Floating Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Writer & Photographer: Rui Tan (Instagram @ryosuke_rui)

Translated to English by Eve

在我印象中大概坐了2个小时的tuk-tuk，风尘仆仆地才到达这村子。
I remember sitting on a tuk-tuk for almost two hours, worn and weary, to arrive in this village.

也许不是旅游旺季，又或许不是旅客爱打卡的目的地，这里的船只就只能搁浅徘徊在岸边等待着再次启航的时机。披上五颜六色的漆，带点土土的泥巴，一些些摇摇晃晃地椅子，那就是这些船只的特色。

Perhaps it was neither a tourist season, nor a popular check-in tourist spot, the boats stayed ashore, patiently waiting for the right time to set sail again. Colourful paints, mud stains, rocky chairs, these were the special traits of these boats.

河水绝对不是清澈见底型，毕竟不是每条河水都是走这种路线。而扮演旅人的我，却是兴奋至极！我超喜欢到一些能观察当地人生活点滴的地方，不是那种人群多，大家爱打卡到此一游的地方。

The river water was not crystal clear, after all not every river is perfect like that. Yet as a tourist, I was stoked! I really liked going to places where I could observe the livelihood of the locals, instead of places that are crowded and popular for check-ins.

船夫淡定地开着“彩虹船”。没亲眼见证的你，绝对不知道有些转弯处有几狭小，要同时容纳来往的船只，每每考验船长的技术。船只和船只的亲吻，激起土色的浪花，溅在衣衫上，我的笑容直接僵掉！船票一人30美元，纵使只有一人，船只也照开。

The boatman was calmly navigating the "Rainbow Boat". You, who aren't here to witness, could never imagine how the narrow turning points had to accommodate a few boats at the same time. The boatman's skill was put to test at every turn. The boats were kissing each other, mud-coloured water splattered and stained my clothes, my smile was immediately frozen! The boat ticket was USD $30 per person. Even if there is only one passenger, the boat operates too.

时而快速，时而缓慢；颠簸着，全考验按下快门，曝光，ISO的技巧。

Sometimes the boat moved quickly, sometimes it's slow. The bumpy ride was a real test for my photography skills in shutter speed, exposure and ISO.

算了，自动模式，一镜到底！反正我属于自我放弃型!

Forget it, set it in automatic mode, keep using the same lens! Anyway, I belong to the self-abandon type!

从我狭小的视野望出去，我又兴奋了。

I was stoked again by the view.

这些河上的屋子好有特色哦！细细长长的支架，支撑着百孔千疮的房子。

These houses on the river were so special! Lean and tall pillars were supporting the worn houses.

退潮时的景象绝对和涨潮时截然不同。当地人说河水涨潮时，比我还高！喂，废话！涨潮的河水可高达六米多，所以房子要建得如此高才行。拍着拍着，我开始想象大小号直接入河水的画面。。。囧

The scenery at low tide is absolutely different from high tide. The locals said when the river rises, the water level is taller than me! Hey, nonsense! High tide of the river can be as tall as six meters, so houses have to be built taller than that. While clicking the shutter, I began to imagine human excretions dropping directly into the river... Oops.

一些画面挡住了我继续幻想下去！有旅客从窗户乱丢垃圾！哔哔哔，警察勒?! 看清楚才发现是一群旅客一齐的分撒着零食给当地的小孩，像财神爷般地大方。看得我下巴直接脱臼！小孩冒险着想去捡零食，有些零食随波逐流地飘到河中，小孩们也不罢休。我心都揪了。心想要是有人撒食物给我，我就先咬断他的手！
A few scenes interrupted my thoughts! A tourist threw rubbish out of the window! Beep... beep... where is the police?! Then I realized it was a group of tourists distributing snacks to the local children, generously like the God of Prosperity. My jaw dropped! The children were riskily fighting to catch the snacks. Some snacks flowed freely along the river but the children did not give up. My heart tightened, if somebody were to throw food to me in that careless manner, I would bite his hand!

船只经过的地方就能见着当地人的日常。简单的日常。要养家户口的日常。环境不是那么理想也要活下去的日常。没有shopping，没有卡拉OK，没有电影院，没有爱疯的日常。

The boat passed by places that we could observe daily lives of locals. Just simple daily life. A life to work hard to support the family. A life to carry on despite not being in the best situation. A life without shopping, karaoke, cinema, and without iphone.

到了一段落，船长让我们上岸去看看村子里的情况。不清楚是不是每艘船都有机会上岸去，因为我只发现我们是仅有的旅客。

At one point, the boatman let us go ashore to visit the village. I'm not sure if every boat has the chance to do this, because I noticed we were the only tourists.

上岸后，我只能说这地方相当的落后，尘埃满满。

On the river bank, I could only describe this place as under-developed, and full of dust.

走走拍拍，和当地的小孩有些互动。切记，拍了照片记得给他们瞧一瞧，我老忘记，真没礼貌！

I walked, took pictures, and played with the local kids. Just a reminder to you, show the kids your photos. I kept forgetting and it was so rude.

老师的工资是每个月300美元而已。小孩可以在学校上课后，下午到小小的补习班上英文课。免费的哦，所以小孩可以自愿去后不去。当然也请你捐个款吧，毕竟教育很重要。

A teacher's wage is only $300 USD per month. The children go to school in the morning, and then go to a tuition class in the afternoon to learn English. The class is free, so children might come and go as they wish. Of course please donate if you can, because education is very important.

值得一提的是，我发现这村子的小孩不乞讨，他们也不会追着你买围巾，或买名信片。他们卖的就只是对陌生人一个简单的微笑而已，就这样而已。
Remarkably, the children in this village did not beg, they also wouldn't chase after and persuade you to buy scarf or postcards. The only thing they sell to a stranger is a smile, that's all.


最后，船夫把我们驶向了大海。大海上有间漂流的小餐馆，而我没见着什么客人。因为我只忙着找。。。救生衣！怕啊！船缓缓地驶回村子，而我的思绪就停留在河里会出现鳄鱼的画面。。。

At last, the boatman took us to the ocean. Floating in the middle of the ocean was a small eatery. I didn't pay attention because I was busy... looking for a safety jacket! It was scary! Then the boat drove slowly back to the river, but my mind was filled with the scene of crocodile in the river...

Floating Village, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Follow Rui on instagram @ryosuke_rui