Before our Cambodia visit, I believed that loads of things can float on water but I had never heard or imagined that an entire village can float on water. We were introduced to this concept and place by my cousins and once we heard about it, we had to see this. So we started our trip in Siem Reap with a visit to the Floating Village on the Tonle Sap Lake.
The Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and its pretty unusual as its flow changes direction twice a year and the portion that forms the lake expands and shrinks dramatically with the seasons.From November to May (Cambodia’s dry season) the Tonlé Sap drains into the Mekong River but after the rains the Tonlé Sap backs up to form an enormous lake wherein water flows from the Mekong river back into the lake. Another fascinating thing about this lake is the floating village on it. Many Vietnamese people live on this river on a floating house and fish for a living.
This lake is at about a 20 minute drive from Siem Reap and you then take a boat in the river. Each boat takes only one person or the Group and the entire ride takes about 2 hours. This boat ride is very surprising and saddening as you see an entire village on the water where numerous people are live in small houses (1 room), sleep on hammocks / floors, keep pets and fish in the lake for a living. They have everything on the lake – houses, a school, a church, a restaurant, an exhibition area, a store, literally everything. Many houses even had small floating gardens. It was absolutely amazing how these people live.
We saw this place in the dry season and hence saw a lot of land and some marshy forests. But our guide told us that post the rains all these lands and forests get completely submerged under water. The water at present was also very muddy but post the rains it becomes green blue in color.
Unfortunately I had forgotten to charge my camera the previous day and as Murphy’s law would have it, it shut down just when we started the tour. Hence please excuse the picture quality as they have been taken on a phone camera.
Our guide told us that you do not need to pay anything or buy any space to have a house on the lake. Hence you can literally build a new floating house, block some space and park your boat there. It’s as simple as that. Below is a picture of how people block their space on the lake. These markings mean that the space is taken.
Below is a picture of a typical compact house (floating on bamboo) with specific space for everything. You can see the laundry hanging on the side, the immaculately laid out kitchen (where everything has a fixed space on the wall) and even a small garden.
Instead of cars, people here have speed boats / flat boats which they use for transportation and for selling fruits and vegetables.
There are also all kinds of floating stores, a church, restaurant and even a school for this self-sufficient village.
Interestingly, no matter the poverty or how these people stay, every family here has at least one mobile phone and they even have a cell tower here for better network. 🙂
So if you ever visit Siem Reap, then be sure to include this in your itinerary.
My jealousy’s kicking in. The floating village has been my lifelong dream. Thanks for the share.
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Hey, it is a must visit. Though I saw it in the dry season I now feel like visiting it again after the lake fills up to see how it is then…
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Thank you for visiting my blog and liking it.
http://viyanpoonamallee.wordpress.com
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Hi Viyan.. Loved your posts on Kashmir.. Thanks for sharing…
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You might like my latest post on Amristar. This will be the last of this trip to India.
http://viyanpoonamallee.wordpress.com
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Absolutely wonderful! Floating Village – can life get more dreamier than this?
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Hi Ishita… It is quite a unique concept and a great place to see…
But at the same time I also feel bad for the people who have to stay in such confined spaces as they cant afford any other place…. Its kind of sad too…
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Well didn’t really think of it in that perspective… very true.
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It’s really not such a crazy idea when you consider the floods we had in Queensland last year!
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Hahaha… You are right… To think of it, this is applicable for Mumbai too….
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Very interesting post. I really enjoyed reading about your adventure and seeing the photos. Thanks for posting it!
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Thanks Stacy…
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This is a a cool blog! Thank you for reading and “liking” our road trip.
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Hi, look forward to more interesting posts…
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Isn’t it beautiful! specially during sunset. And I realized that the floating houses are the same as I saw them last year! Here’s the link to my post on it – http://colorodyssey.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/floating-magic-of-tonle-sap/ 🙂
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Hi Ritu…. Love your pics on this place… Because of my carelessness with the camera battery missed taking some good pics here… Also I hope to be able to take pics like you someday… sigh….
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Thank you for stopping by my blogs, and liking them. I have been to Cambodia, and am very interested to see India. Your post is beautiful in pix and writing. Keep up your good work.
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Thanks a ton for your kind words… Appreciate it… India is a beautiful country too and with loads of things to do… A must visit for sure… 🙂
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Thank you for visiting my blog.
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Great post! I didn’t have time for this on my visit to Siem Reap, but next time definitely…
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Hi, this place is a must visit and there are quite a few choices in terms of lakes and duration… I have heard the sun sey cruise is also very nice…
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the grocery store is the best 🙂
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I know.. I loved the floating church too…
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What a cool place! When we go home to Thailand next time, we will definite go and check out Cambodia 🙂
Tes
http://tesathome.com
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Its very easy and cheap to reach Cambodia from Thailand through the various land borders…
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Excited to learn about the floating village. There are similar houses in Kashmir too but not for the locals, they are for tourists. Here in the pictures I find some them resting on wooden pillars drawn into the lake. Again I have seen people living by the lake side in Kashmir where they have encroached upon the lake waters. I shall soon be covering them.
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Hey, look forward to those posts. I agree, the Kashmir House boats are very different from these boats. These are also more compact and at times more than 10 people stay in one room house.
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I missed this village when I went to Cambodia due to time constraints. Will go again someday 🙂
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Hi, you should surely visit this place,, Even I want to go back someday to see the lake in the high season
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Really cool, would have loved to have seen that. Guess i’ll just have to make sure I go back to Cambodia 😉
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Yah.. Like one of friends says that there should always be things to see left in a place already seen to go back to it for. 🙂
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Just love the photos of the “floating stores”! Very fun to know that this is in existence. Thanks for sharing your trip. Also, thanks for the “like” on our blog today. Hope to see you back soon.
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Thanks O.K.I. 🙂
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Hey, thanks for the likes! Nice photos too!!!
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Thanks Addosh
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Interesting article. It must have been a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing, and taking the time to write it. Thanks also for visiting my blog. 🙂
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Thanks tchistorygal.
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That’s what I thought! I reblogged it. It is a unique place in the world.
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Thanks for sharing about this amazing place that I have never seen before. Your photos and information is wonderful. Thanks for visiting my blog.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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Thanks fgassette and I always beleive that blogging has introduced me to another way of travel – by reading other blog posts. 🙂
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Great travel post. I’d love to experience the floating village. The closest I have come is a short visit to Aberdeen in Hong Kong.
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Thanks G.J.It is worth a visit for sure
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I would love to visit here. Thanks for your visit at Girl and Her Pink Backpack.
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Thanks Shantaya. It is quite a unique experience.
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Great post and thanks for liking my post! I believe the Travel Channel show, Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” did an episode on this river. Anthony (and his crew) sought out to catch a fish known for being a local delicacy and they were told they only had a brief amount of time to go out on the boat before the water level went down so much that their boat would get stuck in shallow water! Incredible what some water can do! Looking forward to reading more of your posts.
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Hey, thanks a ton for sharing this info. I had not known about this but will definitely look for this video online. It must have been quite an experience.. 🙂
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What an amazing place – would love to go and visit!
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Hi Madoqua, this is a completely unique experience and definitely worth a visit.
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Thanks for a fascinating look at the other side of the world.
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Thanks 🙂
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Which village is this?
I was in Cambodia in 2009 and visited Kampong Phluk which is a “floating” village on the Tonle Sap..
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I think it’s the same village, I don’t remember the name
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Wow, very interesting. I can’t believe the whole village just exists on a river. Quick thinking on the photos. It would be hard to imagine without the images.
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Thanks. You should seriously visit this place as the pics don’t do justice to it at all…
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I’m on the other side of the world at the moment (a bit tough to make a day trip), but when I’m closer I will definitely check it out.
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