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| Lakeside cafe |
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| The boys |
Tim recognises me in the morning when I try to negotiate a tuk tuk journey to Tonle Sap with one of his colleagues. Tim is the driver that picked me up from the airport with Phalla and is willing to give me a reasonable price. This is how it works here , if you stick to one driver they become your friend, companion, guide and they can be very protective of you. But then I am lucky because I think Tim is a nice man.
Today I am at the Tonle Sap lake. The tuk tuk journey from Siem Reap is 30 minutes. The road swivels along the river. It crosses roadside neighbourhoods and villages, as we go further away from Siem Reap. There are many huts the other side of the river and small bridges , the crossing points, at different spots. Soon we reach rice paddy land. Humble roadside cafes with hammocks are laid out one after the other. The landscape has changed to open space fields and vastness. Here there is low vegetation and the lusciousness of the riverside is a distant memory. Soon I can see the lake. The temperature is rising and this is hot day but it is not unbearable.
At the lake I have to pay an entry and boat fee for a visit to the floating village and a boat ride around the lake. This is all Government run but I am really not sure whether the young boat drivers get a good wage. My boat is number B60. My drivers are two brothers, Neht and Loih (I really think I didnt get their names right), aged 18 and 10. Tim has never been to the lake, can he come with me? This is my 6th day in Siem Reap area and I have already seen so much it upsets me that a local has never managed to be on a boat and visit Tonle Sap . I am happy to have him along. He can only be of help and he is a subtle and discreet man. The boat ride is a blast. The boys warm to me, they sing and tell me about the village and their family in Siem Reap. They let me ride the boat to the open lake. There we go around in circles to test my skills. We watch people fishing. We watch a fast large river boat arrive from Phnom Penh
We go past a floating school, a floating pig farm, the water treatment works, houses and cafes. This is a small floating village and the people are poor despite the constant stream of tourists. At our stop the boys and I have a cold drink. They are delightful and so much fun I am in giggles most of the time. Tim is hungry and has the strange and disgusting to me delicacy of crocodilie eggs with some chilli sauce. These are sold to the locals by approaching floating vendors. Believe it or not I think I have discovered something I am not willing to eat. ‘They are just little’, Tim says, ‘ No problem’. I can actually see the little crocodile embryo.
On the way back, little Loih and I sit on the bow of the boat. Earlier at the café whilst gazing at the lake he was cheerfully singing to himself. It was so beautiful. What can I do to get him to sing again? I ask him but he shyly giggles and hides behind his hands. As I sit on the bow I break into a loud song. I sing whatever comes to mind in Greek and I turn to see his amazed face. What is this he wonders? Perhaps he is willing me to stop. But I get no other reaction than surprise; this boy is a difficult one to win over. But when I no longer have any expectations, he starts to hum and gradually raise the volume of his song. His brother joins in. For the rest of the journey, I marvel at their beautiful voices and synchronised performance.
At the lake side I am in much need of a drink. I pick roadside or lakeside cafes by the face and smile of the people working there. My next pick is quite a gem. I am greeted by a brother and sister who are from the same province as Tim but don’t know him. The owner’s English is very good and he tells me about his family. His father is now a monk in old age and is family is still at the village. He runs this café, which at the moment is swarming with locals watching some Cambodian comedy show mesmerised. This is a nice rest stop before we go back. And Tim is hungry again so he orders himself a bigger meal which he devours in a few minutes. It’s 3 pm and time to go back. I am ready for a wander in town and a quiet evening (little do I know it’s not going to a quiet one). I think I will go for a swim tomorrow.
More photos from the lake are here:
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