We arrived at our next destination, Chiao Lan reservoir, mid-morning for our traditional long-tail boat ride. Kung looked all over the parking lot for our driver, K, and was unable to find him. She paid a little kid to find him for us, and we loaded the boat with ourselves and our backpacks. The lake reminded me of a lake in Missouri, save for the lack of houses on the banks and the lack of other boats on the lake. There were no houses and we were the only boat on the lake. I kept thinking that had this lake been in the States, it would have been over-developed in no time. We rounded a corner and I understood why this location was included on the tour—on the far side of the lake cliffs formed a sheer rock wall, and there was one small opening. We went into the opening and entered a part of the lake that looked sort of like Phang Nga Bay. The islands were much smaller and didn’t contain caves or interior lagoons, but the waterscape was very similar. It was quiet and relaxing, and K and Kung took us to a place where you could shout and hear numerous echoes bounce off the walls. During this time Kung also told us the history of the lake. It was created by the Ratchapraphar Dam 25 years ago to provide electricity to the surrounding areas. The government paid to relocate all the people whose homes would be flooded, and Kung said if you go to the bottom of lake you can still see the remains of villages.
Picture: The tip of the long-tail boat and some of the islands in the lake.
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