On this daytrip we saw that Cambodia has more to offer than just temples and ruins.
In the morning we drove from Siem Reap through villages and past rice fields to the Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake in South East Asia.
We took a trip down one of the many rivers leading to the lake. The lake has a huge difference in water level, depending on whether it's the rainy season or the dry season (NB: The lake area is three times as large during the rainy season vs. the dry season.)
This is one of the reasons why fishermen etc. have decided to have their homes on boats, so they can rather flexibly respond to the change in water levels by season. On both sides of the river that we went on the fishermen and their families have created what can best be described as a floating village. The place is inhabited mainly by Vietnamese people, who have illegally come across to Cambodia.
The floating village includes a school, some small shops and even a church - all on boats.
Out on the lake we stopped to take in the vast area of water and to enjoy a moment of calm. But, as usual, we were quickly spotted and one of today's special "photo opportunities" (against a small tip, of course) involved a little girl with her python snake:
(NB: Notice the " Hand of God" on the right hand side of the picture above?! Well, that's actually Fiona, getting all her courage together to pet the python.)
Once we survived the "snake attack" on the lake we were shown around a floating fish / crocodile farm. All on rather wobbly grounds... Another attraction is a little tower to have a view across the floating village. Ah, and a (floating) gift shop was at hand, too.
And for those who needed some something more substantial, there was also something on offer:
In the morning we drove from Siem Reap through villages and past rice fields to the Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake in South East Asia.
We took a trip down one of the many rivers leading to the lake. The lake has a huge difference in water level, depending on whether it's the rainy season or the dry season (NB: The lake area is three times as large during the rainy season vs. the dry season.)
This is one of the reasons why fishermen etc. have decided to have their homes on boats, so they can rather flexibly respond to the change in water levels by season. On both sides of the river that we went on the fishermen and their families have created what can best be described as a floating village. The place is inhabited mainly by Vietnamese people, who have illegally come across to Cambodia.
The floating village includes a school, some small shops and even a church - all on boats.
Out on the lake we stopped to take in the vast area of water and to enjoy a moment of calm. But, as usual, we were quickly spotted and one of today's special "photo opportunities" (against a small tip, of course) involved a little girl with her python snake:
(NB: Notice the " Hand of God" on the right hand side of the picture above?! Well, that's actually Fiona, getting all her courage together to pet the python.)
Once we survived the "snake attack" on the lake we were shown around a floating fish / crocodile farm. All on rather wobbly grounds... Another attraction is a little tower to have a view across the floating village. Ah, and a (floating) gift shop was at hand, too.
And for those who needed some something more substantial, there was also something on offer:
If you don't like scorpion, no problem. They have also have other flavours (e.g. snake and lizard). Anyways, as it was still before lunch, we skipped this local drink and rather focussed on taking more photos.
Here is a little slide show with a series of images from our trip to the floating village:
As you might have noticed in the slideshow, central to the houseboats are hammocks, the preferred means of rest. Good also for a little rest during the day. Plus they serve as perfect swings for the kids, too.
Many boats also have a TV set; power comes from car generators / batteries, given that there is no electricity to which the boats are connected. And the omnipresent mobile phones have also already arrived here.
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