Siem Reap Day 4, Snapshots of Tonle Sap

By Day 4 in Siem Reap, we were already suffering from temple overload (but in a good way, don't get us wrong!)... We thought it was best to have some hours off from the temples to be able to appreciate them more.

While preparing for the Cambodia trip, we read about Tonle Sap Lake and its floating villages. So this morning, we asked Horn to take us to the lake. It is a 13km drive from Siem Reap town.

It was quite a long and dusty ride across the rural areas of Cambodia. We passed acres and acres of farmland until the smell of drying/rotting fish greeted us-- meaning we have reached the boundary of Tonle Sap. Going into the heart of Tonle Sap required a boat ride, but we decided that we didn't want to ride a boat since the tide was low and the water was murky. Instead, we took pictures of the Tonle Sap community.


When we passed by these structures, Horn pointed out that they are the Tonle Sap Floating Primary and Secondary schools... yes they are floating and they go with the tide.































Some images of daily life in Tonle Sap...














































Floating houses...














































































































































On the way back, we noticed members of one household kneeling down as a group in front of their house. We found out that their family was expecting a visit by monks, who later splashed bowls of water to the people kneeling as a sign of blessing. :






















A rest from the temples also meant some rest from the Khmer Amok. :)

We went to the restaurant of Shadow of Angkor Guesthouse, and ordered their Shadow of Angkor Burgers...
















:)