Around during and about in Siem Reap

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A more leisurely start today and more temple hopping as I took in Preah Khan, Krot Ka, Ta Som and Pre Rup. These are all within the Angkor archeological area. From there it was a jolting ride to a boat ramp and a fast ride down river and out onto the Tonle Sap (which translates roughly to freshwater lake). The lake levels are low at the moment and given the villagers at Chong Kneas, the floating village I was to visit, use the lake as laundry, toilet and for drinking from, I don't think the water is particularly fresh. The boats are basically small, flat-bottomed sciffs with an engine and long driveshaft with a propeller on the end. The motors are deafeningly loud but the boats move along very quickly. At present there is only about 0.5metres of water under the houses that are built on bamboo rafts or rafts of old oil drums. In the wet season the water in the same spot can reach a depth of 12 metres and the lake becomes 3 or 4 times its current size. At that point the villagers up sticks and haul their houses into the relative safety of the river as winter storms could put an end to them. I visited a couple of the schools while I was there and a fishing farm, farming catfish. Climbing in and out of boats with a banged up knee is no easy matter and I almost ended up checking the water quality personally but managed to scramble to safety. The school visit was made all the more exciting when a snake popped up between the floorboards. After jumping about a foot in the air I was told it was just a frog-eating snake and harmless. All makes for an interesting day.

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