"Each pot-making family has its own “claim” and works/excavates its clay by digging in to the mountain. This is dangerous work and because cave-ins occur excavation of clay is usually only undertaken during the dry season when the ground is more stable. The dry season is also the most productive pot production time as the women are not engaged in rice planting/harvesting duties away from the home."
Chong Kos
Phoum Kantal en Chong Kos are close to the Tonlé Sap-lake.
A short boat trip from the tourist port in Kompong Chhnang brings you to two
colourful floating villages: Phoum Kandal in the east and to the northwest lies Chong Kos. It is much less touristy than in Kompong Luong. They really have all the amenities of the water, which is a town on the mainland would have here: houses, machine shops, vegetable vendors, a mosque, a petrol station. Drives almost everything. The children play and swim there, there is trade on the boats and the men are playing cards.
Many of the people in these two places are Vietnamese descent.
From the tourist port (Tourism Port), you can rent a large wooden boat with room for eight people. The cost is about $ 8 for a US-hour tour.
A cheaper, quieter and more environmentally friendly option is available about 300 meters to the distance from the tourist port. This is like the floating villagers do: narrow wooden boat rowed by a standing man. This boat trip takes about 1 USD and the trip takes about 20 minutes.
Chong Kos
Each year, the floating village float less than 300 kilometers back and forth. The Tonle Sap lake on which it is acting as a sort of natural buffer for the Mekong.
If the Mekong swells, the water runs, it connects more with the Mekong, towards the lake, and if the level of the Mekong falls back, the water flow back the other direction, to the Mekong. And that back and forth flow float villages annually along with the season. Tourism exist here yet.
Phoum Kantal and Chong Kos near Kompong Chhnang are two picturesque villages, the daily life takes place on the water.
To quietly enjoy, you should keep the small rowboat without a motor (great and very relaxing).
Most homes have a terrace with a hammock and a small boat to move. Some families live in a sort of houseboat.
In fact, you will find daily life place, such as on land. Except: in city traffic goes by road and here is the traffic on the river. It's not like, for example, Venice alone are no bridges and no sidewalks.
Incredible as it may seem, there were no tourists (except us).
It's probably one of my favorite places in Cambodia.
Chong Kos
The couple of hours we spent on the water were totally fascinating and atmospheric. If you are thinking of trying it, I’d just advise covering up (a wide-brimmed hat is a good idea!) and bringing enough water along!
NEDERLANDS
