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MeznG. In the air, on the road, river or sea again
This morning after breakfast we board a local boat to go to a local village. Around 1000 families live on floating houses and around 400000 people live in the province.
Our eyes are opened to a totally foreign lifestyle. The houses on the river are floating on bamboo and fuel drums. Some of them are also shops or businesses, mechanics to fix the boats or sell fishing gear and petrol. There are kids and dogs, chickens and cats all living in the houses. The kids are so cute and so happy.
Once on land we walk up to the village street. The river is still slowly rising so in a couple of months a lot of what we see today will be under water. The people who live on the water mainly fish and the people who live on the river banks are farmers. There are 'brokers' who travel up and down the river collecting the fish and produce and take it to sell.
As we walk the street the local people are going about their day. There are people fixing televisions and tinkering with motors. A few barber shops and a guy up loading music onto iPods and iPhones for customers. The food market is interesting with deep fried battered frogs, hard boiled duck eggs with ducklings inside. Our guide Fin makes a purchase of the duck egg and proceeds to eat the duckling. I have to walk away as it is turning my stomach.
There is fish, and meat and rice for sale everywhere.
We come across a group of young monks who have come into town to gather alms in the way of food and goods. They each carry a pot with a lid and as they stop they are given rice and other foods into their pots and then this follows by a chanted blessing.
The children are everywhere and all run up to say hello. Sometimes they just want to touch your skin. It's difficult, you want to be able give them something, but just what would that be and I guarantee you will never have enough. It's better to smile and talk with them for a minute.
We walk back to our local boat and continue to see the floating houses and village. It's such a simple life but not one we can really understand.
We are taken back to our floating house where we can have a coffee and reflect on the mornings activities.
After lunch we continue our cruise on Tonle Sap River passing farms and fishermen along the way.
Our eyes are opened to a totally foreign lifestyle. The houses on the river are floating on bamboo and fuel drums. Some of them are also shops or businesses, mechanics to fix the boats or sell fishing gear and petrol. There are kids and dogs, chickens and cats all living in the houses. The kids are so cute and so happy.
Once on land we walk up to the village street. The river is still slowly rising so in a couple of months a lot of what we see today will be under water. The people who live on the water mainly fish and the people who live on the river banks are farmers. There are 'brokers' who travel up and down the river collecting the fish and produce and take it to sell.
As we walk the street the local people are going about their day. There are people fixing televisions and tinkering with motors. A few barber shops and a guy up loading music onto iPods and iPhones for customers. The food market is interesting with deep fried battered frogs, hard boiled duck eggs with ducklings inside. Our guide Fin makes a purchase of the duck egg and proceeds to eat the duckling. I have to walk away as it is turning my stomach.
There is fish, and meat and rice for sale everywhere.
We come across a group of young monks who have come into town to gather alms in the way of food and goods. They each carry a pot with a lid and as they stop they are given rice and other foods into their pots and then this follows by a chanted blessing.
The children are everywhere and all run up to say hello. Sometimes they just want to touch your skin. It's difficult, you want to be able give them something, but just what would that be and I guarantee you will never have enough. It's better to smile and talk with them for a minute.
We walk back to our local boat and continue to see the floating houses and village. It's such a simple life but not one we can really understand.
We are taken back to our floating house where we can have a coffee and reflect on the mornings activities.
After lunch we continue our cruise on Tonle Sap River passing farms and fishermen along the way.
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