Boat people of Tonle Sap

Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia. It is located about 10 miles south of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Tonle Sap was designated as a UNESCO biosphere site in 1997. The huge body of water stretches across the northwest section of Cambodia. It is about 50 miles long and supports a delicate ecosystem of more than 100 varieties of water birds and 200 species of fish, crocodiles, turtles, etc.

From the satellite, the greyish dark objects were stilted houses built on water. One could even see the wake made by a motor boat passing by the village (Photo courtesy of Google Maps).

The dusty road from Siem Reap ended in a makeshift pier where one could board a boat to go to the Tonle Sap floating villages. This boat was operated by a father-and-son team.

Tonle Sap was both a lake and a swamp which in turn connected to the Mekong River. Water level varied by as much as 30 feet between the wet and the dry season.

During the monsoon season, the size of the lake could expand by as much as 6 times.

Stilted houses were built along the waterways.

Fishermen meandered their boats on the waterways through marshlands and mangrove forests.

After about 30 minutes of travel, an island with a temple emerged at the end of the waterway.

About 1,000 people lived on this side of the lake shared by the Khmer and ethnic Vietnamese.

Some dwellings were built on stilts in the shallow water.

While others were on floating platforms on boats, barges or bundles of bamboos.

Some dwellings had tin roofs.

Some had straw roofs.

There was a floating school in the village.

Boat was the only mode of transportation in this water world.

A Personal Boat on the lake (Photo courtesy of Dave Perkes, Flickr 2004).

At the center of this village was a small island with a temple. It was the focus of the community.

Dozens and dozens of children played in the "Uptown district".

Some food was sold in this social networking hub.

Since many of these boat people did not have a fixed address, they were unable to secure permanent residency or receive social benefits from the Cambodia government.

The residents were absolutely friendly and it was quite an experience visiting the boat village.