Traditional Homes – country Cambodia

 Outside Phnom Penh – country Cambodia

Outside Phnom Penh - Wide-dusty-streets.

Outside Phnom Penh – Wide-dusty-streets, a busy rural town

Wide dusty streets greet us as we enter small towns in the rural areas.  The provincial areas outside Phnom Penh are low-lying with fields of rice as the main crop.

Rice-paddies-and-palm trees - country Cambodia - traditional homes

Rice-paddies-and-palm trees – country Cambodia –

About traditional homes today

Traditional homes  in rural areas have wooden frames, a gabled – thatched, tiled or iron roof; walls of timber or woven bamboo; bamboo ladders or wooden stairs back and front, and a bamboo fence. Traditional homes  in the country side are on stilts to raise the houses above flood waters during the monsoon season. In some areas  homes are built three meters high on stilts  for protection from annual flooding.

Traditional Homes in Cambodia's countryside have thatched walls and iron roof.

Traditional Homes in Cambodia’s countryside have thatched walls and an iron roof.

Traditional homes are rectangular in shape and may vary in size from four by six meters, to six by ten meters. The house interior is usually  divided into three to four sections and separated by walls of woven bamboo.The first room serves as a living room, and to receive visitors.  The next is the parents bedroom, the third or fourth room is for children, or unmarried daughters. Smaller houses may contain only one room. Near the rear of the house is a separate kitchen for food preparation. Families spend very little time upstairs during the day. The area under the house serves as a work area for the daily chores.  The area under the house also serves as a shelter for the animals at night. Toilet facilities consist of simple pits in the ground, located away from the house, covered up when filled.

Traditional Homes - large clay vessels for water storage. Country-Cambodia

Traditional Homes – large clay vessels stand outside for water storage.

Traditional homes have at least one or more large clay vessels outside to catch and store rainwater for their domestic needs. A common sight in front of many traditional homes is a white cow,  contentedly chewing its cud in the front yard. Free range hens and colorful roosters are also a common sight.

One or two white cows tethered in the front yard. Traditional homes. Cambodia

Cows tethered in the front yard are a common sight. Traditional homes. Cambodia

Modernization of traditional homes

More houses today have an iron roof, even the odd temple has an iron roof placed over it for protection against the elements. Some houses are built-in underneath and wooden stairs replaced with cement ones. The modern changes made to the traditional style of homes in Cambodia depends entirely upon the financial status of the owner.

Modernization of traditional homes

Modernization of traditional homes

So many interesting things to see on the way to Kep……...


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Comments

  1. What an amazing place! It looks like you’ve done some great traveling. Thank you for sharing the photos (I love the skinny cows!). It’s interesting to see how similar and yet how different their houses are to ours here in North America.

    • Hi Vic,
      It’s the differences that makes traveling so interesting and places so special. I liked the skinny cow too, (so unlike what we havhere) they are a breed suitable for tropical climates and are a very useful animal in Cambodia. Thanks for your comments

  2. I’ve always wanted to live in the perspective of locals every time I visit a new place and I really admire the way you share not only the tourist spots but also the reality of the people living in the rural areas.

    • As you can probably tell from my blog I’m fascinated by people, places and how their lifestyle differs from my own. Thanks for your comments.

  3. Hi Lyn,
    The pic of Rice-paddies-and-palm trees is looking awesome and pics are saying that your journey was fantastic. I love journey but with adventure and excitement. And i like the way of modernization of traditional homes. Thanks for sharing these pics.

  4. It looks like a good place to visit!! And yes, we miss such traditional homes in United States now. I am more concerned about the law and order situation in Cambodia. Is this place safe for travel as there is lot of news about abduction of foreigners on the news channels. Anyway, thanks for sharing this article with us!!!

    • I haven’t heard about abductions. I always travel with a small group tour which is very safe. When we visited the markets on our own or a few other places in Phnom Penh we never experienced any problems. If you just follow a commonsense approach and take the recommended precautions for travelers in a foreign country you should be fine.

  5. I see these kinds of scenarios in my hometown in the Philippines everyday and it’s really heartwarming to know how people like you appreciate the simple lifestyle of Cambodians. Thanks Lyn.

    • Hi Greg, On my calendar hanging in kitchen at this very moment is the most beautiful scenery of Hagen Village in Luzon in Pillipines. It is set amongst green mountain with terraced hillsides and houses with pyramid style thatched roofs.It looks very traditional. I think I should put hagen village on my bucket list? Thanks for your comment.

  6. It is an undeveloped place, which is also a good thing because it’s genuine. Sometimes, we need to see the authentic places to reflect the culture of a certain place. I observed that there are places on Earth that change a lot and it’s also not good because I like to go to a place which is very natural not too much developed. There are times we feel that we need to go to this kind of place to have peace of mind. Thanks for sharing your travel and photos there at Cambodia.

    • A different lifestyle! The country side in Cambodia is much gentler in aspect against city lifestyles,even in the cities of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It is nice to see how simply people live in country areas in other countries, and appear to be happy and content with their lifestyle. I hope you get an opportunity to visit Cambodia. Thanks for your comment.

  7. Modernization of home is necessary due to the environmental changes and to protect home from environmental hazards like earthquake or heavy rains. I like the simplicity and living standard of Cambodians.

  8. Hi! I’ve been reading your web site for a long time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Huffman Texas! Just wanted to tell you keep up the great work!

  9. I enjoy looking through a post that can make people think.
    Also, thank you for allowing for me to comment!

  10. Wow, lovely portal. Thnx ..

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