Kampong Phluk
You will not want to miss a visit to Kampung Phluk When you visit Siem Reap,Angkor because this river village is like nothing you’ve ever seen.
When your boat slows down as the first houses come into view, you can’t help but be awestruck by the sight of them. Houses supported by bamboo stilts, sitting 10 meters above the water.
The village is huge! The sheer volume of houses built closely together is overwhelming as you see house after house after house. And that’s not all.
As you go further into the village, your senses will be assaulted by a salty smell that is not entirely pleasant. It comes from fish, crocodile, and pig farms.
The villagers also ‘grow’ their vegetables. This water hyacinth on the left grows naturally and they eat the young ones as part of their diet.
Kampong Phluk is practically located at the edge of the Tonle Sap lake, where every year the water level rises and falls depending on the season.
During the wet season, the lake ‘overflows’ and floods the area surrounding it. The opposite happens during the dry season.
This flooding ritual is why houses on the village are constructed on stilts. The Cambodian villagers adapt to the yearly change by adjusting the height of their houses depending on the water level.
As the boat slowly moves further into the village, you will see Cambodian people going on with their lives, whether it’s washing clothes, trading, cleaning newly caught fish, or relaxing in the house safe from the hot sun.
The Village
The village has all the basic facilities for its residents – a temple, a stupa to keep the ashes of the departed, a monastery, and schools. There is no western hospital, and the people still prefer their traditional medicine for minor illnesses. Only in serious cases do they go to a hospital in Siem Reap.
We went to Kampong Phluk during the dry season, so we could actually walk on ‘land.’ During this time, the water level falls so drastically that kids can walk to school. But this ‘road’ is completely submerged in the rainy season. You can see how high the house is built, in anticipation of the wet season.
During the dry season, you’ll also see the villagers take advantage of the available dry space to dry their shrimp. After the shrimp are dried, they’re seasoned and later packaged to be sold.
Life at the village is also not without fun! This boat is the pride and joy of the village, having won so many races against other villages and having competed with other countries.
Yes, countries!
After spending some time in the village, do not miss out on seeing the great Tonle Sap lake that is a very short boat ride away.
Being on the lake is more like being on the sea as you cannot see the edges of the lake.
After awhile, I was worried we’d get lost