On our first day in Siem Reap, we went to Tonle Sap Lake upon the recommendation of our tuk-tuk driver. Tonle Sap lake is the largest freshwater lake in Cambodia and in Southeast Asia (according to Wikipedia), and it is home to the Floating Village.
with our guide and boat driver who let me drive the boat
Honestly, the lake and the village aren’t really what you would call “tourist spots” — it’s actually kind of depressing.
a spirit house fishermen visit before fishing
floating houses
a family that asked us for donations (parang Pinas lang)
The Floating Village has an orphanage which houses and educates over 300 children. Tourists are not obliged, but our guide suggested that buy supplies (noodles, school supplies) for the children when we pass by because it would mean so much more to them rather than money. I guess what struck me was that it is apparent that the locals make an effort to help one another by promoting the area to tourists. So we bought a pack of snacks and supplies and felt good in doing so.
with orphans imitating my asian pose
We arrived at the port at around noon and had time to relax in the afternoon before heading out to the Angkor Temple complex and see the famous sunset at Phnom Bakheng.
We, together with hundreds of other tourists, had to climb up a hill to get to the temple. We thought we got there early, but because of the long queue, we UNFORTUNATELY did not get to go up and view the sunset from the temple. And we were so close, like only 15 people were ahead of us! You could just imagine the tourists complaints. But I guess the park people are used to this and sent us all away just the same.
Phnom Bakheng
tourists climbing the steps
me NOT climbing up the steps (I don't know why I look happy here)
a pretty sunset nonetheless
To cap the day off, we headed to Pub Street (the place to be for tourists and backpackers) for some outdoor dining and cheap alcoholic drinks.
Pub Street outdoor dining
Tonle Sap Lake
Entrance fee: $25 per person
Angkor Archeological Park
Entrance fee: $20 per person for 1 day (valuable tip: If you get there at 4:00 p.m., you already buy a ticket for the following day, thus, you only pay for 1 day instead of 2 days.)
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