Five years ago on a homestay in Cambodia's rural Kampong Thom province we were taken for a walk to see the Sambor Prei Kuk temple and were absolutely amazed to be seeing 6-9th century pre-Angkorian ruins in the nearby jungle. At the time I wrote that "they are fabulous and I hope they are able to preserve them as a draw card for visitors". Well, preserve them they have! I was delighted to discover that Sambor Prei Kuk had been listed as Cambodia's third UNESCO World Heritage Site last year, … [Read more...]
Cambodia: Bags of Social and Environmental Conscience
I discovered a great new company when I visited the Titirangi Markets a couple of weeks ago. It was their bags that first got my attention as they are so colourful, light and with a great design for almost every occasion. Then I discovered that they had an amazing back story and a purpose that I really wanted to support. The company is called Smateria and they create long-lasting, colourful bags for every occasion using up-cycled and re-purposed materials. The bags are beautifully designed … [Read more...]
Day 24 Kampong Thom Homestay
21 January 2013 Today we left Phnom Penh and travelled out into rural Cambodia to Kampong Thom where we have a homestay. As we drive through the countryside I am struck by how much the saying "same same but different" applies to the countries in this region. At first I couldn't identify what made it feel different but then started to identify a whole list of little details that make Cambodia quite different from Vietnam apart from the population density. The people have much darker skins and … [Read more...]