SIEM REAP, December 6, 2011 Silk Farm

Silk farm today.  One of the girls trying to sell postcards etc around the Angkor Wat temples spoke such good english that I had her write her name and phone number down for me in case we needed a translator.  Tamara, Tyler and Brittni headed off to the temples to see the areas that we had seen with Warren, so Sara and I called 'Owl' up and had her meet us at our hotel.  Her mom borrowed a motorbike to drive her here.  We had told her that we would pay if she came by tuk tuk.

13 year old Owl in our tuk

Tuk tuk (pronouced with a long 'u' by locals) travel  is a great way to see the sights of everyday life that are so interesting to those of us from more modernized countries.

Workers in the rice paddys

Hauling bamboo poles

When we arrived at the Silk Farm, a guide jumped up and gave us an excellent and free tour.

Silk worm eating mulberry leaves. They eat for 3 days then take a day off and continue this 3-1 cycle for 24 days.

When the worms stop eating, they are placed in wicker baskets to spin their cocoons.This spinning process takes about 5 days.  Because the worms do not eat or dring during this process, they gradually get smaller and smaller.

If the worms are being used for silk, they are either left out in the hot sun as seen in these trays, or boiled in order to kill the worm.  If the worms are being used for reproduction, they are allowed to leave the cocoon naturally but this leaves a hole so the silk is not usable

The moths that leave the cocoons are paired up and left to mate for 24 hours at which time the male dies and the female lays eggs

These are little silk worm eggs just laid by a lady moth and now the process starts agan.  When these eggs hatch, the tiny worms are laid on trays of leaves and start to eat for 24 hours.

Cocoons in the blue pot ar boiled to loosen the silk (and kill the worm) then strands of silk are lifted from the pods with a brush and laid on the spinning bobin.  This first process removes the raw silk then the pods are sent to a second spinning station to remove the fine silk

various spinning stations

Products used for natural dying process, Coconuts give a beige/taupe colour, safron, cinnamon etc

Manually dying the silk

The spun silk is then tie dyed by tying white plastic strips tightly on certain areas

Partially tie dyed silk drying before next colour is added

Tie dyed silk still needs the white plastic tyes removed

Tie Dyed silk is spun onto small spoools and then woven into beautiful fabrics.




Almost completed fabric

Owl's family came to greet us when we dropped jher off. Me and Sara in the back with Owl's mom, dad, sister and brother

We had dinner at a highly recommended Apsara Dance restaurant.