Goldens on the Road: Tonle Sap Lake and Ox-Cart Rides

Tonle Sap Lake and Ox-Cart Rides

This is our last day of an amazing trip through Thailand with a very short visit into Myanmar and a couple of days in Cambodia. So here in the last chapter of the Thailand Blog are three additional experiences we had on this trip.

After breakfast we all loaded onto a small tour bus and rode out into the country side. This is the area of Cambodia where they do a great amount of farming of the main staple of rice. Rice fields were all around us.

Farmers in Cambodia still farm by using oxen. So, we stop at a farm to go for an ox-cart ride!! It was, to say the least, a little of an un-nerving experience! Each cart was pulled by two oxen, and carried three passengers. Russ and I were in one cart together, Russ had to sit with his legs scrunched up as there wasn’t enough room for legs! I was in front with my legs sticking out each side of the front of the cart, the driver directly in front of me. Once we got going I realized that if the oxen decided to go the bathroom my feet would be the target! In the meantime Russ was just trying to stay on the cart as every time we hit a bump, and there were plenty of them, he felt the risk of bouncing right out of the back of the cart! All went well, the oxen did not go to the bathroom on my feet and Russ did not get bounced out of the cart. Here are some photos of the farm, the people and the ride!!

Our next adventure was a boat ride on the Tonle Sap Lake. Tonle Sap Lake is a fresh water lake that is fed by the Mekong River. Tonle Sap is a mosaic of natural and agricultural habitats that the Mekong replenishes with water and sediments annually.

The lake's size, length and water volume varies considerably over the course of a year causing the people who live in floating homes to move further out into the lake during the dry season. According to our guide this is one of the world's most varied and productive ecosystems. The region has always been of central importance for Cambodia's food supply. We stopped at a floating restaurant, home, small store, and, oh yes, they had a vat of alligators!! Here are some photos of the sights we saw.

Back on land we head to the Kanell Dinner Show. The menu was unique: We feasted on rice crackers w/pork or shrimp dips; grilled sea bass salad; slow cooked beef cheek, eggplant, lemon grass soup; roasted chicken roll w/ jack fruit, banana blossom served w/ jasmine rice w/red ant sauce on the side; and for dessert, pumpkin and orange custard topped w/coconut ice cream. With the exception of the red ant sauce, which we did not eat, everything was delicious! Then we enjoyed a show of traditional Khmer music, and several cultural dances. The costumes were traditional according to the dance or the activity portrayed. Here is a sample of what we saw.