UNESCO Stone Quarry, Spring 2008

 


This is a view of the Preah Khan Hotel courtyard and pool from the balcony in my room.
This hotel was gorgeous and was a bargain. I like the elephant fountain in the pool.
On our way out to the stone quarry we stopped by a roadside shop. They were making roasted rice and beans inside bamboo.
Hap shows us how to eat this portable food, which eventually became our lunchtime snack.

A girl works in the shop preparing more bamboo.
This palm tree has a small ladder attached to it.
Geese hang out at a rest stop.
A mother chicken and her chicks.

A black and yellow butterfly at a rest stop.
Another photo of the butterfly. I was trying to get a good picture of its wings.
The same butterfly but on some white flowers.
Unfortunately it's blurry, but this is what the full wing pattern looked like.

Coconut planters and bananas hang at a rest stop.
Large bunches of bananas.
A couple small buildings on the way to the UNESCO stone quarry.
This was the day of butterflies. A black butterfly sits on a branch.

The UNESCO stone quarry is used to cut stones for temple preservation.
Here are some of the stone cutters who work in this quarry.
This quarry is very close to the original quarries used to build many of the temples hundreds of years ago.
Some of the men were working on removing a stone that day. They told us it takes about 5 days to cut just one stone.

They cut the stones using hammers anc chisels.
Using a hammer.
A tea kettle sits on a stone.
I like how they work with no shoes on. I'd probably drop a hammer on my foot.

A tattoo of a dragon on one of the quarry workers.
A motorcycle and some tents where the workers keep thier things.
Since they only remove about one stone a week, we were lucky enough to come on a day when they had a stone that was ready to come out.
Fortunately, they have a truck with a crane to haul stones out. So, they don't have to do that part by hand.

A worker prepares to hoist the stone.
The truck's crane begins lifting the stone.
The stone needs some guidance.
I'd be worried about that clamp slipping.

They finally get the stone up in the air. This took a few minutes and probably isn't something you want to rush.
The stone makes it out of the pit.
And into the truck.
After seeing the new quarry we visited the original quarry down the road.

You can still see where stones were neatly cut away and removed.
The marks of the tools used hundreds of years ago are still visible.
A sign nicely asks us not to swim in the pond. Not that you'd want to. It looked a little gross.
The quarry is now full of water. I wonder how they keep the new quarry dry during the rainy season. Maybe they have pumps now.

Two local boys came to see what we were doing. They looked like they were ready to swim in the pond that you're not supposed to swim in.
On the way to our next location Maureen decided to buy some local kids candy.
A sign shows where a minefield has been cleared away with help from Germany. Minefields are still a major danger in Cambodia, but as long as you stay on the beaten path you should be safe. Just don't go making your own path through the jungle.
Men haul wood with a motorcycle and cart.