Taking the Ferry

Getting on the ferry
Fishing boats lined up along the river

Getting on the ferry requires going in reverse down a very steep dirt cliff and ending up on the ferry.

Ferry crossing in the evening in front of my house. People and horses are cooling off in the river.

My house overlooks the beautiful Mekong river. There are now two ferries that go back and forth between my side and the other from early morning (about 5am) to evening (7pm). One is bigger and can carry things like vans, tractors, motos, etc. The other just carries people and motos. Many of the students at my school travel form across the river every morning. Many times when students are late the reason is because they missed the ferry.

Some sites here are only accessible by ferry crossing. A few volunteers have the unfortunate luck to be at them. Luckily, mine is relatively small because there are other ways to get to the area by road. The ferry does however provide a fairly steady stream of taxis and trucks coming through the area. Occasionally foreigners on dirt bikes ( a popular way to see Cambodia) will come barreling through via ferry.

The ferry comes directly to the front of my house, giving my neighbors who sell things like: snacks, drinks, construction equipment, toiletries, etc., constant business.

I have never been across the river until recently, mostly because I don't know anyone over there and it is a fairly strict Muslim village, (here called the Cham people). This village intrigues me because I have been told that they don't speak Khmer (while there) and there is a huge Mosque visible from my porch.

My host mother and father took me to a wedding which required that we take the ferry across the river. It is only about a 10 minute ride, but it was exciting nonetheless. The village across the river was incredibly beautiful! It had great river views and sprawling rice fields. The women wore full h. That must be incredibly hot here!

I'm thinking about going over to the village this summer with a friend, (who is more fluent in the language) to inquire about teaching in the fall.