm going to miss simple, teak-wood stilt homes. They've got loads of charm and are perfectly suited to the toasty climate here. (Did I mention I'm going to miss the warm weather too?!) As there are few tropical trees remaining in the country, these homes will eventually disappear after these last finally fall apart, or the family's save enough to replace them with brick + concrete - the wave of the future. For now though, when traveling through the countryside you KNOW you're in Southeast Asia. (Photo: This home belongs to a family who sells second-hand shoes. See display on front steps.)

I'm going to miss the markets with fresh, tasty produce and other unique items in abundance. There are 3 or 4 that we shop at quite frequently and have a friendly rapport with some of the vendors now. Lots of this stuff we just can't even GET at home - jackfruit, durian, many varieties of bananas, special herbs, fresh (not canned) bamboo shoots + baby corn, smoky tofu, Vietnamese coffee, broken rice, fresh green peppercorns...

I'm going to miss cooking for ourselves. We love it at home, and but we've loved it here even more because we were absolutely SICK of eating at restaurants constantly by the time we arrived. From the day we moved in to our apartment we've been cooking up a storm and entertaining too. And scoring an apartment with a killer outdoor terrace overlooking a neighborhood of Phnom Penh has made it that much better! (Photo: Dinner of pesto pasta with wine on the terrace)

I'm going to miss the Mekong - a river we've revisited many times, in different places and countries, over the past year. Beautiful and enigmatic, it provides millions with both life and livelihood. Maybe you just have to see for yourself, the sun setting on it as the nets of fisherman sparkle in the crimson light, to understand.

I'm going to miss having open access in to people's homes (something we've only fantasized about!). With our jobs at Maxima - we're welcomed in, have an interpreter, and get to ask all kinds of personal questions about people's lives, work and family. What could be better?! We've learned a TON about loom weaving, fishing, farming and all manner of super-small scale businesses. And we've really gotten to see for ourselves how the other half lives and that microfinance DOES work.

So yeah, it's going to be hard to leave, both Cambodia and Southeast Asia in general. If you've never been, it's a DAMN nice place and you should REALLY get your ass on over here! And if you have, well then, you know JUST what I'm talking about. Someday back in SF we'll have to sit down over a Sierra or a glass of Pinot and reminisce. Aaaahhhh.

Check the "link" to the final batch of Phnom Penh photos

Weaving for Dummies

Before the war, Cambodia was a great silk-weaving center as mulberry trees (the diet of silkworms) grew plentifully and mothers had taught their daughters this ancient art for generations. Under the Pol Pot regime, there was no need for fine clothes and people were forced to leave their homes and livelihoods to labor for the Khmer Rouge. During this time, nearly 30% of the population died and much knowledge was lost. Since the democratic elections in 1993, weaving has been making a comeback, and more and more women are returning to this craft as a good way to support their family while staying at home. Several husbands and sons are being drawn to it too. There are now around 20,000 weavers in Cambodia. Ever wondered just HOW they do it?


STEP 1

Go to your nearest market and purchase raw silk and your dye of choice (natural and chemical options are available). It takes 30 kilos of silk @ $3.20 per kilo for 1 loom. After purchasing your materials, prepare the silk by placing it in boiling water to color and make the threads denser and stronger. The silk must be stirred to ensure the dye is spread evenly. Remove and hang to dry. Once dried, the loose threads must be wound onto a wheel in preparation for the next step.


STEP 2

It takes a special skill to prepare a loom and many weavers don't do it themselves. Instead, they hire a specialist to string up the lengthwise warp threads and prepare the templates that determine any design to appear on the textile. It's detailed and time-consuming work. This process takes up to a month, depending on the complexity of the pattern. Each preparation is enough for about 3-4 months of weaving, creating 60+ pieces.


STEP 3

Once the loom is prepared, it's time to begin. The process by which the longitudinal warp threads are woven together is the primary function of the looms basic mechanism. The weaver uses their foot to move the warp threads up and down in three separate layers. The space in between is called the shed.


STEP 4

The three layers are alternated in turns to the "up"position after each pass of the shuttle is thrown back and forth. The shuttle is a torpedo-shaped piece of wood that holds a bobbin of thread inside. This is how the latitudinal weft is created. The foot pedals also control other areas to raise and lower independent of the rest to enable to weaver to create intricate patterns. Depending on the pattern, there may be several shuttles, each holding a different colored bobbin.


STEP 5

This repetitive process goes on for many hours a day and for days on end. One piece of basic weaving typically takes 3 days. More complex patterns, especially of 100% silk, take up to 7-10 days per 3.6 meter length piece - called Kben. The profit a skilled weaver makes a day after it's all said and done? About 2 bucks.


You can also check the "link" to our Khmer Portraits album with lots of new shots from the field, including many weavers.