KOMPONG CHAM

it is above all in the villages in the campaign that one discovers deep Cambodia. 85 % of Cambodians live in the campaign and for the greater part, their life depend of agriculture, but they often live in a the poverty. Many cultivates rice, but these cultures are suspended on the annual importance of monsoons coming from the western South. Insufficient rains can cause very bad harvests and all the problems of survival which result from this for the families. We invite you has to do a walk which leads us to Kompong Cham, a city at 120 km from Phnom Penh at the edge of Mekong.

Kompong Cham, (third city of the country) is a peaceful town with colonial past, and with a temple from the 11th century. A recently ended bridge steps over Mekong, it will be on the huge road which will join Thailand to Vietnam by crossing all Cambodia.

Kompong Cham's road...

Work in ricefields. The rice is the most important farming of the villagers and the basic food.













Fisherman with a bow in a river












a policeman in his hammock at a crossroads...


SKON and its spiders..

A culinary speciality very particular to Skon, at some Kompong Cham's kilometres. As soon as you stop off on the highly-rated of the central market, some women arrive at top speed by carrying trays of cooked spiders, very appreciate by Cambodians. This place is very famous because it is the only region where it's possible to find these ground's spiders. Many Cambodians which pass by Skon buy it as candy

At some kilometres inside lands, all the families of the region look for these black spiders, which live in ground in the jungle and dig small dens. The grand-father of the family (see below) survived at a famine by eating only spiders.



Motorcycles Trailers !

A very popular means of transport in every Cambodia, "Motorcycles Trailers", motorcycle transport in common. Up to 20 persons take place on the trailer !


Forests of Heveas (rubber)












Huge forests of Heveas near to Pouk, of which they harvest the rubber which is partially transformed on the spot before being sent in Vietnam or in Thailand. Some trees were planted in 1920 (French contribution). These forests are huge and very well maintained.

Palm trees with sugar












scale (left photo) to climb on the palm tree and harvest the sugar of a variety of particular palm trees in Cambodia.

Local life

Some huge jars for the drinking water in front of every house and a place to cook.







The roads

Many main roads are in ground, a lot of dust... but it is often the best means of transport in the campaign or from a city to another one...



Traditional Medicine in Cambodia, Suction cups

You will often meet in the cities or in the campaign, people who carry marks dark, round, approximately 4 cm in diameter, on the face, in the back or on the chest. They are people who had recourse to ancestral medicine, the installation of the suction cups.! this medicine is very often practised (see marks on the photography)