Visit to the floating villages and sunset on a boat tour on the Tonle Sap

Since I wanted to take my time to arrive and get an overview on the first day in Siem Reap, I decided not to go directly to the Angkor Wat temple complex. So, I booked a tour in the morning while dozing in bed before having my first coffee and breakfast for the afternoon to Kampong Phluk to see the 'floating villages' with a sunset on Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia. However, in the morning, I strolled around my neighborhood. New country; so I needed new cash as foreigners can only withdraw US dollars from ATMs here. Whenever you pay for something, you also receive smaller amounts back in Cambodian Riel, sometimes even in mixed forms with two currencies. But you get used to that pretty quickly; I can't judge if it’s the same during extensive pub nights yet. So, after breakfast, I headed to the ATM. Google Maps showed me quite a few ATMs nearby, so it should be a manageable task. With three credit cards in my pocket (I left the Amex in the hotel safe), I set off. Well, it turned out to be a somewhat lengthy process. In some cases, Google Maps seemed to require updating (at one point, I stood in front of a chicken coop where an ATM was supposed to be; yes, if chicken production displaces the ATM, the banking crisis must have struck ;-)) and in other cases, the machines didn't seem to like my card(s). Several times, I received the info in the air-conditioned ATM phone booths that I should call a customer service number. Despite the nervousness one could expect on the first days, it didn't arise. At some point, however, after unsuccessfully attempting with the Visa card, the Mastercard finally worked. Lucky me that it is valid until 03/25 and that the new card arrived in Dresden a few days after my departure... With fresh cash reserves, I went shopping in the local giant supermarket; also to be curious about what the locals have on offer... Then - it was already shortly after noon - I treated myself to a refreshment at a place that seemed to double as a dog kennel, and strolled back to the hotel since Meng, the tour guide for the day, had written to me and informed me about the pickup time. Quick coffee, and while I was in the shower freshening up and cooling down, there were several heavy knocks on the door. Meng arrived 20 minutes early. So, it was a quick dry off and into the bus. It was already fully occupied, and I took a seat in the last available spot. Next to me sat an American influencer who filmed everything throughout the tour and made commentary videos, but was otherwise quite nice. Overall, we were 18 people on the tour plus Meng and the bus driver, whom Meng always introduced as 'Mr. Playboy'… Meng was very lively but also very kind and helpful, spoke English very well, and often laughed in a slightly peculiar way, so one would know when a funny story had reached its end... After an hour bus ride, the last 30 minutes over a dusty bumpy road, we arrived at our first stop, Kampong Phluk in the 'Floating Village'; that is, in the floating village, which we reached after a brief motorboat tour. During the rainy season, these villages are completely underwater, and the houses are only accessible by boat; now during the dry season, one can stroll leisurely on foot through these villages and observe the houses perched on stilts. The people all seemed very happy, which Meng also confirmed, despite – or maybe because of (?) – the simple conditions... Then we seamlessly continued by boat onto the Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Southeast Asia, which is also said to be one of the most fish-rich lakes in the world. This is not evident as the water is muddy brown, which does not mean that the locals don't have a great time swimming in it... For a few extra dollars, there was also a cozy canoe tour offered. The canoes for the tourists are exclusively steered by younger and older women... At the conclusion of the tour, as the sun began to set, we moved further out onto the lake to observe the evening sunset... After that, we swung back into the hotel by motorboat and bus, where I spent some time enjoying delicious local Khmer food and drinks in the outdoor bar area until the local mosquitoes became so annoying, feasting on my blood, that I retreated to bed...