Farms & Fields

Miller Mai’s recent holiday to Cambodia took him to agricultural lands where salt and pepper are grown and harvested.

It’s easy to understand why there are about two million visitors to Angkor Wat every year. The rising sun reflects off the massive stone temple complex, and the thick green jungle that surrounds it creates awesome hues of purple and blue and an almost otherworldly glow. The incredible ancient site isn’t the only place worth visiting in Cambodia. In fact, this Southeast Asian country is filled with wonderful agriculture and vast farmlands that are worth exploring.

With my girlfriend and her family in tow (her sister is based in Cambodia), we decided to skip the usual touristy sites and explore the heartbeat of Cambodia, their farms. Despite the crazy traffic – a 10-minute car ride can easily become a 30-minute journey, plus navigating countless potholes, this trip to Cambodia was just what I needed to refresh my mind, body and soul.

TAKE TO THE FIELDS

Kampot Rice Farm in the Kampot Agricultural Area was the first stop on my list. When I stepped out of the car, the gorgeous scene of rice stalks swaying with the wind welcomed us. We tried our hand at harvesting rice, and it was back-breaking work. The owner-farmer showed us a rice harvesting technique by grabbing a bunch of stalks in hand and deftly cutting them in swift motion with his sickle. We tried to mimic him to our best ability, but our actions were too clumsy and slow in comparison.