VSO trip to Pottery Province

A few weeks ago, I went to Kampong Chhnang (a province located on the west bank of the Tonle Sap lake) for a VSO Livelihoods Sector workshop, which I helped to organise. Instead of the usual all day workshop in a Phnom Penh meeting room, we opted this time to do a study tour in a province. 25 of us visited a community fishery group in a remote village, accessible only by boat. It was interesting for me to compare the achievements and challenges of the fishery group here with those of Kampong Thom. One big difference was that this village is located right on the river, whereas some of the so-called community fisheries in Kampong Thom are more than 20 kms from the nearest fishing ground! The lifestyles of the local people are very primitive, and while it was nice for us to be away from motorbikes and cars for a day, I am sure the villagers would prefer to be a little more connected with the 21st century. Back in the town of Kampong Chhnang, I stayed a couple of nights with a VSO friend, and we had a nice bicycle ride through lovely scenery, visiting chhnang (pottery) workshops and passing this pretty wat.