Tonle lake is near Siem Reap. The people in Tonle live on the lake on floating houses. The houses have floats constructed of bamboo and empty drums. In the dry season the lake drains away and some of the people move to the mountain areas. As the rains fill the lake in the wet season they return to their floating houses. There was a floating police station, mechanical workshops, a Catholic Church, a mosque and numerous shops. The floating school consisted of several floating buildings including a basketball court.
The road to the landing was very dusty and lined with houses and shops on stilts. There were many water pumps for the villagers to use and they were sponsored by different countries, foundations and individuals. Some restaurants had hammocks for the patrons.
The government provides the boats to tour the lake and charges a high price for this privilege. The people in this area are the poorest we have seen. There are many fish farms and crocodile farms on the lake.
In the wet season the lake fills up from the Mekong River. It was very interesting.
We passed a parade where people carried offerings for Buddha. Some young men heavily made-up were on horse back and many of the girls were dressed in beautiful lace tops and skirts.
