Floating village
This afternoon we took a boat ride along the river. It was very muddy, and stank quite a bit, but all along it were kids swimming and playing, and even people fishing.
The river widened into what seemed at first like a bay, but was actually still the river. We had come from Cambodia, and out to the right was Vietnam. Apparently this river takes up hundreds of miles of Cambodia.
We got further out and all of a sudden in the distance was a line of houseboats. They weren't near any shore, just floating far out--almost out of sight of land. As we approached closer it became surreal. Here were two entire villages, school, stores, church, and restaurant, all out in the middle of the water. One village was Cambodian, the other was Vietnamese.
A boat drew up next to ours with a man and several little kids. One of them pulled out a snake, and they all started begging. It broke your heart...and that was not the last boat like that we were to see--in all, probably five or six boats came alongside us, all with snakes and adorable children asking for money.
The people in the village were very poor, and it was even more unbelievable because their life was so incredibly bounded--spending most of the day in their houses, maybe paddling around a little. Living like this would limit your whole life.
The river widened into what seemed at first like a bay, but was actually still the river. We had come from Cambodia, and out to the right was Vietnam. Apparently this river takes up hundreds of miles of Cambodia.
We got further out and all of a sudden in the distance was a line of houseboats. They weren't near any shore, just floating far out--almost out of sight of land. As we approached closer it became surreal. Here were two entire villages, school, stores, church, and restaurant, all out in the middle of the water. One village was Cambodian, the other was Vietnamese.
A boat drew up next to ours with a man and several little kids. One of them pulled out a snake, and they all started begging. It broke your heart...and that was not the last boat like that we were to see--in all, probably five or six boats came alongside us, all with snakes and adorable children asking for money.
The people in the village were very poor, and it was even more unbelievable because their life was so incredibly bounded--spending most of the day in their houses, maybe paddling around a little. Living like this would limit your whole life.
Heartbreaking account of the families in boats but breathtaking photos. Thank you so much for faithfully posting about your trip. I am so enjoying reading your blog!
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