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Tonle Sap,
Phnom Penh, Mekong, water
festival, Bon Om Tuk, Cambodia, dragon-boat race.
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Tonle
Sap Lake is Cambodia's
biggest lake and is located
between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh the capital of
Cambodia. In the dry
season is only a shallow lake which supplies water
to the Mekong River near Phnom Penh.
During monsoon times the high water level of the
Mekong River pushes a reverse flow up the Tonle Sap
River into the lake. This up flow expands the size
of the lake from around 2500 square kilometers at dry
season to over 10,000 square kilometers at rainy season.
This way Tonle Sap Lake becomes the largest freshwater
lake in South East Asia during the monsoon season.
The mangrove forest around the Tonle Sap Lake shores
are home for water birds, several hundred species of
fish plus crocodiles and turtles. Cambodian and
Vietnamese communities are living in the Tonle Sap
floating villages, mainly on the shores of the lake. The
floating villages are quite autonomous with their
floating houses, markets and community services.
The people of the Tonle Sap floating villages
make a living from fishing with fish traps. Their Tonle
Sap fish catch supply Cambodia with about half of the
fish for consumption.
If you're are out for a lake or river cruise on the
Tonle Sap and coming from the Siem Reap area, the
floating villages of Chong Khneas is your starting
point. About 12 kilometers south of Siem Reap the
village is a start and arrival point for the ferry
service to Phnom Penh plus Tone Sap lake trips. |
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From December to March,
the lake is visited by millions of migrating birds,
a
real heaven for bird watcher. To the west are Chong
Khneas and Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary, a
important breeding ground for large water birds. Ibis, Pelican,
Fish Eagle, Stork and other nest in the area. For bird watchers
the dry season months are the right time to watch. There are
several other floating
villages and elsewhere |
Around Tonle Sap |
on
the lake with a lot of visual attractions and insight into the
Cambodian life.
Kampong Khleang
is actually the largest floating
community on Tonle Sap .This old Vietnamese settlement has a
thriving pottery industry, a fish and a
Crocodile farm is another attraction.
The area around Tonle Sap is covered with
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Tonle Sap at Phnom Penh |
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paddy fields as usual in the flat areas of South East Asia. A ancient temple at
the top of
Phnom Krom hill could be a interesting Cambodian
sightseeing destination but rather on small scale.
The water is rather brackish and saturated with
sediments plus unfortunately also with lots of junk, but
locals don't care about this.
They still jump into the Tonle Sap
water
and use it for cooking and washing, it just the same
rhythm of time as in almost any South East Asia Country, I guess
the only country different is Singapore.
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Cambodian
boat races |
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Tonle Sap boat |
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