2 August 2018, Thursday

For my second day in Siem Reap, I would be joining a bicycle tour of the countryside. At 7:15am, I went for breakfast at my hostel. Breakfast wasn’t included in my room rate so I paid US$6.75 (S$9.65) for my classic breakfast set and a flat white. It wasn’t as cheap as I expected but at least it was tasty.

At 8:35am, a van came by to the hostel and picked me up, along with several other travellers who were joining the tour. Originally, I had booked the Kayaks and Oxcarts Countryside Tour but there weren’t enough participants to form a group so it didn’t materialise. I then changed to the Countryside Cycling and Floating Village Tour since it cost the same (US$49/S$68.67). Luckily, there were enough participants for this tour to go ahead, so here I am.

From the city centre, we drove for about 13 kilometres towards the outskirts and arrived at Bakong Village at 9:15am. Our guide was a young man named Johm and he was from a company called Triple-A Adventures. Here, the bicycles were waiting for us and we began our cycling tour shortly after.

We cycled on the characteristic red soil roads and passed by villages and farmlands. About 20 minutes later, we arrived at our first stop, Rolous Market, where we dismounted and went for a walk around the market.

Johm told us that Rolous Market supports the 10 villages around it. We stopped by a wooden pull cart with a large square board perched upon it. There were hundreds of cockles being spread out and left to be cooked naturally by the sun’s heat. The cockles were marinated with a mixture of spices and chilli. I’m not a fan of cockles but I imagine it should be quite tasty. A few local kids gathered around and the keeper let them snack on some of them.

The market was quite big. There were many stalls selling different varieties of green vegetables, all sourced locally from the surrounding farms. We also saw a stall selling eggs. The white ones were duck eggs while the beige ones were chicken eggs. Johm told us that in Cambodia, duck eggs are more commonly used for cooking food dishes because chickens are reared more for their meat rather than their eggs. It is quite interesting because we hardly consume duck eggs in Singapore.

We also passed by several stalls selling meat, poultry and fish. All the meat was displayed openly without the use of any ice or freezers to chill them. There were also lots of houseflies buzzing around. Such practices and hygiene standards would be considered quite appalling by Western standards but this is their way of life here in the countryside. If anything, the locals probably have stronger stomachs and higher resistance to eating contaminated food!

Johm then brought us to a stall that sold fried crickets. He bought a small serving and let us try them. Many of my fellow group members tried it but I just couldn’t bring myself to pick one up and put it in my mouth. I couldn’t even bear to touch it. I know it is a psychological thing but I really couldn’t do it. Bugs are a no-no for me!

As we passed by a booth that was attracting a small crowd, Johm told us that it was a shop selling gold jewellery. He explained that here in the countryside, the locals don’t trust the big banks so they would rather keep their money at home or use it to buy gold to retain their value. That is why gold jewellery shops are very popular here.

We finished our visit of Rolous Market at about 10:25am and continued cycling. We cycled past more villages and got more glimpses of local life. The houses were mostly made of wood and they were built at least a metre above the ground. This is because flooding is quite common during the monsoon season. 

At about 10:55am, we returned to our starting point, where we had a break and sat down for drinks. Johm told us that we would be hopping back on to the van to drive to our next destination. I was quite disappointed to learn that we would not be cycling anymore because we effectively spent less than an hour on our bicycles. I was so hoping to cover more ground with the bicycle.

At 11:18am, we drove off towards our next destination, Kampong Khleang, about 50km away from the city centre. The drive was a long one and we arrived an hour later. Kampong Khleang is a large floating community located on the banks of the Tonlé Sap Lake. Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It has an attached river, the Tonlé Sap River, which is 120km long and meets with the mighty Mekong River at Phnom Penh.

A very peculiar phenomenon occurs where the Tonlé Sap River flows in one direction for half a year and flows in the opposite direction for the other half of the year. The flow reversal is due to the monsoon seasons, and the relationships between Tonlé Sap Lake, Tonlé Sap River and the Mekong River.

Broadly, Cambodia experiences wet season from April to November (Southwest Monsoon) and dry season from November to April (Northeast Monsoon). The following illustrations from Wikipedia help to explain the phenomenon:

Phase 1
March/April is the end of the dry season. This is when Tonlé Sap Lake and Mekong River are at their minimum levels. Thus, Tonlé Sap River flows south:

Phase 2a
May/June is the start of the wet season. During this time, Mekong River increases in volume, causing Tonlé Sap River to reverse its flow and flow north:

Phase 2b
In June/July, the Tonlé Sap River continues to flow north, inundating Tonlé Sap Lake and the surrounding areas:

Phase 2d
August is the peak of the wet season and Mekong River is at its maximum. Tonlé Sap Lake and the lowlands are fully flooded:

Phase 3a
November is the end of the wet season. Mekong River is at its minimum while Tonlé Sap Lake is at its maximum. Thus, Tonlé Sap River reverses flow and flows south once again:

Phase 3b
January is the peak of the dry season. Tonlé Sap Lake is decreasing in size. Tonlé Sap River continues to flow south and lower Mekong River is at its maximum:

At the time of my visit, it was the start of August, so we were supposed to be entering the peak wet season, where Tonlé Sap Lake and the surrounding lowlands (here at Kampong Khleang) were supposed to be fully flooded. However, Johm said that due to climate change, the rains had been slightly delayed this year so the lowlands were not fully flooded yet. However, the water level was rising every day.

Johm pointed out a bridge that we were supposed to cross. Just yesterday, the bridge was still not submerged in water yet and he could still cross it normally. But the water level rose overnight so now, we are not able to cross it the normal way. As a result, we had to take a boat across.

At 12:35pm, we arrived at the opposite shore. Johm led us to a stilt house owned by a local named Mr Long. It was an authentic village house where the family actually lived in it, but they were well accustomed to visits by tour groups from Triple-A Adventures.

We did a short tour of their house and saw their living quarters, which was spartan yet spacious and very homely. The house was well adapted to the hot and wet climate, with high sloping roofs, wide windows and wooden floorboards with small gaps between the planks. It was very well-ventilated, removing the need for air-conditioning.

As the house was located right beside the riverbank, it was built on stilts about 3 metres above ground. Even then, it was still not high enough when the water at Tonlé Sap Lake rose to record levels in 2011. Johm pointed out a watermark on the wooden door, showing how high the water reached that year, causing the entire house to be flooded. With climate change becoming more severe, I fear that such episodes could recur more frequently than ever.

We had our lunch at the balcony area where a large dining table was placed. It had a lovely view of the river and the surrounding area, a perfect spot for afternoon coffee. Our lunch was a simple meal of instant noodles with some vegetables and meat. The host also treated us to mangosteens after that. The Belgian lady in my group tried mangosteen for the first time and she loved it so much! I had not had mangosteen for a long time as well and I had forgotten how good it tasted.

At 1:40pm, we proceeded for a boat ride to the Tonlé Sap Lake. As we sailed down the river, we saw hundreds of wooden stilt houses packed close to each other, all perched directly above the water. Johm told us that the best time to visit is in October, when the water is at its highest level and the water is clear, unlike the brown muddy water we are seeing now. By November, the water will start to recede.

Johm said that 15,000 people live here in Kampong Khleang. They lead different lives during the wet and dry seasons. During the wet season, many of them make a livelihood from fishing here at Kampong Khleang. During the dry season, many of them venture to the city to take on other jobs.

Our boatman was a 15-year-old boy. Every day from 10am to 1pm, he would have lessons at the pagoda, which is located opposite the stilt house where we had our lunch earlier. After school, he would work as a boatman in the afternoon.

There was also another 13-year-old boy on board the boat. Halfway through the boat ride, he went around giving neck and shoulder massages. As I was seated at the back, he started with me first and massaged my neck. Initially, I thought it was just for fun. He then asked if I wanted a head massage, and I said no. He then said something like “one dollar”, but I wasn’t sure what he said or what he wanted, so I just said no and smiled back at him. The boat was quite noisy so it was hard to hear properly.

He then went to the Belgian lady and did the same, giving her a neck and shoulder massage. At the end of it, he also appeared to ask her for money. The lady looked towards me for direction as she fumbled with her purse, so I figured he must have asked her for money too. I told her that he did the same for me but I haven’t given him money yet. The lady eventually gave him the money (I’m not sure how much she gave him).

As I sat there, I kept thinking about whether it was the right thing to do. The massage was unsolicited, and it was just a quick, 2-minute job. My main concern was whether it was ethical to pay him for such a service. Earlier, at Mr Long’s house, I saw a notice saying that we should not hand out gifts to the children. I was concerned that by giving money, it would encourage him to resort to such activities as an easy way to make money instead of focusing on his studies.

Of the remaining eight people from our group, I think about six of them gave him money. Eventually, I relented and gave him a dollar as well, so he would have pocketed at least US$7 from about 15 minutes of easy work. It wasn’t really about the amount, but whether it was the right thing to do.

I knew that life was not easy for these teenagers and a dollar from my pocket would go a long way for him and his family. But then again, these could be the work of syndicates so the boy and his family may not benefit fully from the money we gave him. I spent the rest of the boat ride feeling conflicted because of this. In hindsight, I should not have given him the money.

When we reached Tonlé Sap Lake, the water became much choppier. The lake was so vast we couldn’t see the end of it. It was like being in the middle of a chocolate brown ocean. The boat stopped in the middle of the lake and Johm explained about the phenomenon of the Tonlé Sap River reversing its flow. However, the boat was rocking up and down, and I felt a little giddy so I didn’t hear much of what he said. I was relieved when we moved off again and ended the boat ride at 3pm.

As we made our way back to the city in the van, Johm shared with us more about life in the villages. He said that the fishermen in the village do not have dreams or aspirations. They just fish and worry about today and tomorrow. Most of them have never left Siem Reap and have never seen the ocean before.

When Johm himself visited the coastal city of Sihanoukville, he dropped his bag and ran to the ocean, stuck his finger to the sea to taste if it was really salty, as they said. To the villagers, it was like a myth so he wanted to find out for himself if it was really true. Tonlé Sap is a freshwater lake so it is not salty like the ocean.

In the villages, primary and secondary school education is free. After that, the kids will need to go to the city to attend high school as there are no high schools in the village. Because of that, many of the village children don’t progress to high school as they cannot afford to pay the school fees and accommodation. As a result, many of them stop their education at secondary school or earlier, and remain in the village to help out in the farms or fishing.

A lot of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have come to Cambodia to help; some help by building wells while others help with de-mining. However, not all the mines are made of metal (some are plastic) so the metal detectors can’t detect the mines. So they now train dogs and rats to sniff out the TNT explosive used in the plastic mines. Johm said that there are still a lot of mines remaining in Cambodia and he estimated that it would take another 40 years at least to eradicate them.

At 3:45pm, we stopped by the road to check out a bamboo sticky rice stall. The locals had set up their stall by the roadside under a makeshift shelter. Johm explained that making bamboo sticky rice is a very laborious and time-consuming process.

First, the bamboo is chopped into small sections of about 30cm long. Next, glutinous rice, or sticky rice, is stuffed into the hollow of the bamboo and slow cooked over fire. The man tending to the rice has to manually flip the bamboo sticks every now and then so that the rice within is evenly cooked. It takes about three hours to cook the rice.

Once fully cooked, the ladies will use a small knife to shave off the burnt, sooty outer parts of the bamboo to reveal the clean, unburnt parts. The inner parts are softer and easier to peel, and this also makes them more presentable. The cooked bamboo rice sticks are then displayed neatly on a rack beside the road to attract buyers.

The ladies can often be seen holding the bamboo sticks in their hands and waving them at the passing vehicles, like calling for a taxi. This is because there are several stalls close to each other so the competition is fierce.

Johm bought a stick of bamboo rice for us to try. He said it costs around 75 cents (S$1.07) a stick, depending on how long the stick is. He showed us how we should tackle it. The trick was to peel the bamboo strips from the top in a swift downward motion. If done correctly, the bamboo strips should come off cleanly. I had a go but it wasn’t as easy as it looked, resulting in the bamboo fibres sticking to the rice.

The rice was very fragrant, and mildly sweet. They also added some black beans to the rice. However, there wasn’t a lot of rice in one stick of bamboo and you will probably need to eat quite a few sticks of rice to be full. So much effort for such little results, it’s really not an easy trade!

With that, it was the end of the tour. We made our way back to the city and were dropped off at our respective hostels. Overall, it was quite an interesting tour and it provided an insightful look into the life of the villagers living in the countryside. I would have liked to cycle more but I understand that the cycling was only a small component of the tour. The floating community at Kampong Khleang was quite fascinating. My only regret was the encounter with the boy who provided massage services on the boat. It made me feel sad and conflicted at the same time.

After returning to my hostel at about 4:15pm, I went for a shower and had a rest, enjoying the air-conditioned comfort of the room. As I lay on my cushy mattress bed, I thought about the straw mats that the locals slept on in the stilt house. I hope that one day, they will have a better life.

At 6:30pm, I headed out for dinner. I looked for a cheap place to eat and decided on one of the roadside stalls. I ordered a plate of beef noodles and a can of Angkor beer, all for US$2.25 (S$3.22). I then had a banana pancake (US$1) and a papaya shake (US$1) for dessert.

For the rest of the night, I drifted in and out of Pub Street, browsing through the markets and window shopped without buying anything. It was Day 94 of my trip and I was already winding down. Just soak it all in for one last time before I head home.

In the meantime, here’s a video I have put together capturing the highlight’s of today’s tour, enjoy!