Tonle Sap - the floating village. We (11 minus 2) were picked up by Solid, a local guide, to visit the largest lake in South East Asia - Tonle Sap. The local streets and houses on the edges of Siem Reap were neat and tidy, obviously poor but well cared for. Everyone seemed to have something to sell, I think that Asia is a land of retailers. As the town left us we travelled through rice paddies and lotus fields, and the road was clearly raised to cope with the fooding rains, houses were now on stilts and there was only one hill to be seen.
The floating pontoon that allowed us to get on to the boat was accessed by a steep downhill ramp, maybe about 100 metres - with lots of small blue passenger boats waiting for their tourists.
We sped (?) off along a narrow channel that was only a half metre deep, slowly for passing traffic. The channel was low and the land was high so we had no long view of were we were going, .
but the activity along the way kept us amused, especially the large excavator with its bucket stuck well and truly in the mud
As the channel opened out into the lake we could see the floating village
The people here live, work, go to school, church and play basketball all in buildings that float - they zip around in tiny little wooden boats from place to place, fishing, begging and selling things to the tourists.
One little girl jumped on board our boat as we were travelling along to sell us cold drinks, another boat pulled up alongside with a large python for us to take photos of - $1 please!
We had lunch on a floating resturant, visited a fish farm that all had cages of crocodiles (not the nicest of places to live before being sent off to Thailand for shoes and handbags!).
Some last minute shopping, massages and coffee (with creme caramels) were enjoyed before we flew out to Phnom Penh and the business end of our trip. Our short visit to Siem Reap had been great fun, we may or may not have acclimatized to the weather but we certainly got to know each other a little better, away from work and usual life.
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