October 25, 2024

During our research on the Tonlé Sap Lake area, we learned about several floating villages, some reportedly occupied by stateless Vietnamese refugees. Intrigued by this fascinating history, we decided to visit one of the floating villages and also see a nearby temple before heading to the airport. We arranged the trip with Mr. Nab, the taxi driver who had picked us up from the airport, for a total of $55.

Mr. Nab met us at our hotel at 8 AM and drove us to Kampong Phluk, a floating village primarily inhabited by Cambodians. Upon arrival, we boarded a large tourist boat, paying $20 each for the trip. Surprisingly, we were the only passengers on the boat, which sailed along the channel and stopped at a tourist center. Along the way, we observed the unique architecture of the village, with stilted homes raised 6 to 9 meters above the ground to adapt to the lake’s drastic water level changes between the rainy and dry seasons. Along the shore, we saw numerous idle tour boats, seemingly waiting for more visitors.

Partway through the ride, a young boy, who appeared to be the boat driver’s son, joined us on board. We later disembarked at a floating rest area, which offered food for purchase and paddle boat rides to explore the mangroves and nearby villages. We opted not to take the paddle boat tour and returned to our boat instead.

To our surprise, rather than heading back to the starting point, the boat sailed to the middle of the lake. The driver informed us she needed to wait for five minutes, though she didn’t explain why. Shortly after, a boat carrying snacks and drinks approached us. We weren’t interested in buying anything, but an older woman on the snack boat played a familiar pity trick, claiming the young boy was hungry and needed a snack. Feeling pressured, we paid $5 for a bag of potato chips for the boy.

After our visit to the floating village, Mr. Nab drove us to Beng Mealea, a temple near the airport. This lesser-known site had far fewer tourists than Angkor Wat and had not been restored, giving it a raw and ancient charm. We wandered through the partially collapsed structures, marveling at the overgrown trees and vines reclaiming the temple.

Finally, we headed to the airport, ready for our next adventure. Our time in Cambodia had been extraordinary. Siem Reap and Angkor Wat offered a wealth of cultural and historical experiences, and we highly recommend visiting to anyone curious about Cambodia’s rich heritage.

We arrived at Luang Prabang Airport after dark and paid a fixed taxi fare at the airport counter. Since our B&B was located near the city center and close to the night market, where cars are not allowed to enter, the driver dropped us off on the outskirts of the market. From there, we walked through the bustling market to reach our B&B.

After dropping off our luggage and settling in, we ventured back into the market in search of something delicious to eat. However, the market was overly crowded, and the food stalls didn’t seem very appealing to us. Instead, we opted for a nearby restaurant that primarily catered to foreigners. The food was decent, and it gave us our first taste of Laotian cuisine—a pleasant introduction to the flavors of Lao.

2024年10月25日

在做暹粒(Siem Reap)旅游攻略时，我们了解到在洞里萨湖 (Tonlé Sap Lake)边有几个浮村，其中居住着一些无国籍的越南难民。我们决定参观一个浮村，并顺便去机场附近的一座寺庙。我们请前几天刚飞到暹粒机场时接我们的出租车司机纳布先生 (Mr. Nab) 为我们安排了这次行程，总费用55美元。

早上8点，纳布先生来到酒店接我们，带我们前往主要由柬埔寨人居住的浮村——磅通普鲁克 (Kampong Phluk)。到达后，我们每人支付了20美元的游船票后，登上了一艘小旅游船，就我们三人。在岸边我们注意到许多停泊的旅游船，但大多空无一人，显然游客并不多。沿途我们看到浮村中独特的高脚房屋，这些房屋高达6至9米，以适应雨季和旱季水位的巨大变化。

行程中，一名小男孩登上了我们的船，看起来可能是船夫的儿子。我们在一个漂浮的休息区下船，这里有食物出售，并提供小舟服务，游客可以划船参观红树林和其他村落。我们选择不参加小舟游览，而是直接返回了我们的船。

令人意外的是，船没有返回出发点，而是驶向了湖中央。当浮村从我们眼前彻底消失时船停了下来，船夫告诉我们需要等待五分钟，但并未解释原因。不久，一艘装满零食和饮料的小船靠近了我们。虽然我们没有任何购买的意愿，但零食船上的老妇人用一个常见的伎俩博取同情，说小男孩饿了，给他买点吃的东西吧。于心不忍，我们让小男孩自己挑喜欢的，最终花了5美元给他买了一袋薯片。这时也终于明白船停湖中央的原因了。

参观完浮村后，纳布先生又带我们去了机场附近的崩密列 (Beng Mealea)，一座鲜为人知的寺庙。与吴哥窟相比，这里的游客非常少，而且寺庙尚未修复，呈现出一种原始的古老魅力。我们漫步在部分坍塌的建筑间，感叹树木和藤蔓对寺庙的“接管”，让人仿佛置身于自然与历史交织的画卷中。

最终，我们前往机场，准备开启下一段旅程。暹粒 (Siem Reap) 和 吴哥窟 (Angkor Wat) 提供了丰富的文化和历史体验。我们强烈推荐这些地方给任何对柬埔寨文化和历史感兴趣的人。这是一段令人难忘的旅程。