Dateline:
National Silk Center, Puok District, Mon, July 18, 2011
Deanna Shimko
Early morning Mony drove out to Bos Kralanh Village to give the sewing class women a ride to Siem Reap Town by 9 a.m. - a few came by motorbike to our meeting point at Artisans d'Angkor, stone and wood carving workshops for Khmer traditional arts. From there we would be traveling by free shuttle bus to Puok Silk Center about 12 miles west of Siem Reap Town on National Hwy 6.
Last summer and this year, we have been teaching sewing skills for particular items for the ladies to make to sell in the market. Pat thought that a field trip would illustrate to the ladies the information we had already been discussing about producing for the market: e.g. quality, patterns, colors, styles, sizes, presentation and display. This was an adventure - to plan and to pull off. Would the ladies be able to come...from their homes and daily chores of preparing meals and caring for children!? It would surely be an unusual experience for them! Twelve of us altogether - Sam, Pat, and I, and 8 ladies plus Mr Sok, their mentor and organizer of cooperative women's activities in Bos Kralanh Village - climbed onto the bus for our free ride and tour of the Puok Silk Center
The tour was a beginning to end process of silk making from different kinds of mulberry trees to various stages of larvae feeding on the mulberry leaves. We were elated...the ladies were interested, absorbed, wanted to touch and asking questions!!
...spinning thread from the cocoons....
...dyed silk thread on spools....
....and weaving on a manual loom.
We topped the morning off with a Khmer food lunch at Chanreash 10 Makara Restaurant in Siem Reap Town. Total cost for the lunch for 12 people - just $25!!!
I had my favorite soup - boiled fish with sliced tender bamboo shoots in coconut milk with steamed rice.
The field trip was a great experience and a great success! We learned a lot and had a great time together doing it!!
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