Tempel Mealea, Fishing Village and Food Tour (Angkor Part 4)

In the morning, we drove through the countryside to a fishing village. Since rivers and lakes overflow during the rainy season, houses are built on stilts.

Then the scooter is carried to the upper floor and instead a boat is used.

We took a boat ride along the canal to Tonle Sap Lake. On the way, we saw a floating village whose houses float on the water and therefore have no problem with rising water levels.

The village's school also floated and the children had to take a boat to school.

Afterwards, we went to Beng Mealea Temple. This temple has not been restored yet, so it gives an impression of what the temples in Angkor once looked like.

Most parts of the buildings had collapsed and overgrown.

However, it was not as adventurous as described on some websites. We didn't have to fight our way through dense jungle, but could explore the complex via wooden walkways and stairs.

The overgrown ruins were definitely worth seeing. Finally, we found a spot where we were allowed to climb over rocks instead of taking the stairs.

In the evening, we went on a food tour to end our stay. We first passed by the street food stalls in the area of the "Pub Street" and tried, for example, rice-coconut fritters or "Fried Ice Cream".

After having dessert ahead of time, we went to a Cambodian restaurant where, apart from us, only locals were present.

There we tried beef and frog barbecue with the typical fish paste. It was the first time in our lives that we tried frog.

After having a beef skewer at another restaurant, we took a Tuk Tuk to a night market outside the city.

There we tried crispy little frogs, but we couldn't bring ourselves to bite into the insects.

Our tour guide showed us how to eat fried beetles. First, the shell comes off and then you bite into it with a crunch...

Back in the city, she dropped us off at Pub Street. It was a stark contrast to our previous tour, as there were hardly any locals here.

There is one pub after another and we finally decided to have a cocktail at the Temple Bar while watching the hustle and bustle on the street.

The next morning, we flew to Bangkok and had to say goodbye to Cambodia.