One of the main attractions at Siem Reap Cambodia is this – The Floating Village.

Tonle Sap is the lake where the floating village is located at.

From our hotel, we rented a tuk-tuk to bring us to the dock of The Floating Village. More or less, that was around 30 minutes. It could take less time if the tuk-tuk was a little faster.

We rented a private motor boat for our tour around this unusual village. As we rode the boat, our tour guide gave us a short history lesson behind the village. According to him, the village has an unusual characteristic. The weather dictates the flow of the water at the lake, as it changes its direction depends on the season, dry or rainy. Dry seasons, probably around first to second quarter of the year, the lake is around 1-2 meters deep. During rainy seasons, starting June till October, the lake is filled with water with 14 meters in depth. Our trip to Cambodia happened during the rainy season. We were just lucky, a sunny weather welcomed us as we toured around the floating village.

The boat ride to the village was pretty entertaining as we saw neighboring boats with different nationalities, some are tourists, some are natives from Cambodia.

Livelihood in this area of Cambodia is simple. They survive by catching fish and making agriculture in Cambodia progress.

After several minutes from the dock, these are the sights we saw…

The church is connected to their community school. The catholic church was the one who built the school to introduce education to these less fortunate kids.

This is the market where they encourage foreigners or tourists to stop by and purchase canned goods, instant noodles, rice, etc. for the rural children of Cambodia.

 I didn’t spot anyone eating there. I’m unsure if the restaurant is still running in business or not.

We stopped by at the Crocodile Hub to check out their baby crocodiles fresh from the lake.

Exotic food in Cambodia includes, crocodile dishes.

I also stopped by at their Floating School and met some children. Communicating with them was challenging. These children just stared at us without saying a thing. I guess words are not the best way to communicate but showing love through giving.

The two-hour boat ride around The Floating Village gave me a picture of the reality happening in other parts of the world. While gazing around, I paused talking for a while and thanked God how blessed my family in the Philippines is. Comparing was the last thing I wanted to think of, but I was just so thankful I was born in the Philippines, not a first world country, but a country where there is hope and a nation believing that there is a God who is in control. We, Filipinos, tend to criticize our own land in many ways. I know we can be emotional about it knowing that there are so many errors in our country, especially by our high officials, the powerful government. My trip to Cambodia pushed me to still be thankful despite those issues in the Philippines. We need to have hope, be more prayerful, and make a difference in our own ways, wherever we are in our own industries. I still believe I was born in the Philippines for God’s perfect reasons. I am in the process of figuring out the answers as to why, but I have faith, He knows what He is doing.

On the other note, if you happen to plan a Cambodian trip this year, plot The Floating Village in your itinerary. I must say, it is fascinating to gaze upon a different view of the world. This village is very extraordinary, exclusive for Cambodians.

Stay updated and Subscribe to The Food Scout for Free!

Cheers,