The largest lake in the region is housed here... Khmer Rouge.
Life along the lake can be challenging and primitive ... definitely so for Subang Jaya folks. The good of travelling is when you observe how people lead lives differently from yours; you begin to appreciate all that you have and are humbled by the sufferings of the less fortunate.
When you visit Siem Reap, a visit to the lake is part and parcel of the itinerary. The locals are proud to show the lake to others as it not only taps into the tourism industry but it also means business and monetary gains.
To reach the largest lake in South East Asia you can either travel by road or by boat. The novelty of course is by water and there are plans to develop further the water canals that connect the mainland to the lake. Dredging efforts to deepen the waters is a must if tourism is to be encouraged.
From afar we saw boats parked along the waters ready to ferry customers for a tour to the lake.
The connecting pathway is steep but a good change from the more civilised versions of developed places.
We ladies of the entourage are fearless...we lead.
All the 12 of us had first hand experience on the boat to Tonle Sap. For me it was a dream come true as I recalled the days of old when I taught Geography ...
Tasik Tonle adalah tasik yang terbesar...great feeling.
However, when you carefully examine the mechanism of how the vehicle is worked on, you may have seconds thoughts of cruising on it. Simple mechanism ; very basic and far from the modern mode.
A bare steering wheel and the brake system is just a modest bar controlled by a string.
Do you notice the similarity of the chain system often found on a bicycle? Yes, that simple.
The man at the wheel was helped by a couple of boys who had to manoeuvre the craft whenever another one came along and threatened to crash into it...had a foretaste of some harrowing moments. But look at the guy ; guess his age? We were told that he would help in the business each day after school to earn a little. He is small in size for a twelve year old.
Each time another boat came in the opposite direction we had to expect a hit on but strangely it never happened though many a time we could even feel that a bang was imminent.
Cruising along Tonle Sap we saw life at its helm...
Fishing with the simplest approach yet the catch was big. However, we were told the catches had decreased in volume in these later times...commercialization sowing its consequences.
Make believe shacks easing the livelihood of those along the lake in their daily supplies.
The neighbourhood held a merriment as crowds gathered at the haunts for their groceries and other needs. Quiant looking in many ways.
However nothing beat these fishermen. Their catch promised freshness and natural tastes. When you devour seafood you would want to taste the best...get them there.
Perhaps the most heart wrenching moments were when we witnessed poverty displayed on the waters.
Naked, he performed acts to catch the audience along the waters hoping to be appreciated and be given a penny or two. He would allow the python to encircle himself in anticipation of a reward for his bravery.
Our fears though were when we chose to reward one , it would encourage more to crowd around us for more rewards.
However much I wanted to avoid them, I finally gave in to this little gentleman...he would go ranting ...one dollar, one dollar, one dollar (US by the way). When no one was watching too closely , I passed him a dollar and he quickly encircled the python around himself to make the dollar worth given. Back home, he would be so pampered but here, he already knew how to beg to survive. That's life.
We were told that the Vietnamese were among the poorest here and we spotted a Vietnamese school among one of the buildings along the lake.
Notice the orange case in the boat?
Yes this tough one first seated on the first boat casually jumped into ours effortlessly and sold the contents of the orange box...carbonated drinks. A can for US1.00; pricey for Malaysian standard.
The French influence was felt in the presence of a church and worshippers treat this place as a place of worship by the Vietnamese.
We also noticed a boat-making enterprise ... fishing boats constructed from local hardwood called koki.
I caught this interesting feature ; a yardstick to watch out for water levels for the locals to make appropriate decisions on the mode of travel.
We finally arrived at the main shopping centre of the lake and could not resist a shot on the highest pointof the floating restaurant...as usual.
Goods were attractive but that's not the palce to get cheap stuff...
Attractive and colourful handbags for sale but we were eyeing the Russian market for our goods.
Straw products ; this time flip flops.
Upon seeing this depiction of the turtle, everyone shouted out ... Puan Loy and her bp project! Take a shot to see if a new mascot could be created...darn kiasu.
Table runners are displayed in great tastes ; spoilt for choice.
Silk handbags daintily made and displayed.
Fishing tools for sale too.
All in all, we enjoyed ourselves and were glad to be given a chance to cruise along this famous lake and it was memories for keeps... for quite a while.
