Yes, it has been a MOST odd day here in Siem Reap ... heavy, heavy rains, then hot, hot sunshine!
All good ...
Up early to receive a "Jasmine Blessing" from a local monk - Lach Leang. He blessed me for prosperity and good luck. Nice chap ...
Silk ... pre-1975, Cambodia produced 160 tons of high-grade silk (including the famous "Golden Silk"). The civil war - 1975 to 1979 put paid to that as the mulberry fields were decimated.
Even today, only 5 tons is produced.
Silk is a derivative of the cocoon of a silkworm before it becomes a moth. So the moth mates and produces 250 eggs (+ or _!) ... these hatch into the silkworm ... worm eats mulberry leaves and after 10 days starts to spin a cocoon. This cocoon is "silk" ... 400 metres of silk thread comes from the cocoon - the shell is fine silk and the main part is the raw silk.
The silk is then thread by thread, by-hand extracted from the cocoon. Then it's cleaned, dyed (natural and synthetic dyes), spun and finally woven into ties etc ...
A weaver can weave upto 1/2 m2 a day ... depending on the design.
I am pooped ... some jet-lag ... mainly heat ... PHEW!
Song of the Day: Lullaby - The Cure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijxk-fgcg7c
Monk Lach Leang - I didn't know whether to smile or not! He was SO serious ... !
Wat Pthmey - referred to a the "Killing Fields" monastery ... 1.5 million innocents were murdered by Pol Pot in the 1970's ... this is part of a memorial erected to tell the world not to forget ... has the world listened? I think not ...
Hot Hot Hot!
My silk angels at the Artisans Ankor Silk Farm - Roath and Kosal
