It would appear that south-east Asia ’s largest freshwater lake doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going.
The town this lake is accessed from — Siem Reap — is essentially famous for being the gateway to the temples of Angkor. But with more than three million people living on or around the lake in floating villages, the TonlĂ© Sap is a stand-out attraction in its own right. The lake is home to many ethnic Vietnamese who have emigrated to Cambodia over the past 50 to 100 years. Despite some tensions between this minority group and the local Cambodians, it’s a popular tourist stop off.
Cruising along in an old wooden boat with an equally ageing motor, I observed the locals going about their daily lives in their simple shacks, constructed from bamboo and sitting on mostly submerged stilts. Women sat on the front veranda mending fish nets; men worked on their boats and children played happily nearby.
I found this sobering reality something of a contrast with the sprawling opulence of Angkor Wat, which I visited one morning. Around 6am I found myself sitting on a rock in front of this magnificent edifice, its silhouette etched against the inky blue sky. As the sun scaled the horizon the intricate designs of this temple, once the centre of the Khmer civilisation, came into full view.






