The Tonlé Sap Lake by Arushi

This morning we embarked on a boat ride on the biggest freshwater lake in South-East Asia, home of around 150 species of fish - the Tonlé Sap lake.

As we made our way down the ramp to the lake, a camera was shoved in our faces and a quick snap was taken by an unfamiliar lady who ran between us capturing everyone’s faces in a very peculiar rapid manner. We puzzled this strange behaviour, but soon forgot it as we arrived at the boat.

The journey started off in a man made area housing many boats, such as for the several tourist trips that take place here. The brown murky water (due to mud from other rivers) seemed unappealing, but is in fact the source of life for these floating villages. As we cruised along, it was evident the hustle of life here, from the waving children playing in the water to the organised floating homes bursting with colour. We passed by many various sights, such as water buffaloes bathing, the construction of a new home being built and even a barbers shop floating on the river!

After travelling along a channel like part of the lake, it opened out into a wide expanse so large the other side of the lake wasn’t even visible to us. We turned back around stopping off at the restaurant. This restaurant housed several catfish, which darted at the surface of the water, swarming to any food that was dropped in. There was also a crocodile enclosure, containing around 10 crocodiles, lying so still any movement from these huge animals would send shivers down your spine. These mighty creatures were doomed for an unfortunate death, whether it’s becoming an expensive wallet or maybe even a meal. The ominous crocodile skin hanging in the restaurant as decoration, or maybe even a sign of triumph was unsettling and made our stomachs turn at the poor fate of these helpless animals (especially for the vegetarians!)

As we disembarked from our boat and climbed up the ramp, we were almost immediately greeted with hawkers, brandishing souvenir ‘Angkor Wat’ plates with our faces on! The strange photographer from the beginning was part of a slightly comical and clever money making scheme, which left us very surprised!

We then all piled back into the van and pulled away from the lively lake and I think we all felt our eyes were opened from this experience, having the rare opportunity to be this close to another way of living. Floating houses neatly positioned with hammocks for bed, no such thing as front doors, restaurants showcasing crocodile skin and a constant flow of fishermen speeding away to earn their living.Read more