 Kampong Phluk Since we were a bit "templed out" after our 1st day in Siem Reap, Mr. Sok suggested visiting one of the three "floating villages" in Cambodia off the Tonle Sap Lake. Wanting to see a bit more of the everyday life of Cambodians, Nate and I were in! When Mr. Sok picked us up from our hotel, we asked if we could donate or bring anything for the locals. He told us school supplies for the children of the village are much appreciated #done #shoppingspree After a quick stop at a local shop for these, we were on our way for about an hour drive outside the city. Views along the way
So even though Kampong Phluk is called a "floating village", it actually depends what month you visit. A majority of the houses and buildings are on 16 ft stilts which look crazy during the dry season but during the rainy season (June - Nov), the water level from the river rises and they "float". We arrived at the outskirts of the village, and took a colorful boat into the heart of it. Along the way, we passed many colorful houses and it was almost comical to see the balancing houses high in the sky and people going about their daily business.  Options of boats into the village  On our way with Mr. Sok  First views of the village, a temple and a school
 A makeshift bridge  Daily life It was eye opening to see people living in this community and their day to day lives, of people doing laundry, fishing, cooking etc, or climbing up the steep, swaying ladders into their high, balancing homes. The primary business of this community is fishing (duh) and shrimp harvesting. I don't think I'll forget the views of passing through this community on the river - what a great reminder of how diverse this world is that we're living in!  This looks crazy  Wow! Can't imagine how different this looks during the rainy season  Wow! Can't imagine how different this looks during the rainy season  A girl in her boat We docked and Mr. Sok asked one of the locals to let the kids know we had school supplies to give out. It was emotional seeing how excited the kids got for every day things we take for granted like erasers, pencils, and notebooks. #grateful This day was one of our most unforgettable ones from living abroad and is a daily reminder for how lucky we are and the life we live. Thanks Mr. Sok for arranging this! Look at how happy all the kids are!
 Waiting patiently for school supplies  They're stoked  And it made us really happy too During the dry season they'll also create makeshift homes/classrooms on the ground under the stilts. We got to go visit one of these too and find other info on how to donate from abroad :)  Handing out supplies to one of the local classrooms  Handing out supplies to one of the local classrooms If you want to donate - see info below!
We got to walk around the village some more exploring and handing out the rest of our supplies to children who had found out it. We got to see the shrimp drying out on the road from their daily catch.
 Handing out more supplies #howfreakingcute  #icant #socute  Ran out of school supplies but having fun hanging out with the local kids  Ran out of school supplies but having fun hanging out with the local kids  Heading back down to the boat After that unforgettable experience, we hopped back on the boat to go explore Tonle Sap Lake which translates to "great lake". It's the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, and the lake attaches with it's river to Mekong River. It was massive. We got to see some alligators in cages which was cool - I've also seen beautiful photos of this place at sunset. #missedopportunity
 Tonle Sap Lake
After our visit, we headed to go get lunch, and then head back into Siem Reap  One last view on our way out We saw a local wedding taking place on our way out. #prettycool #lookatalloxen! We found a little touristy spot for lunch in the middle of no where but it was refreshing and delicious. Just what we needed from the heat!  Views during lunch
We made a quick pit stop at the hotel and then had Mr. Sok take us to a cool spot I read about called Sombai.  Mr. Sok - we love him  Sunset on the way to Sombai So I first stumbled upon Sombai on TripAdvisor during my research for the trip. After reading more about it we had to go. They make local drinks infused with local fruits and spices to give them a delicious, unique flavor. They then have the bottles painted by local artists, and they offer free tastings! #what?! #definitelygoing They have 8 flavors:
They started our tasting with a quick tour around their shop, showing us the different liquors being stored and infused.  Liquors being infused with local flavors  Beautiful hand painted bottles  Setting up our tasting After the yummy tasters and seeing the hand painted bottles we knew this had to be one of our souvenirs. We bought a few bottles for ourselves and even a few to bring home to my parents. #supportthelocals  The 8 flavors with regular labels After our tasting, we walked down the street to meet my friend I had randomly seen at the airport (Melissa), her husband, and their friends for dinner at Haven. Not only do they have yummy food but they support their local community by offering a training program at the restaurant for young adults and underprivileged young adults from rural areas. They take in around 15 trainees annually and help train and teach them life skills on a daily basis. #howcool I wish more restaurants did this type of local support - makes me enjoy eating even more!  Haven  Melissa and I at dinner  Tasty dinner (local specialty Lok Lak) After dinner, we headed to the treehouse bar downtown for a few drinks before calling it a night and heading back to our hotel. Another great day in Cambodia!  Mr. Sok Follow in our Footsteps: Mr. Sok (best Tut Tut driver!) - we hired him all 3 days we were here and he found a great variety for us to do. Seriously use Mr. Sok on our your trip to Cambodia! Book him on Facebook or email him sokmeneatuktuk@hotmail.com 092 9493 79 or 098 9291 12 Why he's awesome:
Kampong Phluk
On the Tonle Sap, Siem Reap, Cambodia Sombai 176 Sombai Road Salakamreuk Village & Commune Hours: 8am - 8pm Website (I recommend setting up a reservation) Haven Chocolate Rd, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia Hours: 11:30am - 2:30pm, 5:30pm - 9:30pm (closed Sundays) Website Asana Old Wooden House Street 7, Siem Reap, Cambodia +855 92 987 801 Hours: 11am-12am Website
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Megan Bond - AUTHORJust a girl raised in California and loved exploring Southeast Asia with my husband! We're back in the States but still exploring the world as much as we can! Archives
February 2019
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