Day 6 Lake Tons a Mud

Day 6..Lake Tons of Mud
We're moving a little slow today. We are on our own as most of our entourage had to go on to do a little campaigning in the province. However, our hosts provided us with a driver and a van for the day. Since we had already been to the temples, we decided to head to Lake Tonle Sat to check out the lake and its fishing villages. This seemed like a good idea on paper. However several miles into the trip it was clear that the lake trip wasn't going to work. During the dry season the lake shrinks by at least a third. Thus, You drive on a mud causeway for miles into what was once the lake during the rainy season. Huts on 10 meter high stilts line either side of the causeway. The poorest of the poor live in these shacks. This is basically subsistence living at best. When we finally got to the lake, the waterway was very polluted and nothing that we wanted to navigate. A quick U turn and we were on our way back to Siem Reap.
Back in town, we went to the Artisans workshop and learned about silk growing and weaving, silk painting,wood and stone carving. Young students get scholarships from surrounding villages to come into Siem Reap for training in one of the crafts. The silk painting is dedicated solely for deaf/mutes. When the students graduate they go back to their villages and must sell their work back through the artisan's co-op. This operation started out with funding by the government but it is now self sufficient. Our student guide was very articulate and really tried hard to teach us something about the Cambodian culture. I'm glad we stopped by this place.
We had a nice leisurely lunch in Siem Reap and then packed up and headed to the airport. Our flight to Hanoi on Vietnam Airways was smooth and efficient. We were put on a very new airplane. It was about a two hour flight.
At 500 miles north of Siem Reap, Hanoi is considerably cooler than where we were in Cambodia. The roads are better and there are more cars on the roads. The traffic is about the same. Vehicles and motor bikes running pell mell in every which direction.
Our hotel is located in the old French Quarter of Hanoi. It is a little hotel on a very narrow street. It is a transition from the Sofitel but the staff is very friendly and proud of their new hotel. I'll report more on it tomorrow.