I’ve been neglecting this blog. But a question from Rajana at Jump Start in Ohio on an earlier post got me thinking that I could write a few pieces on the village where I live when I am in Cambodia. It is Phum Thum village, with about 5,000 residents. It is about 20 kilometers south of Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia.
Close as it is to the city, the village is very rural. Most of the people are farmers or fishermen or do a bit of both. Rajana asked about animals. Most people raise some cows and some chickens. There are a lot of dogs here but very few cats. (In parts of Phnom Penh, it’s not unsual to see monkeys, but I haven’t seen any here.)
My house sits on high stilts above a section of the Mekong River. During rainy season — August-September — the water comes to the very bottom of the house. In dry season, such as now, the house is over dry land at the bank of the river.
Rajana also asked about swimming. People swim in the river and sometimes do their laundry in the river too. Small boats are a common way of getting around — especially to the market town near year, Koky, and two and from a small island across from the village.
Here are some photos taken from my deck overlooking the river.
Children learn to use boats on the Mekong at an early age.
This man brought a boatload of produce from the island fields to the village one morning.
Net fishing is common on this stretch of the Mekong between Phnom Penh and the Vietnam border.
After he casts his net, the fisherman waits for the fish to arrive.
Early morning on the Mekong River in Phum Thum.
are you having fun with the computers?
By: yari on January 31, 2009
at 5:10 pm