I am currently leading the Indochina Encompassed tour and in Siem Reap. It is hard not to be impressed with Angkor Wat, but there is so much more in this region, that many people are not aware of….
When people hear about ‘Siem Reap’, they immediately think ‘Angkor Wat’. Or at least, most travellers do.
Not locals. Many of the people living in the Siem Reap province have never seen the beauty of Angkor. They see the beauty of the surrounding countryside.
They don’t know about life in times of the great Khmer Empire. They know daily life on the Khleang river.
Take a closer look at the life in the floating village of Kampong Khleang. During rainy season, the vast amounts of rain water cause the flooding Mekong river to push its water back up (!!) the Tonlé Sap river. The river feeds the Tonlé Sap Lake which grows up to ten times its size during the dry season.
Needless to say that only the communities in stilt houses and people living in the floating villages on the river can build their lives in this fertile but ever-changing environment!
Life on the Khleang river isn’t just life on a boat…Because it’s never ‘just a boat’. It’s home, it’s a means of transportation, it’s income. Even the youngest members of the family understand this remarkable way of life!
Here are some more pictures from life on Tonlé Sap.
