"Everyone Out of the Boat and Help Push"

Just kidding--it didn't come to that--but we had an adventure!

The floating homes of fishermen on the "Great Lake" of central and northwest Cambodia move with the seasons; they are towed to shoreline locations depending on the water level.

In the rainy season the level of the lake rises as water spills into it from the Mekong. During the dry season water drains out of the lake back into the Mekong. The water shift can be rather rapid and if one does not move his houseboat quickly it can be stuck in the mud until the rains start.

Access to the lake from a fixed location is much further in the dry season than in the rainy season. So, when we boarded out motorboat for a visit to the floating homes we needed to go down a long, narrow canal.

And we got stuck!

Stuck in the Mud

Boats passed each other on the canal. That involved, among other things, cutting the engines so that the propeller splashes didn't inundate the tourists

The Floating Village

Children learn how to paddle (and bail) a boat at a young age, about five

This house has it's own barge!

Hanging out after school

We stopped here for the necessary room and a beer

flowers and plants were common

The market lady made door-to-door deliveries

Time for a new thatched roof

The floating houses have access to the shore.

The livelihood of the village is mainly fishing

 The endangered Siamese Crocodile occurs in small isolated pockets within the northern Cambodian and Laotian portions of the Mekong River. The Saltwater crocodile once ranged from the Mekong Delta up the river into Tonle Sap and beyond but is now extinct in the river, along with being extinct in all of Vietnam and possibly even Cambodia

Captured croc

Pigs have their floating homes

Chickens, too

The family dog (small & fluffy) was under the box. I don't know why the child is upset.

We arrived in the village just as afternoon school was letting out.  In Cambodia, there are two schools sessions--a morning school for half the kids and an afternoon school for the rest.  There were kids everywhere. I saw one boy doing this homework on the boat. Others were hanging out or playing volleyball on shore.

We thought there should be a "boat bus", painted yellow...

Going home from school

"Mom, Dad, We're home!"

 We were definitely invading the privacy of the village--a trade-off for village income from sales of food, drink and goods. Some people were good natured about it and smiled and waved; others frowned

Main street

primary school

Dinner!