The Floating Villages of Cambodia

Just a short ride from Siem Reap - also the home of the awe inspiring Angkor Watt - is the village of Kampong Phluk. There, the village, like much of Cambodia, spends much of the year submerged by the Tonlé Sap lake, the biggest in SouthEast Asia. Rather than battle against the forever changing water level, the people there have adapted and thrived and it has consequently become better known as the floating village.

After a short drive from the city we switched modes of transport and boarded one of hundreds of wooden boats lining the shore awaiting tourists. This being the off-season meant ours was the only tour there that day, and even we were only seven.

{{As a side note, the other five were made up of a couple from Italy and a family of three from Australia; both were ‘Youtubers.’ Being able to see them in action was fascinating. Multiple go-pros were constantly in use and as they were constantly narrating to the camera it is hard to imagine what insight they had to give, given they rarely actually looked up from their camera equipment to observe their surroundings.}}

Almost immediately the land around us disappeared, replaced by the calm waters of the lake. Yet, what could still be seen were rows of houses, shops, and even schools and hospitals balanced on wooden poles metres above the water. Locals passed by in their boats with the fishing equipment necessary in order to live off the land water.

A small section of dry, higher land allowed us to disembark briefly. A temple and a school sit - elevated of course - directly on the water’s edge. Hundreds of children played in the streets whilst women worked in front of their houses, the men were all out on their boats fishing.

Before arriving I was concerned how ethically sound this visit would be. When I was in Rio I couldn’t even comprehend why people would want to go on tours to the favelas, to watch from a safe distance the poorest elements of society like animals on a safari. Here though, my concerns were completely unfounded. It is true by western standards they were a relatively poor community, but the impression I had at least was that they were happy. Modern comforts were available and it seemed they had done a good job of evolving with the times whilst still maintaining their traditional way of life. Unlike in Brazil, here the attraction wasn’t the people, but their culture and buildings - and it really was impressive and beautiful.

Walking down the main (and only) street, houses lined either side with ladders or steps up to the entrance. Chickens, amongst over animals, roamed the dirt path. I questioned myself if I had wrongly assumed chickens couldn’t swim; in fact when the waters rise a separate platform below the main building allows them to keep safe. The houses continued into the distance, beyond where we could walk as the waters had claimed this end of the village.

Of course, it is not just villages here, the people share this space with nature. Most impressive is the Mangrove Forest. Like something from a fairytale, we weaved through the trees on a kayak paddled by an expert local. Monkeys, supposedly, live overhead, however, despite Ailin’s best efforts, we failed to spot any. Below the surface is an abundance of shrimp which the locals catch adeptly with simple contraptions made from plastic bottles. The only sound is that of the paddle gently stroking through the water, further adding to the mesmeric tranquillity. Just beyond the forest is the main body of the Tonlé Sap lake, so large it truly feels like being on an ocean rather than a lake.

Here, life has evolved smoothly. Traditional customs have survived and prospered, necessary in order to survive in this unique ecosystem. Yet tourism has modernised the area - electricity became commonplace only 20 years ago - and it was normal to see a smartphone in the hands of the locals. Most significantly, at least on a surface level, everyone seemed happy.

It really was a uniquely wonderful place to visit and experience.

Written by: Tom Taylor (@tomtayloor)

Posted: 24/10/2024