Siem Reap, famous today for the temples at Angkor Wat, was once famous for something entirely different: silk. Now the city’s old artisan reputation is making a comeback. Not far from the monumental ruins is the quiet and leafy Angkor Silk Farm, part of a fair-trade initiative to employ rural Cambodians and revive a dying art.
As a World Heritage Site, Angkor is renowned for the magnificent vestiges of the ancient Khmer Empire, with its regal builders and craftsmen. In more recent times, years of war and genocide decimated a great number of the heirs of this artistic tradition. With them disappeared a vast body of skills and expertise.
“Work-life balance” is the elusive panacea. But, experts agree that the first step to creating a balanced life is to assess what we need and want from our whole existence, not just work or home in isolation. Sometimes it’s a change in perception that is required, rather than a change in circumstances, and work is not necessarily the enemy if it is managed correctly.
