We did not stop at a casino, but we did go to a silkworm farm. You can tell it’s a civilized operation by the overpriced gift shop (in both cases).

The Cambodian border, and also the no-man’s land between the official barriers, is full of casinos since gambling is not allowed in Thailand. There is an obvious difference in quality between the casinos and the government buildings.

On the way to Siem Reap we stopped at a silk farm and cooperative. The silk trade in Cambodia like everythign else was severely curtailed by the wars. This cooperative is training people is the various stages of silk production to both rebuild the trade and to reduce rural depopulation. The nature of the work is such that may stages can be done by hand in the home.

A single silkwork cocoon can produce 300-400 meters of silk:

Spinning silk thread:

A traditional style of loom: