Kampung Phluk Village
A Different World
You will not want to miss a visit to Kampung Phluk the next time you visit Angkor Wat because this river village is like nothing you've ever seen.
Stilted houses towering high.
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.
Kampung 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.
Floating market for everyone.
Get this picture as your wallpaper!
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.
Kids walking to school on the dried river.
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 :-)
Lunch At The Mangrove
After floating on the lake for a while, we stopped to have lunch among the
trees. Since our boat was too big to actually go inside the mangroves, we settled
on parking the boat just outside of them to enjoy our lunch. After a long walk
under the hot Cambodian sun, the rest was very much welcome! As we ate, Sokha,
our guide, continued to tell us stories and facts about Cambodian life.
Resting and having lunch by the beautiful mangroves.
So In Short...
We really enjoyed the visit to Kampung Phluk and could not imagine leaving Cambodia without seeing it. Even my brother, who earlier that day complained about the long ride to Kampong Phluk, liked it so much that he recommended this village as a must-see day trip to other travelers that we met.
We hope that when you visit you will like Kampung Phluk as much as we did. It is a great chance to step into an entirely different world. Do not miss this number one must-do and must-see on our Cambodia activities list!
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Kampung Phluk view from the village temple
Beng
Melea, Temple Ruins In The Jungle
Beng Melea is the one place for adventure travel. It's not far and it's not hard to
get to, but surprisingly there are hardly any tourists. Put on your adventure
hat and get lost in the world of ancient temples. Number #2 on our list.
Ta Prohm
Temple In The Morning
Ta Prohm in the morning is totally different from Ta Prohm in 'normal'
hours. This is a great place to have a morning ramble in a quiet temple, with
trees towering above you. Magic moments await! Number #3 on our list.
Angkor Wat Sunset At Phnom Bakheng
Where is the one great place to watch a sunset in Angkor Wat? You will get
different answers to this question, but one name will come up often, and that is Phnom
Bakheng. And we agree, but for a totally different reason. Number
#4 on our list.
Life
in a Cambodian Village
When you're in Cambodia, why not visit a Cambodian village? We did. In fact,
we spent a whole day there and we had so much fun! We go so far as to put it as number #5 on our must-see and must-do list.
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