A floating
supermarket within the thatched huts of the fisherman at Kompong Phluk
The most
interesting lake villages are a little further away from the main tourist
floating village of Chong Khneas and require time to get there.
Kompong Phluk is an
attractive small community with a land village and surrounding
mangroves.
In the dry season a
large number of temporary thatched dwellings are built on the lake.
these are removed during the flood season.
The name Kompong
Phluk Translates to
Harbour of the Tusks reflecting its past
trade in elephants. It is a place virtually untouched by time or
tourism
A fisherman showing off his catch!
Map of Tonle Sap <<
Click for more detail
The
river at Kompong Khleang; showing many of the thousands of stilt houses
which line the causeways and river systems. This is a typical view in
late January as the water levels are dropping.
Kompong Khleang
Pagoda gang!
Boats for the school kids outside the
pagoda.
The view in the background is the same as
the larger picture above; showing the extent of the flooding.
Kompong Khleang
Pagoda
Mixing it:
Using a paddle to
stir shrimps
Kompong Khleangis one of the largest
settlements on the
lake. Over 20,000 people live in high stilt houses which tower up to 10
meters over the river. It is a spectacular place which only gets a
small number of visitors.
There is a small island at the centre of the
village which has a bustling market and one of several Pagodas, a
School and Health Centre. The Pagoda has a brightly coloured painting
outside the entrance; depicting Heaven and a rather gory Hell; depicted
very graphically. There are also carved stones from the remains of an
Angkorian Temple which was once on this site.
The kids are enthusiastic and cheekily pose
anywhere a camera is pointed. Some are quite fascinated by their
reflections in the glass of camera lenses. They get very exited when
the see their images in the preview screens of digital cameras.
Fresh fruit on sale at the remote floating
village of Moat Khla
Houseboats are
moored among tree tops at the floating village of Moat Khla in
the flood season
Moat Khla is a small community if Khmer and Vietnamese floating
houses in a remote area with no road links. It gets very few visitors
due to access difficulties (it is 5 hours by boat from Siem
Reap Our boat based in Kompong Khleang can get there in 2
hours (in season)
Working on a large loom
weaving bamboo strips for fish fencing
Rowing by
foot
A dramatic
sky at
the end of the wet season
Preparing nets
Kompong Phluk
frying
bananas the
market
Welly Boot and
Bucket dance!
(2 monks working
on building site at their pagoda in Kompong Khleang)
A good
Catch >>
The flooded street in
October 06 dries up and becomes a drivable road by January. Both photos
are taken from exactly the same place
A transaction on a
floating fish market
The market extends
down to the previously flooded street in the dry season
Vews
of the same broken Spirit house, which was hit by a boat in October
2006.
This landmark looked a very
sorry state until May 2007 when it was rebuilt.
The photos above were taken
in flood season showing the extent of the lake and in April
2007 when the flood water receded.
<< Latest
Photo taken In August 07 shows the new spirit house towering 6 metres
above the water.
Panoramic view of
Kompong Khleang at low water
In the Dry
Season the Water Level Drops; so all boat traffic upriver ceases
Agriculture
takes place on the previously flooded landscape; hundreds of people
live in
temporary shacks along the river
If
you are visiting Cambodia and want to experience these places; we can
set up a tour if not on the programme. See our
Tourspage for
details
Kompong Khleang
Pagoda gang!
