Simple

15.01.2014

Not that we're complaining, but so far in Cambodia, we've settled into a bit of a routine of temple hopping, followed by stuffing ourselves with some fine Cambodian eats, both modern and traditional. While we still did those same things for the third day in a row, we managed to do something different and break the cycle today by also hitting up Kompong Pluk, a lakeside village famous for its houses on stilts, a necessity to endure Cambodia's rainy season.

Kompong Pluk is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, but it still offered us an escape from the tourists hordes found at most of the temples Angkor, since it's a good 20 km away from Siem Reap - while that may not seem all that far, it can take nearly an hour to drive there on Cambodia's poorly-maintained roads, depending upon the traffic. However, the time and effort of getting there was definitely worthwhile, as Kompong Pluk feels a World apart from Siem Reap's enjoyable tourist chaos.

The locals surely live difficult, hard-working lives, but there's still a slow, lazy vibe in the air that is really enjoyable to see, especially for those coming from the North American Rat Race. We had a good chuckle at how slow and laborious it was for us to even go the short distance from our boat's departure point, down a narrow shallow canal to Kompong Pluk, and quickly realized that nothing comes easy here, no matter how simple life appears to be.

Our pilot performed the roles of about three people, as we kept getting stuck in the canal, needing to run to the back of the boat to adjust the propeller's trim, as the blades kept getting hung up in the mud. Once that was fixed, he'd have to run back to the front of the boat to steer, until our boat's hull would get stuck in the mud - so our pilot would hop off of his seat and grab a long pole, which he would use to push off and get us going again

However, since the narrow canal is so crowded with boats, he'd also have to physically push off of the other boats with his feet and hands to prevent crashing into them! After all of this work, we'd have moved possibly a dozen feet, only to get stuck in the mud again, and having to start the cycle of adjusting the trim, steering, and pushing with the pole and off other boats, over and over, as we inevitably got stuck, again and again. It was interesting to see how our pilot, as well as the other pilots, never seemed fazed by this, as it was simply a part of their every day job.

There really isn't anything to do in and around Kompong Pluk, only to marvel in the surreal sights of austere houses seemingly hovering above the water, on stilts that are six to seven metres high, and witness the simple lives of villagers, eking out a living by fishing, and by serving the few tourists that come through. While there were still a few other tourist groups cruising around Kompong Pluk and Tonle Sap lake, it felt positively deserted compared to the temples around Siem Reap, making for not only a wonderful escape for the day, but also showing us a little slice of the more authentic side of Cambodian life.

Kompong Pluk's Famous Stilted Houses