Afternoon & Sunset: Countryside Ride

At 4pm our guide met us agaon for a countryside sunset ride where we could escape the busy streets of Siem Reap and see dirt roads, rural villages and daily life of Cambodian people. The plan was a 3 hour bike ride, taking us out of the city and towards rice fields ending up at farm where we would stop to watch the sunset.

We loved biking down the dirt lanes, passing close by water buffalos - one seemed like he wanted to jump on the bikes with us! This was what you would call off the beaten track, we biked on dirt lanes and shared the roads with motorcycles. Lots os people were waving and calling out greetings as we passed. We practiced our Cambodian words while waving back!

One stop included learning about oyster mushrooms and how they are grown. We saw the mixture that they prepare, which includes vegetable residue and other materials that are soaked in a special formula and then hung in bags where they will produce mushrooms for approximately 6 months. The mushrooms can be picked and then more will grow. They are a common ingredient in Cambodian foods. We learned that oyster mushrooms are one of the most widely grown and highest yield edible fungus in the world!

This ride really gave us a chance to see the many different homes and the ways people make a living out in the country. We noticed how young people were - many houses seemed to have little kids. When we got to the final farm, a lotus farm, there were tons of huts where you could enjoy a meal or you could walk to the back where there were swings and seats overlooking the rice paddy. You can guess where we were!

Stay tuned!!! :)