Asia with Lorraine: Out on the Lake

These photos are just are just a small selection of all that I took that day. This is the view of the village as we boarded the boat.

A mobile clinic which visits the villages around the lake

The bridge in this village which will be completely submerged come May in the wet season.

A long tailed boat

Getting about on the lake

A family moving produce

A wave for the tourists

Fixing fish traps

The phone mast and access to it has to be higher than the highest water level in the rainy season. Some homes only have oil lamps for light and charcoal and timber for cooking and heating when required. Others own or rent generators for power.

A spirit house or shrine above the water mark

Working on the lake. The homes and storage areas here at the waters edge - when not on stilts - are all temporary and will be removed as the water level raises. Some of these people have permanent homes on stilts in or around the main village.

Althiugh. Referred to as a floating village most of the houses are built on stilts and although appear to "float" in the wet season are not floating. This house however like many is floating on a raft made of bamboo. One of the advantages of this is that is is a mobile home.

A home, a boat and bicycles

Transportation

The much used lotus

Our captain for the day

He used his feet and toes to control rudder and gears!

We did have a close encounter with the someone's irrigation system.

These interesting bamboo structures are used both for irrigation and spreading of pesticide. The land around the lake is very fertile due to the sediment but it also dries out quickly so needs to be watered. The pesticides are causing a serious problem of fouling the waters and poisoning the fish stick. There is an additional problem for the livelihood of the local people due to the affects of damming the lake for hydropower.