Life-a learning experience: A floating existence

We enjoyed our time with Pundee so much during our excursion to the outer temples that we decided to book him as our driver the following day so we could visit Tonel Sap Lake and the floating villages.

After a somber ride through the countryside, passing shack-like homes and shops, we arrived to the Tonel Sap boat dock. As we made our way down the steep foot bridge to reach the dock, there was a gentleman unassumingly taking pictures of each person. My initial thought was that the boat company was undertaking some form of identification for passengers embarking out into the floating village as a safety measure. Little did I know they were sneakingly snapping our photos so they could customize a plastic plate with our picture on it and hoards of little kids would be watching us disembark at the end of the tour, performing manual facial recognition before pitching us our personalized plate as a souvenir for purchase.

At the end of the foot bridge, Jon and I presented our tickets and were quickly ushered onto a boat by three young boys ranging in age from 10 to 15. Before we even realized what was going on, the boat took off and we were the only passengers on board. The middle aged boy would be our captain for the day and the oldest boy assumed the role of tour guide for our private tour.

With the dry season in full effect, the water level of the river feeding Tonel Sap lake was quite low and caused the water to be very murky. Despite the muddy water, the locals went about normal life fishing and bathing.

The silhouette of the floating village came into view once we left the river and entered the lake. As we rode into the village, our guide pointed out the floating basketball court, church, primary school, and numerous shops used by the families living in the floating village homes. The poverty levels exceeded what we saw the previous day while visiting the outer temples. In addition to lacking access to electricity and running water, the floating village was in even direr state since they did not have access to any form of clean drinking water. The flotation village relies solely on bottled water for drinking water consumption and cooking, while the lake water is used for household and personal cleaning.

Some of the boat cruise guides strong arm and guilt tourists to visit the main shopping depot and purchase bulk food items for the orphanage or school. Jon and I were definitely interested to give back to the community but we wanted a more authentic and less sanitized experience. After much debate, we convinced our guide to drop us at a local market.

Jon and I exited the boat and entered a small family owned market. The building served as part market and part home for the family running the business. We entered and were greeted by a mother, father, grandmother and three children sitting on their floor. We had no way of communicating with them except for hand gestures, neither of us spoke the others language. The building was one large room of merchandise and personal household items mixed together on the shelves and floor. While much of the merchandise was dated, we managed to find some items to purchase.

After leaving the market our guide took us to the sole restaurant in the floating village and only place to purchase a cold drink. Mothers with their young children dock their boats on the edge of the restaurant and call out for money and food. Their pleas were made in unison and produced a high pitched, near chant-like song. Some mothers even had their little boys holding snakes around their necks and asked for a dollar to take photographs with them. When tourists would leave the restaurant, some of the children would come aboard and scavenger what food or drink was left behind on the table. It was just heart breaking to watch.

After finishing a snack at the restaurant, it was time to return to the boat and make our way back to the dock. Our time out on Tonel Sap and visiting the floating villages provided me with a glimpse of a life I did not even know was possible. I left the lake with a heavy heart that afternoon.

The rural village en route to Tonel Sap.