On our second full day in Cambodia (after my hip fiasco) we visited a Floating Village on Tonle Sap Lake and viewed the people living at the edges of the lake. We saw floating villages, towering stilled houses, huge fish traps, and the people that live the life.
The economy and way of life are deeply intertwined with the lake, the fish, the wildlife, and the cycles of rising and falling waters. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. But it also means that the floating houses leave the lake in the wet season. Life is uprooted.
Soeu buys fish that is caught in the floating village that we visited and then sells it in Siem Reap for a small profit. It is in these villages in Cambodia, that the life expectancy is the lowest. The water is polluted for sure. Soeu was invited to a village party once and was very sick after. He says the people living there are used to the water… yeesh…
There is a school, in the village, where children have access to free food. Because there are not enough schools in Cambodia, children study for 4 hours 6 days a week. It is the same in the floating village; you go to school in the morning or in the afternoon.
There is also a Catholic Church in the village where people can go if they do not have enough to eat.
It is definitely not an easy life.
Gonna say it again – we are so lucky to have been born in Canada. It was both an amazing and horrible experience to visit this village. The lake is huge and there are many villages like the one we visited. I didn’t know much about Cambodia at all before visiting. And again – many people visit Vietnam and Thailand without stopping in Cambodia. I strongly recommend it. It is beautiful, the people are so friendly and the food in fabulous.
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