After breakfast at our hotel we went to the Siem Reap office to learn about our trip and get cited for bikes. The first plan was to learn about the city we are staying in by taking a 3-4 hour ride around with stops at local attractions. This was considered an “easy ride” but after seeing traffic in Vietnam, we were a bit nervous… still, we set out with our reliable guide, Vandy.
Our first stop was Khmer Ceramics where a guide explained the pottery making process to us. It was really interesting to learn about where the different colours of clay come from and how they have modernized the pottery making process over time. The guide told us about how the pottery is mean to to sllow us to gain a better understanding of emotions and stories to empower empathy. We got to visit the beautiful gallery and wheel station where a foot pedal is used to craft pieces by hand. One thing we liked about this ceramic place is that it is a social enterprise focused on making an impact within the local community. For example, many of the employees are women and people with disabilities there are good working conditions as well as training that improve their quality of life and their families experiences.
Next we were on to Wat Thmey, a place to learn about a horrific time in Cambodian history. The exhibit includes a series of survivor paintings to depict the rule of the Khumer Rouge reign under Pol Pot. Almost 2-3 million Cambodians were murdered or disappeared during the almost 4 year reign of the reign that was a social engineering project. There were lots of pictures that help us to imagine this period in history, the difficulties and the survival. It is heard to imagine what it would be like to be forced from your home, marched for days or more into an unkown place, seperated from your loved ones, and told what you needed to do for work and when you could eat. Even harder to believe that this all took place since our parents have been alive! There were many skulls and bones in the mass grave to show a part of the enormity of what happened in Cambodia.
Next we went to Theam’s Gallery which was a maze of beauty and art set in incredible gardens with ponds and fountains. This gallery is the gome of Lim Muy Theam, a master visual artist who not only has used his art to contribute to peace and understanding as part of healing in Cambodia but also now helps apprentices to excel in the arts. The space has paths that weave through different aspects of Cambodian art from textiles and home products through to sculpture and paintings.
Our final stop took us to an old market known as Phsar Chas where there are lots of local artisans selling their crafts, particularly recycled materials made into beautiful things! We had a quick look around and Mom bought a necklace made of recycled fabrics that she already loves.
The morning ride ended up near the city centre where we enjoyed a traditional Khmer lunch. It was hot, about 30, so we were pretty happy the ride was ending and we could go swimming at the hotel pool after lunch!
For a one day tour you sure learned/saw a lot and deserved the afternoon by the pool later!
ReplyDeleteLove, "pottery is meant to gain a better understanding of emotions and stories to empower empathy. I tried a pottery wheel class and it was an experience I will never forget.
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