The Tonle Sap Lake’s Floating Villages, The Promise of a Simple Community Life
Kampong Khleang is a floating village on the floodplains of the Tonle Sap Lake. Photo by Teng Yalirozy
- By Teng Yalirozy
- March 18, 2024 11:55 AM
SIEM REAP – The morning sun heralds the start of the new day in a floating village located about 40 kilometers away from bustling Siem Reap city. The rhythmic sound of boat engines gradually fills the air, rousing the villagers from their slumber.
From the youngest to the oldest, the villagers begin their daily routines with a sense of familiarity. Young people eagerly make their way to school while seasoned fishermen set out for the day's catch. Along the narrow pathways that crisscross the village, shops begin to open their doors, their owners preparing for the busy day ahead.
By the time the clock strikes 6 a.m., the Kampong Khleang market, which sits just below the bank of a pagoda, starts to spring to life. Small children running around or rushing on bicycles and motorbikes weave through the crowd along the dusty red earth road. Sellers put their products on display.
As I navigate into the market, the presence of an old lady sitting on a small wooden stand captivates my attention. She is watching the people walking back and forth on the road. In front of her, a bunch of basil leaves is placed on a small wooden board, to stand above the dusty road.
Despite being 92 years old, her energy, friendliness and enthusiasm are communicative. She finds joy in earning money to make donations to members of her community or to the pagoda, a widespread aspiration among the elderly in Cambodia, who still largely practice Buddhist rites.
“I only want to do a good deed by donating my little-earned money to repair the old and decaying bridge, the Buddhist temple and help monks to study,” says Thon Mor.
Grandma Mor has lived in the floating part of the Kampong Khleang commune her entire life. Her back, bent with age, makes her look small and stocky.
Yet, Mor wakes up at 4 a.m. every day to sell her home-grown basil leaves, herbs and chilies, homemade vinegar and toasted rice powder on her stall by the road. All of her products result from exhausting gardening work, but she feels passion for looking after her plants. Thanks to her commitment, which goes way beyond commerce, she managed to keep her small business afloat for the past four decades.
After selling her products at around 7:30 am, Mor walks home slowly. The next day, she will repeat the same morning routine.
When asked what keeps her determined to do so, she answers that commitment to doing good deeds and helping others keeps her moving.
“Living up to this age, I don’t want anything but making good deeds for others,” said Grandma Mor. “I have never thought of quitting doing all of these. I’ll be doing it again and again until my last breath.”
Kampong Khleang is a floating village on the floodplains of the Tonle Sap Lake, situated in Kampong Khleang commune, Soutr Nikom district in Siem Reap province.
To adapt to the annual flooding of the Tonle Sap Lake, houses in Kampong Khleang are generally constructed on 10-meter wooden stilts.
