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Cambodia’s Floating Village of Chong Kneas
We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia this morning from Ho Chi Minh City. It was a one hour flight that followed the Mekong River. We instantly fell in love with Cambodia – it is so lush and the people are so beautifully friendly…. not to mention the fantastic food.
Only a short TukTuk ride from Siem Reap we boarded a boat on the ebb of the largest lake in Asia to visit Chong Kneas – a floating commune. The floating village moves with the water. Currently the lake is at it’s fullest and over the next few months, it will start receding so the village moves with it. By Feb/Mar (dry season), the area will be almost half. The village has infrastrature such as schools (5), church, doctors. There was even a basketball court. The main industry is fishing but within their community everyone has a job… blacksmith, mechanic, clothes maker…etc.
After a day on the water, we walked into the “old market” area for dinner and a fish foot massage…yes, that’s right. You sit with your feet in a pool, where tiny fish eat away the dead cells on your feet. At first it’s an unbearable tickle, but once you get that under control it is great. Your feet feel so much smoother afterwards and refreshed. Note the photos of Elias’ feet – all the fish in the pool settled on his feet and chowed down.
Tomorrow we rise early to visit Day 1 of the famous Angkor Wat.
…more photos in the Gallery above…