Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It is very near Siem Reap, so there are a bunch of tours to various fishing villages. We’ve been told that the closest one is a tourist trap, full of scams. Kompong Khleang is the furthest from Siem Reap, and the most authentic.
We signed up for a tour by a non-profit raising funds for their village school. The tour guide grew up in the village. The surrounding area has about 10,000 people. His village has 1000. They really know how to show up for “it takes a village.”
We started out stopping at a roadside shop making sticky rice. They mix the rice with coconut milk and beans, then stick it in bamboo, then bake it.
Next we stopped at a bakery where we had doughnuts, worms, and ginger. Turns out the names are based on the shapes of the product, not the flavor.
After about an hour and a half, the last 30 minutes on a fairly rough road, we came to Khampong Khleang. It’s the dry season, so the water is low. Many businesses operate on the ground this time of year. When the water rises, they move up into the houses. The houses are wonders of engineering, especially knowing that they are built with knowledge past down through generations.
We made it to the school, then climbed a ramp with bicycle tires hammered on for traction, to come to the school. It is in the teacher’s home.
After class, we toured more of the village. This is when our van broke down.
The average family has 6 children, and they were out in force. Many said hello, and most wanted to high-five or fist-bump.
We made our way to the dock, passing schoolkids getting out on the way. After boarding the boat, we headed out of the inlet for about 20 minutes. As we went, the houses thinned out, and rice fields appeared. The soil is very fertile, as it is flooded every year.
We finally made it to Tonle Sap Lake for the sunset. There were probably 5 boats out to watch. The others must have been tours in other villages, as we didn’t see other tourists in our village.
Coming back we passed quite a few floating boats. These support the rice fields, and in some cases belong to poorer families who cannot afford land to build a house.
I think we would both agree, that this was one of the best tours we’ve been on. The way the village takes care of itself is truly inspiring.
