Silk Island

We sailed early this morning for Silk Island. It was a half hour trip where the boat nosed into the shoreline and tied up on trees, with a gangplank and rough concrete bag trail up the shore hill.

We discovered we were in the jungle with plantation all around us and lots of flora and fauna.

We wandered into the village of Chong Koh Oknhatey on our way to visit a Primary School that receives financial support and school supplies courtesy of the tourism industry. The kids came out to greet us with high fives and big smiles.

Our river boat sponsors the salary of an English teacher at this school and most passengers purchased school supplies sold on the boat to donate. The kids were super sweet and sang If You're Happy in English.

From the school we once again boarded Tuk Tuks to the nearby silk farm.

We've been to several silk demonstrations and are constantly amazed at the intense nature of silk production. You are struck by the reality that these silk workers aren't well paid, because the silk goods are not expensive.

The trip down the pathway to the boat was challenging and according to Dawn, did not pass Health and Safety standards.

Back in Phnom Penh, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. After lunch, we Tuk Tuked once again, this time to the Hard Rock Cafe. Since we hired the Tuk Tuk for a period of time our driver gave us another guided tour, this time to some sites not yet seen, like the crumbling colonial mansion below.

The remainder of the day was spent around the pool enjoying the Cambodian heat - might be the hottest day yet today.