Thailand- part 2

The next place I visited- still inside Khao Sok National Park- was Chieow Laan Lake. An hour or so down the road from my previous location we took a long boat another hour past the towering limestone cliffs and all the little caves and islands to the far side of the lake. There I traded in my lovely jungle tree house for a small community of tiny bamboo huts floating on the water. As hot and humid as it was I was unspeakably grateful to have a little hut from which I could walk three steps out the front door and dive straight into the cool sparkling waters. A nice group of travelers there, we were able to do a little hiking through the jungle (this time with a guide!), listen to the wild gibbons calling out from the trees on the the bank, and of course do a lot of swimming. In my two days at the lake I think I hardly got out of my swimsuit! We ate all our meals at a floating restaurant attached to our bank of huts which was lovely. Lots of fresh seafood and nice Thai meals. Again quite a rustic experience- walking back from dinner that first night we looked over to see the cooks washing our dishes right in the lake water. I guess that explains why all the little fishies were swimming around by the restaurant! While there we were also able to take some nice longboat tours around the lake and out to see the sunset ans also do an early morning kayak tour to look for all the local wildlife. We saw of course the wild gibbons that we could hear all around us as well as a couple different kinds of monkeys and some interesting birds and insects. I got a little sunburned in my days there as being right on the lake left no respite from the reflecting sunlight, but other than that it was perfect! Our guide Yu took wonderful care of us at the lake and helped us learn a lot about the history of the region. (Despite all the teasing from our Canadian couple in the group who couldn't get over his name... Hey Yu! What do Yu know?) :) Apparently Chieow Laan is a fairly recently made man-made lake with the original villages still down below the water. It makes this lake a haven for divers who like to go down and look around at the villages preserved at the bottom. Many of the people who work in the park- like our boat driver and the cooks at the floating restaurant- were once residents of those villages. Now they make their living giving tours and taking care of the travelers that visit. It seems to work out well for everyone. The lake itself is a water reservoir for the rest of Thailand and the villagers all agreed to give up their villages before the lake was created. Such a nice relaxing couple days before heading on to the next part of my voyage!