Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Silk is produced in fixed widths - nearly always
800mm - and sold in two lengths: a
kabun
(3.6m),
su
cient for a long straight skirt and short-sleeved
top; and a
sampot
(half a
kabun
), which is enough
for a long skirt. A
sampot
starts at around $15-20,
but you can easily pay double this, depending on
quality and design. Sometimes the silk will have
been washed, which makes it softer in both
texture and hue - and slightly more expensive.
Silk scarves
are inexpensive (around $5-6) and
readily available. They come in a range of colours
and are usually pre-washed, with the ends finished
in hand-tied knots.
There are several different styles of fabric, with
villages specializing in particular types of weaving.
Hol
is a time-honoured cloth decorated with small
patterns symbolizing flowers, butterflies and
diamonds, and traditionally produced with threads
of five basic colours - yellow, red, black, green and
blue (modern variations use pastel shades). The
vibrant, shimmering hues change depending on
the direction from which they are viewed.
Parmoong
is a lustrous ceremonial fabric, made by
weaving a motif or border of gold or silver thread
onto plain silk. Some
parmoong
is woven exclu-
sively for men in checks or stripes of cream, green
or red, to be worn in sarongs. Traditional wall-
hangings,
pedan
, come in classical designs often
featuring stylized temples and animals such as
elephants and lions; they're inexpensive ($5-10)
and easily transportable.
BARGAINING
Prices are fixed in shops and malls, but
you're expected to
bargain
in markets
and when buying from hawkers.
Bargaining is seen as an amicable game
and social exchange. The seller usually
starts at a moderately inflated price: for
cheapish items, with a starting price
below $10, expect to be able to knock
around a third off; with pricier items
you might be lucky to get a reduction of
ten percent. To keep a sense of
perspective while bargaining, it's worth
remembering that on items like a T-shirt
or
krama
, the vendor's margin is often as
little as a thousand riel.
Textiles
The ubiquitous chequered scarf, the
krama
, worn
by all Cambodians, is arguably the country's most
popular tourist souvenir, and there are plenty to
buy in markets everywhere. Many
krama
s are
woven from mixed synthetic threads; although the
cloth feels soft, a
krama
of this sort is hot to wear
and doesn't dry very well if you want to use it as a
towel. The very best
krama
s come from Kompong
Cham and Phnom Sarok and are made from cotton
(
umbok
). Those from Kompong Cham are often to
be had from female peddlers in the markets - a
large one
costs around $3.
Though cotton
krama
s feel stiff and thin at first, a
few good scrubs in cold water will soften them up
and increase the density of texture. They last for
years and actually improve with wear, making a
cool, dust-proof and absorbent fabric.
Wood and stone carvings
Wood and stone carvings
are available in a wide
range of sizes, from small heads of Jayavarman VII,
costing just a couple of dollars, to almost life-sized
dancing apsaras costing hundreds of dollars. In
Phnom Penh you'll find a good selection along
Street 178 near the National Museum, or in Psar
Toul Tom Poung, though the fact that they're mass-
produced means that they lack a certain finesse; to
find something really fine you're better off at the
workshop of the Artisans d'Angkor in Siem Reap
(see p.141) or a traditional stone-carving village
such as Santok (see p.205).
Silk
The weaving of
silk
in Cambodia can be traced
back to the Angkor era, when the Khmer started to
imitate imported cloth from India. Weaving skills
learned over generations were lost with the Khmer
Rouge, but the 1990s saw a resurgence of silk
weaving in many Cambodian villages (the thread is
usually imported from Vietnam, though a few
Cambodian villages have again started to keep their
own silkworms). Most of the cloth is produced to
order for the dealers and silk-sellers of Phnom Penh,
so if you visit a village where silk is woven, don't be
surprised if they haven't any fabric for sale.
Unpat-
terned silk
is sometimes available by the metre in
dark and pastel colours, and modern designs are
also becoming available.
Antiques and curios
Antiques
and
curios
can be found at specialist stalls
in and around Psar Toul Tom Poung in Phnom Penh,
and at the Siem Reap Night Market. Look out for the
partitioned
wooden boxes
used to store betel-
chewing equipment, as well as elegant silver boxes
