The Floating Village

After our boat ride, we went back to the non-cliffy side of the lake and arrived at our accommodations for the night. It was a “floating village” comprised of a central pavilion and about 20 huts lined up on either side of the pavilion. Everything was floating logs. The walkways were rickety and uneven, and you had to have a strong sense of balance to get from the pavilion to the huts. Molly and I were assigned to the furthest hut from the pavilion, and it was entertaining to watch us try to balance our way across the plank walkway while carrying our extremely over-packed backpacks. The one-room hut consisted of a plywood floor with a mattress, two pillows and two blankets, woven wooden walls with cut-outs for windows, a large glass window in the front, and a thatched roof. There was a front porch with a single light bulb, and for some reason our hut was the only one without railings on the porch. The door was just a piece of wood on hinges that didn’t quite fit the cutout that was made for it. The bathrooms were an experience all their own. A walkway led to the shore of the lake, and a short climb up a hill led to a series of shacks that were the bathrooms. There were no showers and no running water, and to “flush” you just poured some water into the toilet. If we wanted to shower we were to do so in the lake.

We spent the afternoon lounging in the hut and swimming in the lake. There was a loose log in front of our hut, and we entertained ourselves by seeing who could get the furthest without falling off. The floating village also had kayaks for the use of guests, and after multiple attempts at getting into the kayak without flipping it, we paddled ourselves around a few of the coves in the lake. Later in the afternoon Kung joined us in the lake, and I think she had the time of her life. Molly was trying to teach me to dive off the walkway into the lake, and Kung told us she had never jumped off the side of anything before. We convinced her to try it (had to count to 3 to get her to jump) and I seriously thought she was going to drown. She wasn’t a strong swimmer, and took an unusually long time to rise to the surface, so I shoved a life vest her way and she grabbed on and pulled herself up. She was coughing and choking (we forgot to tell her to hold her nose) but she had the biggest smile on her face and exclaimed, “I am so happy!” She jumped off a few more times, and even tried to dive (which turned a flat out belly flop). At dinner that night, she told us she had one of the best afternoons of her life. While we were swimming with Kung, a little boy inched his way towards us and eventually joined in our games. He spoke little English, but we learned his name was Big and that he was living at the floating village during a break from school. His mom was one of the cooks at the village.

Pictures: First view of the floating village; the bathrooms; playing in the lake; chillin with Kung.