Siem reap was mostly about temples and hanging out with my guest house pals and Ira, the professor in ancient civilisations from New York who I befriended (what a find when exploring ancient temples!). I decided to explore a 'community-based ecotourism' initiative near town, as this is a popular theme in many of the places I'm visiting, and it matches my interests in sustainability.
Billed as a boat trip to a floating village, it turned out to be overpriced and not eco at all: they put only a pair of tourist on each 20-seater diesel-powered boat (so 10 very empty boats vs 1 full one) and plowed through the canals of mangroves, causing large waves, sounds, and smells. I was convinced it wasn't community-oriented either as the people looked terribly poor despite the price gouging by the "investor" company. As they were fishing right out of the diesel-laden waters, I assume my presence impacted them negatively. As I rode back, frustrated by the misuse of words I love, I decided the poor endangered Irriwaddy dolphin is a goner if this is Cambodian ecotourism.
The next day I saw a circus of high schoolers as part of an NGO that takes poor, often street, kids and gives them education and circus training. The performances provide them a salary and support the school. After seeing poor children peddling all over Siem Reap instead of attending school, I was happy to believe this "community-based" effort was providing a chance at a better life for these kids.
And so, unwilling to allow one scam to make me a non-believer, I headed north to Kratie to check out their efforts via the "Mekong discovery trail," an initiative to attract tourists to the river environs and dolphins, thus providing a reason to protect them. The "trail" is basically paths and dirt roads used by locals, but now featuring a few homestays, signs, and a pamphlet. I rented a $1.50 "local bike" (think a beach cruiser with bad breaks) and started peddling past fields, tons of kids yelling "hello!", wats, stilt houses, and markets. I had a wonderful time. Everyone I interacted with, from the farmer whose field I ended up in (the signage is not amazing) to the ladies selling the sticky rice cooked in bamboo, was friendly and genuine. It was a welcome feeling to be low-impact (eco) and interacting with a community, not just polluting it as I pass through taking photos.
I'm actually very interested in sustainable development, and will start a coursera class on the topic in a week! As I travel through places which are in various states of development and many of which house rich and rare ecosystems, I feel it's a topic that will easily compliment, and be complimented by, my travels. Let the learning continue!
Pics include some temples, siem reap pals, bike ride in Kratie followed by happy hour ("happy sunset") dinner overlooking the Mekong.
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