originally posted in UP AIT website
Cha Octiva
Cambodia isn’t just about temples. Cambodia is known for its majestic lotus-inspired temples, traditional Khmer Art, and historical sites. In Siem Reap alone, almost 300 ancient ruins were built. No wonder, 1.3 million tourists visited Angkor Wat Complex in the first eight months of the 2012 (Tourism of Cambodia Website). Aside from the showcase of its cultural heritage, a unique destination in Cambodia caught the attention. Tour 168 (Airline Management) class under Mr. Zapanta had chosen to include Tonle Sap tour in the itinerary. More than just a lake, Tonle Sap depicts the unusual side of Cambodia.
Day to day traffic. In 1997, UNESCO declared Tonle Sap as the largest freshwater lake in Soustheast Asia. The Great Lake covers an area of approximately 250,000 hectares during dry season and it serves as a home to diverse marine and bird species (unesco.org). It acts like a large bowl that receives the water from Mekong River and nearby highlands. It is the main source of livelihood to thousands of fishermen and farmers residing in Kompong Phluk Village. During the dry season, farmers can plant rice although it is not of good quality. The farming period is shorter compared to the Philippines, which lasts up to six months. Residents have to harvest the crops immediately before water starts to cover the floodplains.
Rainbow village. Tonle Sap tour takes a total of five hours. Going to the site, one has to take a 30-minute ride from Siem Reap to the port. And from the port, motor boats are ready to take you to a local-based tourism station of Kompong Phluk Village....
Tourists would not get bored because the river cruise gives you an opportunity for bird watching, sight-seeing and nature-appreciation. Along the way, you can see Chong Khneas, a part of Siem Reap, considered as the poorest of the poor. Houses nestle on stilts or boats as when the rainy season comes, the water rises up to three meters deeper.
River of life and death. Villagers live on waters. Garbage and wastes are directly disposed into the water. At the same time, the water that they are drinking and using for household chores comes from the river itself. As a result, infants and kids die at early age because of malnutrition and poisoning. Likewise, the average life expectancy of a common villager is at about 70. This is relatively low in contrast with Cambodians living in the urban centers.
There are various factors affecting the life of the villagers – education, family size, and employment. Their average number of children per family is 6 to 8. Most of the locals are uneducated of family planning. The government has been sending medical teams to inform them about reproductive health every three months yet, it has been ineffective.
Self-sufficient community. The community can support itself alone. In spite of living in a deteriorating water world, locals can produce their own livelihood by taking advantage of the available resources. The picture above shows that they raise pigs and breed chickens by making improvised cages built on bamboos and water containers so it could float river. Likewise, orange materials spread on the mats are harvested shrimps that are dried up and sold in markets.
Floating school. Chong Khneas is distant from the city center. This hinders people to get access to several public services yet, they still have high regard to education. These floating structures serve as primary and secondary school. These are built on stilts – mainly designed to keep the rooms safe from flood during rainy season. On the other hand, only a few kids can afford schooling because education in Cambodia is not free.
Boat station. After a 15-kilometer river cruise, tourists arrive at a small local-based tourism station. It attends to waiting tourists and to resting boatwomen. A three-seater banca awaits the visitors for a tour around the floating village of Kompong Phluk.
Working moms. Out of curiosity, I asked our tour guide, “Why do these women work as boatmen?” He told me that men are always out in the lake to do the fishing. Their wives have to find an alternative way to earn. Because of Tourism, they are able to help their husbands earn little through boating. I was greatly moved by their hard work. Both parents choose to work away from home, striving to live out of poverty.
Parents away from home. These children have to learn how to live by themselves as soon as they turn four years old. Both of their parents are usually away which lasts from three weeks up to months, depending on the amount of fish that they can get from Tonle Sap Lake. It is still fortunate if their parents would return. Some might be bitten by the wild snakes that live in the trees while others choose to totally abandon their kids because they cannot afford to support them.
A tourist trap? I just wonder, why do tourists challenge themselves to visit this place? There is nothing much to see. Trees are half-submerged in water. Lilies are scattered all over the place. Water in the river smells unpleasant similar to that of Pasig River. The water, almost translucent, is close to black and is littered with trashes. Floating houses are lined up beside the waterways. Do tourists enjoy visiting this floating village?
Sunset promise. I could barely see the sunset from our position. I was sitting in the upper deck of the boat, trying to reflect on what we had witnessed. At first, I feel sorry for them. I was not expecting that amidst the popularity of Cambodia, the culturally acclaimed tourist destination has a deprived side. But at the end of the day, I got inspired by their heart-melting stories. Tonle Sap may not be of great interest to most tourists of our ages. Others may find it boring, but for us, a group of Tourism students, it made us realize many things. The primary purpose of this tour is not for the sake of entertainment and enjoyment but for self-enlightenment. Personally, I was astounded by their perseverance. Locals do not ask for alms. These people strive live out of poverty in the most legal way. Initially, I felt unsecured of my belongings because we are in a slum area – thinking that there might be some thieves. But to my surprise, Cambodians live by their religious virtue and respect other people. Moreover, they do not just depend on the support of the government. They try to sustain their own needs independently. They painstakingly survive by working hard. Husbands risk their lives out in the lake while women employ themselves as boatmen.
I was inspired by their stories.
There is no such thing as a perfect place. Cambodia is a perfect example of the duality of a real world: life of prosperity and poverty. Cambodia’s city center is in its rapid progress. However, its peripheral municipalities are in distress. Seeing the unfortunate state of the local residents, they still manage to have a simple yet meaningful life. Their stories have inspired me to persevere more and hope that tourism can help Filipinos escape from poverty as well.
Tourism, a poverty alleviation tool. Tourism of Cambodia does not only benefit large-scale enterprises. It also helps local communities. It opened windows of opportunities and supported hundreds of families. Still, I believe that sometime in the future these residents, together with the support coming from their government and tourism, will be better far off from what they are now. Cambodia as an example, the Philippines should also appreciate what tourism can do - uplifting lives of locals. Tourism is the third largest industry in Cambodia next to agriculture and textile. Our country must also consider giving more importance to tourism development as it employs thousands of individuals.
P.S. I would like to thank Mr. Sun Same, Cambodian tour guide for a very mind-enriching trip and Mr. Paolo Abellanosa for helping me out to create this article.
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