Tonle Sap28 Feb 2019
|
|
Downriver at Daybreak to Tonle Sap
Racing upriver to market
Or at a more leisurely pace
Early morning alarm for short bus ride from Siem Reap to river, and boat ride downriver to Tonle Sap; largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. Tonle Sap and the Tonle Sap river at its south-eastern extreme connect to the Mekong River near Phnom Penh. During the rainy monsoon season (April-November) the Mekong flows with such volume & force that it flows back up into the Tonle Sap river for 75 miles to fill Tonle Sap Lake. The lake increases in size during that wet season from 1,000 square miles to over 6,000 square miles, and doubles in volume to about 20 cubic miles.
We are here during the dry season and the average lake depth is only one to three meters; quite shallow. We boated across the lake till reaching the marshy area at the northwestern section of the lake. Then transferred to two smaller, shallow draft boats for journey thru marshes and up a small river. Peaceful, quiet travel upriver with no other traffic, surrounded by bushes & trees to the water edge. Spotted lots of birds from the water (spectacular views of storks & eagles), and again after we 'docked' at water's edge to hike/bush whack to see some land birds.
Quiet dinner at the hotel before early to bed for the standard 05:00 alarm and early departure for the Phnum Kalen National Park area north of Siem Reap, where we will overnight in tents at Changkran Roy.
Ciao for now
