Siem Reap: Sunrise, Landmines and Silk

Sore from yesterday’s bike ride (the 40 kilometer round trip wasn’t kind on our backsides), we agreed to upgrade our mountain bikes to cushy electric scooters with wider seats and suspension. We set off from the guest house at quarter to five and sped through the dark road leading north of town to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat. In the end, the event was a bit of a letdown as the whole place was swarmed with busloads of tourists. The walk across the moat , however, made the trip worthwhile despite the crowds.

Coconut courier in Siem Reap:

As we were thoroughly templed out by this point, we backtracked to town to sample some of Siem Reap’s non-Angkor related sights.

Among the Lonely Planet’s recommendations is the landmine museum tucked away in a quiet suburb on the outskirts of town. It's run by a former child soldier of the Khmer Rouge turned anti-landmine advocate.

Landmines still pose a real threat to Cambodians, as millions of them still litter the country, particulary in the region along the Thai border. Almost three decades after Pol Pot was deposed, his "perfect soldiers" are still claiming victims.


Rusting remnants of war housed at the museum include stacks of war scrap and defused UXOs and landmines.

Faded Cambodian safety propaganda posters cover the walls of the exhibit:

I thought this kind of thing was common sense:

The secondary function of the museum is to rehabilitate a number of child landmine victims.

A snap lunchtime decision brought us to Les Chantiers L’ecoles silk farm 16 kilometers out of town. Traveling the distance pushed out scooters’ batteries to their limits and we ended up supplementing power by pedaling along with the motor.

The free tour of the farm afforded us:

A run down on the silk moth’s life cycle:

Hobbes eye view:


A look at the silk spinning/weaving process (which I still don’t really understand):

And an obligatory trip to the gift shop (where I bought another souvenir krama).

I think that Siem Reap has sold its soul during its rapid transition from small village to tourist trap. As Cambodians have been quick to capitalize on the sudden influx of tourist dollars, five star hotels catering to package tourists and a Western style bar street have replaced much of the town’s center.

The promise of tourist dollars has also attracted many less privileged Cambodians. Beggar children and landmine victims relentlessly hound tourists for dollars and many (myself included) have become desensitized quickly. A few of the kids have tried to pick my pocket before running off to the next tourist. I’ve read that many of these child beggars belong to an organized ring and the money doesn't go directly to them - instead, an adult who "owns" them gets it.