Woke up around 10am, fuzzy headed and a new meaning to furry mouth. Still tasting my late night Cambodian snack, several more brushes of teeth later, it certainly wasn't the greatest start to the day. We headed out to find a bakers as with the French influence in Cambodia thought it would be a rewarding breakfast. We settled for a French cafe drinking lots of coffee with toast and jam. The soothing French jazz helped to regain my sanity once more. We consulted the lonely planet borrowed from our friends at the Frog and decided to find another tuk tuk to take us to the floating village. Sitting at the roadside finishing our breakfast you see numerous beggars scarred by the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge.
Tuk tuk arranged, we headed out of town towards the river. The bustling town diminishes quickly to a more basic town, villages and rural area. Fields stretching out into the distance filled with Lillie's. Not figured this out yet, but watched a local picking them. Arriving at the dock we parted with a further $20 each (driver being $15 round trip) and had our own longboat to head down the river to the village. As well as the boat captain another Cambodian with good english explained a little about what we were seeing, which made a change from our "guide" driving us around Angkor. The water is extremely low at this time of year and the river is in fact a man made canal built to take tourists to see the people living on the lake. Couldn't have been much more than a metre of water with the boat grinding and getting stuck along the bottom now and again. Along the canal side there were large poles around 10 metres where at the start of the rainy season it can rise to that level and possibly beyond. The poor, who live at the waters edge with nothing more than bamboo floor on bamboo sticks, with a plastic sheet to protect them, eventually relocate before the rain arrives.
He pointed to a large graveyard on the right hand side of the bank where fishermen are buried. This will seasonally be covered to literally become a watery grave. The waters become so deep and wild, with many storms and large waves, that the poor who venture out first quite often lose their lives.
Getting closer to the village it is split in 2, with Cambodians on the right side and Vietmanese on the left. Once docked at the initial hub, we are fleeced for another $20 each to get a small boat to go around the village. This money apparently goes to helping the poor here and can only hope it goes to a good cause.
No choice as we are here now, I was glad to see it but would enquire with the hostel on return to see if this was normal practice. Trying to maintain our balance in the small boat the Cambodian gondola driver uses broken english to point out what we are seeing. Buddhist churches (country 95% Buddhist), Christian churches, a police station, schools, markets, battery stations to recharge their main power of car batteries, floating chicken farms, fish farms, even a basketball court and gardens, all floating and they will move round the lake to go where the fish are. Stopping at a crocodile farm and catfish farm we look at some of their wares (including snake meat), we climb a gantry to see a view over the lake. Would be incredible to see it towards the end of the rainy season as the water is not so murky.
Our driver then wanted to take us to a market to buy food for orphans at one of the schools. At this point I am starting to lose my patience, explaining to our guide that surely the Cambodian people should use some of the $20 dollars extra that was given, to help the next generation. Definite feeling of being conned. A line needs to be drawn somewhere.
On return to town we get some food and relax for the night. I spoke to Chris at the Frog who informed me it is a con when going to the village. Better to arrange via a hostel.
Starting to understand the Cambodians slightly better. Friendly but where there is a dollar to be made they will try.
Our plans have changed and instead of heading down the west coast where the beaches of Sihanoukville lay, we decide to head east to Ban Hong to where Apocalypse Now was partly filmed.
Enjoyed my time in Siem Reap and starting to get into the backpacking adventure.