I just bought new camera Nikon D3300. I want to be a real photographer. I enjoy capturing every moments, local style, natural, greening view and kid’s smile. Photography is my hobby. This Saturday I have organized the event cycling to countryside to see local living , what they do for their business, away from crowd city, air pollution. Silk island (Koh Dach) where I can smell cow’s poop, smell of green natural, farming…………… Koh Dach people sows many kind of plants such: eggplant, corn, sugar cane, ginger, bean, banana tree, Chinese ginger, turmeric, tomatoes, so on………………….
How to get (Koh Dach or Silk Island)
By Tuk Tuk: Rent a tuk tuk with driver cost about 15$ including tour guide. It takes about 20 minutes from town to island if no traffic.
By boat: It costs 3$ for whole trip including tuk tuk picks you up at the pier.
By cycling: It costs you nothing with your own bicycle or rent one at the riverside ($2.5/day) it is so worth to cycling with bicycle around the island, it is so hot and burns your body, road is bumpy, your butt gonna be painful. Cycling is for someone who is adventure only.
Mention: All above three ways to get to Island you have to take ferry in 10minutes.
It is on the national road number #6 crossing Japanese bridge (Chroy Chongva) about 15 minutes by cycling then looks at the right side you will see sign (Pier to Island) in Khmer language if you cannot read ask people along the way. The island is pretty small you cannot easy to get lost J a few speaks English in the island but you also can grab a tour guide with you from Phnom Penh. People will give you the best [HELLO] when you arrive to island because there is the only word they know about English haha…………
When the ferry stop at the pier you cycling to the village turn to the left side you can see one small store on street, she has selling sweet coconut do try it. Villagers are so friendly, welcome and helpful. The main business in this village is doing [Silk Weaving] sell to tourist and farming. They grow silk worm to produce thread to make scarf, dress, and shirt from 100% silk. Some with pattern and some with colorful looks interesting, it is kind of hard work, talent, patient and concentrate too much. They told me spent two days to make one scarf and four days to make one skirt. With different colors and pattern is not the easy thing, my accounting work much easier then thought? Spends 20 minutes to see villagers doing their silk weaving, gets some silk scarfs for someone souvenirs. Next moves to where they grow silk worm, if you want to detail about how the processing of doing silk weaving ask the guide there, they will detail you the whole stuff, may be you will pay them some dollars. It was lunch break i was looking for local food (street food) I had noodle soup with sugar cane juice cost me less than a dollar at the local market [Ouk Nha Tey market/Phsa Koh Ouk Nha Tey]
Price for silk scarf is 8$-10$ for normal fabric scarf 3$-5$ you can also bargain
Tips:
The weather is super-hot do bring your sunblock, cap, ray ban glasses and dress up long shirt and trouser, your skin will thank you.
If you are cycling please starts early morning like 7am you will enjoy the morning views.
It better spends half day there, do not spend too long it has not much stuff to do.
