I guess like kids everywhere, Savuth's youngest looks like he is in that phase where his Dad's job is the coolest in the world.
The road to Chong Kneas just out of Siem Reap is still in pretty bad shape. At this point there is a huge dangerously deep pothole that can tip a tuk tuk or break a car axle that is so big there is only just enough room to carefully get by, one vehicle at a time, one direction at a time.
We picnicked at one of many swinging hammock places you see everywhere.
You gotta love these hammock places to hang out in, literally!
We stopped along the way to pick up grilled chicken and fish and boiled shrimp. We brought along veggies, rice and a lot of tasty Black Panther stout lager.
As always, the real story is always the beautiful children. I didn't get much rest in that hammock but believe me, I didn't mind.
Did you know that peekaboo is an internationally recognized children's game?
The photographer being photographed. We gave Savuth's kids disposable cameras with the assignment to photograph their own world or whatever they like. I can't wait to get the cameras to the photo shop.
Riding the naga
Some of the poverty around Tonle Sap remains a confrontation.
Independent artisans still build many of the lake boats by hand.
Life on the lake is always interesting. Like shore dwellers everywhere the kids grow up learning the waters from the time they can walk.
Floating village in the distance.
Life on the lake.
The floating village now surrounding the new jetty at Chong Kneas
The kids everywhere are here are so photogenic and so willing to scream "hello, how are you" and pose. These budding entrepeneurs then came up with their request of "one dolluh" babbling on in Khmer perhaps about copyrights and already being under contract with Ford Modeling Agency haha.
There was a fun fair going on at Chong Kneas. There is a vital lesson to be learned when you see time and time again that the fun and excitement experienced by kids is totally unrelated to the sophistication of the fun fair.
The merry-go-round had more merry than go-round but the kids loved it.
This kid kept jumping off and on, dragging his heels in the dirt to slow down the merry-go-round and proving himself to be quite indestructible. Even with no pants on!
A bit of the floating village visible from the jetty at Chong Kneas.
This young boy had to paddle in when he couldn't get the engine to start.
Tour boats lined up at the end of the day.
Besides Savuth's family of six, we were joined by Pul's family of four and another driver mate of theirs Mau.
HELP!!!!!
Sunset brought to you by Zorro.
I love the silhouettes on the lake as the sun starts to set.
Phnom Krom from the Chong Kneas jetty. Our original plan was to climb to the top of Phnom Krom but with six kids in tow who by sunset were in that state of excited exhaustion, the fun fair and jetty at Chong Kneas seemed like a smarter option. Especially for us adults who had to look after the kids.
Savuth found one of his mate's, a boat driver, and we chilled on the roof of his tour boat for the end of sunset.
She is such a sweety!
As the sun set and the lights went on at the fun fair, it all had a softer and more appealing look.
