I headed down a small road by the river, just idly walking, suffering the "Hello!!" ambushes of the smiling kids and enjoying the day. The road just got better and better. Community life was display, with wedding preparations, kids coming home from school and neighbors out chatting. As I have said before, life in Southeast Asia takes place in full view.
As I rounded a turn, I came upon a family milling their rice harvest. If you are Cambodian, and you can afford the rental costs for the mill, this is the easier way to do it, although it is still hard work. The machine chugged away, rice chaff floated about in the air, and the milled rice fell onto the tarp. When I walked by later, the gentleman in the picture was resting on his sacks of rice, all smiles.
If you are Cambodian and you cannot afford the rental costs for the milling machine, this is how you do it. The cows or oxen go around and around, treading the rice stalks while the men turn the stalks with pitchforks. Not nearly as fast as the milling machine, but it certainly was a vivid glimpse of the traditional method for rice farmers here in Cambodia.
A very happy walk-about on a one of the best roads in Cambodia.
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