A Floating Village

Typical house

(Halle) The smell of fish filled the air as we boarded a wooden boat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. As we drifted down the man-made waterway, we maneuvered the boat around men, chin deep in the water trying to catch fish with nets. The canal led into Asia’s largest freshwater lake – the Boeung Tonle Sap where the floating village was located.

These floating houses were built on a bamboo and styrofoam foundation that actually floats for several months of the year. On top of the substructure lay small dwellings. The community of people have adapted to this buoyant town encompassed by water. A typical house in this village would have tin and straw walls with laundry hanging out in the sun to dry. The front of the house is open to maintain some airflow. Also, a small, wooden boat is parked outside and a satellite sits on top of the roof.

General store

Grocery stores, markets, shops, and a school lined the watery streets. Grocery stores were comprised of a variety of snacks, assorted fruits and vegetables, and drinks that are displayed on the front porch. Since the only method of transportation is by boat, we navigated around fishing boats and passed by girls and boys under the age of 10 driving motorboats from school accompanied by their younger siblings.

Luckily, the crocodile did not eat Maya

We exited the boat and headed towards a tourist shop. We walked by a wooden cage filled with crocodiles. I didn’t notice these stealthy animals until the clerk came over to us and persistently asked if we wanted to buy a catfish for $1 to feed the crocodile. Undoubtedly, my dad pulled out two dollars to pay for the bait. The clerk knotted a rope to a long, slender stick then tied the catfish to the rope. In the cage, the crocodiles awaited to be fed. They scared me by just looking at their protruding eyes and lower teeth that are exposed when their powerful jaw was closed.

Maya held a firm grip on the stick and dangled the fish right above the crocodile. The crocodile opened it’s mouth and quickly shut it’s jaw making a loud snapping sound. We all jumped back with a fright. Once again, Maya swung the bait over the unsteady fence into the water, attentively watching the crocodile. The crocodile snapped its jaw and caught the fish in its mouth and pulled the catfish further into its cage. Maya used all her strength to pull it back; it looked like they were playing a game of tug-a-war. Soon enough, dad helped Maya and took over. Not paying attention, the crocodile unexpectedly snatched the fish and vigorously tried to extract the catfish from the rope. Shortly after, the crocodile had managed to bite off a chunk of the fish. After further thought, we decided to not feed the rest of the fish because we didn’t want to mess with these silent but deadly animals.