Indochina Holiday: Further up the Mekong

11th April 2013

At 6.30am, we feel the shudder of the anchor being pulled in, 30 mins before we were expecting it, and in no time we are under way again. Our next destination is the island of Chong Koh. It is one of the last existing weaving villages in Cambodia, as they find it increasingly difficult to compete against machine made fabrics

Arriving at Chong Koh was very interesting. We basically edged up towards the shore, as close as we could get and maintain sufficient depth, tie off to the land and build a walkway from the boat to the shore.

our shore access

Whilst all this is going on there are already people on the shore (we are only about 10 feet away) talking to us, wanting know our name, introducing themselves etc. Little did we know this meant they had staked a claim on us to buy something from them and they followed us everywhere once we went ashore, awaiting the opportunity to sell us something before we reboarded the ship.

This is Bill, he was very quick to get down to the shoreline to strike up a conversation

The river bank is steep, with levels rising about 14 m in the wet season

It is another very hot day and the countryside is very dry.

When it is time to go ashore, the masses of children from the village appear to greet us, and stalls are set up along the top of the levee, manned and ready to go. Our guide advises we ignore them, do the tour, and by something on the way back to the boat if we wish. this results in a throng of mobile sales people following us for the full tour, taking every opportunity to push their product on the way around. But once we leave the road to enter one of the weavers sheds, they dutifully wait on the road for us to return. For some, it is too much, and they head back to the boat.

Bill starts his sales pitch

Local delivery passes by

Young kids play in the dirt, not yet qualified as sales staff

This village is one of 5 on this island that still hand weaves fabric. They used to specialise in silk, but changes in weather patterns have made it difficult for them to grow mulberry trees for breeding silk worms, so they have had to resort to buying in cotton, polyester and occasionally silk (at a greatly increased cost). t is unlikely they will still be in this business in the years to come, as machine woven fabric is cheaper.

The first workshop we visit is full of old knitting machines. These people make garment under contract for an organisation that supplies the machines and pays them piece rates.

At the next place they are weaving cotton fabric for scarfs, sarongs etc. They can make 5 - 6 scarfs, 2m x 1m per day.

The whole island appears to operate like a co-operative where each workshop also displays products from others and they take a share of the profits for anything sold at their outlet.

We are invited to have a look through the house at one place, so a number of us took up the opportunity to see how they live. The houses are all built up high on stilts to provide protection from flooding, ventilation, and space underneath to keep their cattle and workshop. he coolest part of the house during the day is underneath at ground level.

The kitchen is also located on the ground level

The main living area upstairs (note the TV and large speakers for karaoke)

The floor is made of bamboo slats and is very strong

Sleeping areas are separated from the main room by curtains

Someone has been cooking Mango Jam

From here, we visited one more weaver, this time specialising in silk. Because of the fineness of the thread, productivity is much slower in producing silk fabric, and it is reflected in the price.

This was our last visit to a weaver and it was back to the ship, to run the gauntlet of sales people waiting for us on the shore.

Bill's persistence pays off and Carole feels obliged to buy something from his stall, and from another girl , Jenny who has hooked onto Bill's coat tails all of the way around.

We were glad to be back on the boat, to escape the sweltering heat, and the harassment by the sellers, quite a few of the guests couldn't handle it, and went back to the ship early.

Before we know it, the shore bridge has been dismantled , we have cast off, and are on our way to our next destination further up the river, Angkor Ban. We have a relaxing lunch along the way, and can't believe how the river has widened up again and there are large sand bars and islands appearing regularly now. Also the water looks a lot cleaner and the water hyacinth is gone. We still regularly pass over fishing nets, set almost all the way across the river, but they are set below our 1.8m draft.

Some of the islands are populated. I am not sure what happens in the wet season !

We pass a Temple along they, which features a rubbish tip just under the right hand flag pole

One thing we haven't come to grips with, is the amount of garbage lying around everywhere. Even in the villages and around the temple grounds, it is common to see drink bottles, cans etc just tossed on the ground and left there.

At around 3.30 pm, we move in close to the shore, and appear to have arrived at Angkor Ban. The crew are whipped into action to secure the boat before we can go ashore. Whilst they are at work, a farmers gives his cattle a wash just off our bow.

In the meantime the shore access is being prepared

First step is to swim the mooring line ashore

And then secure it to a post on the shore

Then a bridge to shore needs to be constructed

And then we are ready to go ashore

Angkor Ban is an old village, which was relatively unaffected by the Khmer Rouge, many others were destroyed. Some of the houses in this village are over a hundred years old.

It is a fair climb up the river bank in the dry season, in the wete season up to a metre of water can flow through the village.

Typical construction in the village

The local concrete company is doing a bit of work in front of the temple

They have dragon boats for festive occasions, but it is a long way down to the water, so I guess they are mainly used in the wet season.

After giving us some background on the history of the village, the guide takes us on a walking tour of the village.

Cattle play an important role in village life, used mainly for ploughing the fields. The cattle in this village look a lot healthier than we have see in others

It is a big village, quite spread out and reasonably well kept, and there is a reasonable amount of activity.

There is some new construction

And some renovations (the rest of the wall cladding can be done when budget permits)

Some houses advertise the date of the last renovation (note the 2011) on the roof of this one. Apparently it enhances resale value

Horse and cart is popular for transporting goods

Members of the various political parties advertise their allegiance

We visit the local market and are joined by a couple of unwanted guests, one of which steals a cucumber from a nearby stall> They are not owned by anyone, roam around the Temple grounds, stink to high heaven, and the villagers chadee them away as soon as they see them. The try to attach themselves to our group but the guides eventually manage to get rid of them.