Take a car or tuk tuk to the boat landing on Tonle Sap lake. The road journey gives a flavour of rural Cambodia with palm thatched houses on stilts and rice paddies. The boat trip (about $10)takes you out onto Tonle Sap where the fishermen live on floating houses which are moved to follow the water as the lake shrinks during the dry season to one quarter of its wet season size. Everything floats, houses, schools, a church, pigs and vegetable patches on their own little rafts and Vietnamese children paddling frantically in bathtubs!

My own preference is to take a local guide and driver so that you can combine the boat trip with other visits such as the silk farm.

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

I recommend you attend a Shadow Puppet show at La Noria Restuarant. Shows are on Wednesdays at 1930hrs at a cost of $12 including a meal. The shows are given by street children trained by Krousar Thmey. They operate the puppets and provide the voices for the characters. Programmes include folk tales and extracts from the Ramayana. Your enjoyment will be enhanced if you can go along with a local who can guide you through the nuances of the plot.

An interesting daytime visit is to the workshop where you can see the children making the puppets and meet the puppet master. You can buy a puppet of your favourite character which makes an unusual souvenir. Unfortunately the belligerent Water Buffaloes are very popular and supplies had run out when I visited.

La Noria Restaurant

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends