Rome in the Footsteps of an XVIIIth Century Traveller

You may wish to see a page with some historical background information first.

At work on the lake (1)

The entrance to the great lake of Cambodia is grand and beautiful. The river becomes wider and wider, until at last it is four or five miles in breadth; and then you enter the immense sheet of water called Touli-Sap, as large and full of motion as a sea. It is more than 120 miles long, and must be at least 400 in circumference. The shore is low, and thickly covered with trees, which are half submerged; and in the distance is visible an extensive range of mountains whose highest peaks seem lost in the clouds. (..) In many parts of the lake, nothing is visible all around but water.
Henri Mouhout - Travels in the central parts of Indo-China (Siam), Cambodia, and Laos: during the years 1858, 1859, and 1860 - 1864
Tonle Sap (the Great Lake) is a sort of safety valve of the Mekong River hydrogeological system: during the rainy season it receives water from the Mekong which flows back to the river during the dry season: its shallow waters are a gigantic fishery which provides Cambodians with a significant part of their protein intake.
Usually tourists visiting Angkor are shown a fishermen's village on the northern section of Tonle Sap: its inhabitants are of Vietnamese origins and they wear the straw conic hat which is also part of the Chinese tradition.

At work on the lake (2)

Children learn very early to move about Tonle Sap with flat boats and to continuously check the depth of the water to avoid running aground.

The fruit seller

The village has a busy market but there is also a door-to-door service providing isolated households with basic commodities.

Cleaning the net

In order to maintain the fisheries in the long term, nets are periodically checked and young fish are thrown back into the water.

The floating houses

The waves glitter in the broad sunshine with a brilliancy which the eye can scarcely support. Mohout
Some fishermen live on boats: they may lack many modern comforts, but they do have a battery-powered TV set.
You may wish to see some images of life at Lake Inle in Myanmar (Burma).

Building a new house

Cambodian traditional houses, both on land and on water, are built on poles; they are not regarded as a lifetime investment because almost every second year they need to be rebuilt.

The crocodile farm

The star of Tonle Sap's wildlife is the crocodile and taking a picture of these terrifying beasts is a temptation nobody can resist.

Farmers and herdsmen

Most of the inhabitants of Siem Reap, the modern town near Angkor, are involved in one way or another with tourism: yet it is still possible to find someone busy in a more traditional occupation.
The image used as background for this page shows a detail of a Naga at Ta Proum.

Angkor in Three Days

Day One - Page One	Introduction - Angkor Thom (Southern Gate and Terraces)
Day One - Page Two	Angkor Thom (Temples)
Day One - Page Three	Angkor Vat
Day Two - Page One	Prah Khan - Ta Som
Day Two - Page Two	Banteay Srey
Day Two - Page Three	East Mebon - Pre Rup
Day Three - Page One	Baksei Chamkrong - Ta Prohm
Day Three - Page Two	Prasat Kravan - Phnom Bakheng
Day Three - Page Three	An excursion to Tonle Sap