Sunday 11 May 2008

Cheow Lan Lake
















Cheow Lan Lake - National Park Thailand
Stephen's Notes:



We got a high speed long tail boat across the lake to stay on a floating bamboo village between two islands. I think this was one of my Thailand highlights as the food was nice, the scenery was spectacular and you managed to see loads of wildlife close up. The hut wasn't up to much. Nothing closed properly but the mozzie nets seemed to work and all our neighbours were exhausted from paddling their canoes so they were quiet.

Good things
Views of the lake with whispy clouds outside the front and back doors
Climbing into a limestone cave and not banging my head
Black and yellow hornbills whizzing around the mountains
Rare orangy gibbons making cooey noises from the tops of the trees. Fastest swingers through the trees..
Huge portions of rice at lunch time
Free canoes for exploring and finding monkeys
Bathtime was in the lake

Bad things
Obstacle course to get to the toilets at night time. The path moved, bits of wood weren't tacked on properly and you had to take a lantern with you to see where you were going....
Leeches attaching themselves the wife's legs on the soggy jungle walk. Required constant leech alert
Sandals getting gunged up with thick mud and then slipping and sliding onto the bamboo rafts
Falling into the lake when trying to get into the canoe wearing my 'professional' dragon boat t-shirt