Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia 10/28/09

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[youtube=CEn7ZjJfe5I][youtube=cAJ4YXO_Owg][youtube=sW2uC_8YJ7k][youtube=pa1cNvc0vSQ]

Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. It is so large that it resembles the size of a sea. In early spring, it’s at it’s lowest and covers 2500 square kilometers. However, when monsoon rains begin and the Himalayan waters rush down the Mekong River (where the Tonle Sap drains into) the amount of water reverses the flow of the Tonle Sap and all the water rushes back into the Tonle Sap and it now becomes 10,000 square kilometers. Wow! After rains ebb, the water reverses again and resumes normal drainage back into the Mekong River. Cambodian life is utterly dependant on this Lake. The majority of fish eaten in Cambodia come from the Tonle Sap. The lake is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve which maintains conservation practice and helps it remain a sustainable ecosystem.
We visited the village Kamphong Phluk which built out in the lake. All the buildings are built on stilts about 30ft high. During the dry season, when the lake at it’s smallest acreage, the village is dry and you can walk around it. Well under it actually. When the rains come and the lake swells, the village is only accessible by boat since the waters of the lake become 20-30ft deep.
We visited this village just after rainy season ended and waters are starting to recede. We accessed the boat dock to take us out to the village by first having to drive down a long pothole filled dirt road (the lake floods the road too). We videoed the bumpy road and are still trying to figure out if this blog can add video. At the boat dock, we took a long wooden motor powered boat out to the village. It took ½ hour and the sun was beginning to set over the water. At the village, we saw villagers going on their normal daily routines on the water. It was strange seeing the ladders from the houses just climbing down into the water. Animal pens are on their own little stilt huts. They live by their boats, of course, they use them for everything from transportation, to fishing and even cook on them. We saw the local women practicing their boat rowing for upcoming boat races this weekend. Apparently, most of this part of the country has boat races all over their districts. It’s a big deal and kids have 5 days off of school as a holiday. Strange for us first world people was to see people bathing and using the water to cook with and it’s the same water that is their toilet. And, you can smell it. Ewwwww.
We videoed the village too because photos just doing do it justice. You have to see the video to appreciate the difficulty in which this people live and subsist. After ½ in the village, we headed back mostly in the dark which is rather unsettling but intriguing at the same time. Thus, ends our FIRST FULL DAY in Cambodia.
Bear with us...it takes a while to go through all the pics and write the blog while we're exhausted at night. We'll get it done. Stay tuned.

REVISED 10/31/09: HAPPY HALLOWEEN and we added videos. Please enjoy!

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Photos

Boat to Kamphong Phluk Village
We sat in a nice rattan love seat while onboard,

Cows on lil island in Tonle Sap Lake
Just strange to see a couple of them just standing on this lil island.

Kamphong Phluk Village
Just after rainy season so water is about 20' deep

Kamphong Phluk Boat Racers
These women were hauling a@@ in this boat. They must be pretty strong so wouldn't want to mess with them.

Comments

[Allene Lewis]

Water village
Wow, don't know if I could deal with that water all the time... Miss ya Rick, the place is not the same without you! BTW, this guy who works in AIR, Paul Washington, passed away suddenly from a Massive Heart attack over the long weekend. Wasn't sick, had some medical issues but was at work last week.