Through my eyes

living my life without regrets

Monday, March 23, 2020

Cambodia 2020 - 16. Jeep Trip: ‘Dusty’ Back Roads


16. Jeep Trip: ‘Dusty’ Back Roads
Our Jeep and Driver Seyha With Pick-Up at Our Hotel

We did not want to ride an ATV, nor a moped in Siem Reap. We hired a car and driver to take us to the Floating Villages. We took a Jeep Tour.

Naturally, a Jeep, an old fashioned Jeep is made for dirt and back roads, a good way to drive the rural country side - I thought.
Towed by a Moped? Wow!

Including everything, the trip cost us $95/person. Pick up at our Hotel at 8 AM.

Our Driver was Seyha Kim, call me Seyha he said. His English was good.
27 years old, married for 2 years with his first child (girl) due in April. He was a nice guy, we learned a lot on this trip.
Dusty Trashy Roads in the Country

He drove well in our open Jeep. I sat on the back seat, Carol in front on the passenger side. So…off we go.

I cannot tell what roads Seyha took, He drove the back roads going towards the town of Kampong Khleang, our final destination for the day.

We are in Cambodia in the dry season; the above video I found however was filmed during the wet season. I will try to find a dry season video in later reports.
 
Spirit Houses For Sale

While driving, Seyha tells us about life in Cambodia. He has lots of details, lots of news but here are some highlights.

·      80% homes in the country side have electricity now but that is very recent.
·      Most houses now have tap water – they used to have to carry water from a well
·      A boy cannot touch a girl until after they are married.
·      80% homes in the country side have electricity now but that is very recent.
Drying Rice - The Worker and ?
·      House lots of 5 meters (16.5 feet) by 20 meters (65.6 feet) cost:  $4000. Naturally it’s negotiable depending where it is.
·      Most houses have a ‘spirit’ house someplace.
·      Rice is harvested once a year in the dry season, 2 to 3 times in the rainy season.
Well-Tended Crops
·      Rice is dried along the roads; it takes about 3 to 5 days to dry, depending on the season. 
Scarecrow With Helmet

· Spinach, lemon grass, sweet cucumbers are other good crops.

Rural life in Cambodia is very different from life in the cities.

We stopped at Seyha’s parent’s place, met his father and his mother. His father is a mechanic, mostly fixes bicycles but can work on mopeds, too. His mother has a road-side stand, cooks over an open fire for passers-by; she had 2 customers when we stopped for a short visit.
Seyha's Dad

What was odd was the meeting of father and son and mother and son.
They had not seen each other for some time, yet the meeting was very formal. Seyha just said, “Hello, mother!” or “Hello, father!” but no touching, no hugs, kisses, nothing demonstrative. 
Seyha's Mom Cooking Over an Open Fire


It’s not appropriate to show sentiment in public.

What would they do in France?
 
Across the street from Seyha’s parent’s place is a primary school and they were having recess. Seyha took us to visit this school during their break. The children loved having their pictures taken.
(see next blog for pictures)

Nobody minded strangers being in the school yard. Peeking into the classrooms was interesting, I noticed the windows had bars on them, but also had no real window, just the bars.
Children of the Customers



We went to the local, open market, where Seyha’s family shops all the time.
Oh, boy!  This was the real thing. 
·      Very small clams called cockles, marinated with hot chili peppers. They have to be cooked to eat and the lady selling would do that for you but… no thanks!

Marinated Cockles - Need to be Cooked
·      Young woman making palm juice, squeezing the stems and you drink it just like that, impurities and road dirt included. No thanks.
·      Dried fish, including the flies… no thanks!
·      Palm sugar, sitting there in a pot, you can stir it, ladle it…
Palm Juice
·      Roasted crickets and some kind of larvae… somehow I am not hungry.
·      Raw meat sitting on the counters, dead foul, already de-feathered.

You get the idea; the pictures will help you to understand. Are you hungry yet?  It sure would take me some time to get used to this. (More pictures later)
Dried Fish - Flies Are Free
Fried Crickets











Fried Larvae


From Seyha’s parents place we now drove directly to the Chop Stick village of Kampong Khleang.  See part 2, after pictures Blogs.



   














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