Siem Reap -Tonle Sap The Floating Village

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13 Feb 2014
 

We visited Preah Ko, Bakong and Lolei in the morning.   Our driver, James, took us through villages of red soil on the ground.  The slight rain protected us from the dirt as it minimised the splashed soil.  The journey was a bit long, around 40 minutes.  Then we stopped by a place for the tickets of touring Tonale Sap.  The offer was much off from that stated in our guidebook.   We bargained, refused, frustrated and almost wanted to give up.  We ended up paying around US$35 for both of us.  James did not help us to lower the price.  We suspected that the more we paid the more commission he would get.


Our tuk tuk went further after the payment office.  We had our private boat and were taken to the river, passing the part where most of the people reside - floating village.  Sometimes we saw scattered houses and the other time houses clustered in the central area.  Houses are made of straw, wood and they stand high from the water.  February is a dry period.  So, we could see the structure between the land and house clearly.  Imagine if we come at the high summer, we will only see the part above the water.

Tonale Sap is not only a residence but spot for making life.  Fishing and tourism are the most popular.  People there use the water for everything.

We were then taken to a spot, like a transit place.  Prices of the floating restaurants were extremely high.  We had an option of taking a small boat to tour around the tranquil part of Tonale Sap.  It costs around USD12.  Many boats were waiting for business but not sure how big the fraction they would receive.



Our boat was served by a woman with her two children.  She came with a sampan.  Her little girl always stick to her whilst the elder boy stayed with my friend at the back.  He made a lot of gestures to get attention.   The journey was nice and entertaining.  The part of passing through the mangrove forest was enchanting and soothing.  We were told that there might be alligator after the trip.  Unawared risks!!!
 

The last part of the boat trip was to sail to the big part of Tonale Sap.  It looked like an ocean but it's a lake. Unbelievable!  It is the biggest fresh water lake in Southeast Asia.

 




Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia

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