The floating village of Chong Khneas lies at the edge of Tonle Sap lake, the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia. This fishing settlement, situated just 10km south of Siem Reap, is easily accessible and is a must-visit attraction for an insight to the lifestyle of village folks in Cambodia.
We take a tuk tuk to the jetty of Chong Khneas and get onto a private boat for a 2 hour ride with a local tour guide (USD20 per person – think we could have been overcharged).
houseboats near the jetty
The boat takes us along the waterway passing by the village community largely inhabited by Vietnamese. One of the highlights of the boat trip is stopping by at the floating school. There is a shop next to the school where we can buy stationery and notebooks for the children. We also have a quick look at a crocodile farm and souvenir shop as part of the tour.
‘mobile’ houses on the river bank during the dry season – these houses can be moved to drier land during the wet season when the water level of the lake rises
rowing a boat along the river of floating houses
kids paddling by
buying daily necessities from a passing boat
a family making a living by selling vegetables on a boat
the ‘No Waves’ sign on the river to warn large boats not to speed and cause waves to nearby boats and floating houses
Fishing - the main source of income for the people of Chong Khneas
the making of a fishing net
ladies making fishing baits out of tin cans
a fish farm
The Crocodile Farm
hungry crocodiles
Public Services on water
the police station the church
the temple
The School
the floating school
children in school uniform on the way to school
waving from the classroom
inside the classroom
looking out for head lice
having a break outside class
school kids surrounding a boat selling snacks
Click here to visit other villages of Tonle Sap.
Very interesting subjects. Nice pics!
tx shazrul… it was a colourful boat ride along the river.
Very insteresting lifestyle of floating village, nice pictures and good description!
tx rafael, it was fun learning about the culture of the floating fishing lifestyle.
The classroom is on the boat too, so cute and interesting. Looks like they have everything on the boat. I have seen those living in Thailand and sourthern part of China, but you have more closer look at their living. It must be a very uniqe experience to you!
micki, yea it was a unique experience to me to see a whole community living on water. the classrooms, houses, places of worship all on water.