Early start for the rescheduled boat trip to the Floating School on the Tonle Sap Lake. 45 minutes in the car on the new tarmac highway built during the COVID shutdown to accommodate the millions of tourists on whom this country depends. But for the last 3 kilometres, we’re back to the old ‘dirt & pothole’ road I remember from 2007. Before the new road, the whole journey was like this!! Then we had at least another 45 minutes by boat to reach the complex – so not exactly an easy journey.
The Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia and the water level fluctuates according to the season. Currently the level is unusually low, exposing vegetation not normally visible and forcing boats and houses to move closer and closer to the centre of the lake. Everything here is floating: houses, businesses, amenities. The school/church complex is run by the Catholic Church and comprises a learning centre (daily English class for 25 at a time), kindergarten ( daily class for 18) and church (over 100 for rice soup on a Sunday).
A new boat, provided by Support Cambodia in 2024, ferries everyone to and from the complex 7 days a week. Urgent repairs to the blue pontoons that support the structure were carried out late in 2024, financed jointly by Support Cambodia, Aylsham Rotary and Ely Catholic Parish. Further work is still needed: the roof, replacement wood and painting.
The physical circumstances here make daily life really tough….e.g. teaching against a background of outboard motor boats constantly passing within 10 metres of the school makes speaking almost impossible! We have no idea!
Parish Priest Father Yacob and his team, especially Mr Bunloem, Mrs Yiem, Sorya and Jivan, do an unbelievable job in this very, very challenging place. I really don’t know how they do it…and they need all the support they can get. An eye-opening but very worthwhile day – okoon nas Lokpok Yacob! 🙏🙏👏👏
You can keep up to date with Katie and Maria’s visit to Cambodia right here on this website or on our Facebook page.
