Canoe get to the sunken temple?

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I'd grabbed onto this idea a little while ago, my mind taking the guidebook's small paragraph and sailing away with it as a flag. And my imagination of it came to visually define my excitement of coming away and my desire to find adventure and history.
It was to canoe down to the sunken Mon temple at Sangkhlaburi, where the rivers now meet. This was where the old Mon village had been flooded by a new large dam upstream in the 80s, the Mon now live on one side of the town's stunning wooden bridge. The old temple, Wat Saam Prasob,which was upon a hill, is all that can still be partly seen. There was a sad local story here too.

I went in the afternoon, imagining the evening mist and darkening sky as excellent companions for the water journey. But as P guesthouse, who rent kayaks for the river, pointed out, it would take a while to get there, and they wasn't actually sure if one person (or at least the one stood before them!) could make it there and back.. but that I could take the motor boat tours from here? Hmm okay, I'll come back early in the morning I said, so I've plenty of time.

Walking back down in the morning I did feel a little unsure, was I being a stubborn idiot abroad? I didn't want to be the person who needed to be rescued in a red-faced manner, maybe I underestimated it. But once I walked out and saw the river, I thought, honestly, 'no f*** it! I can do this'. I felt excited agai . You could not see the temple from the kayak pier, I just knew I would follow the rivers, about a bend and in time I'd see the temple remains (standing dignantly, with head raised high) out the water.

It was a lovely wooden kayak. As soon as we started it felt cool about us, smooth movements from either oar end.
The river was wide, it had character. Along the way there were patches where tall trees of before were now jurting out like readied incense sticks, one had become a large bow. By the banks, plantlife stubbornly kept joined to it's neighbours who had remained on the land. The water was deep, calm and smooth. Dragonflys, sometimes paired, would slipstream and flick around us. Mountains surrounded the flows ahead, the landscape was just stunning. I was fortunate that for much of the journey it just felt like me, kayak and the water. A few motorboats passed me along the way, and they'd quickly get far away, but they all said hello or gave me a wave. There were some sweet people who um, even clapped and cheered, some taking pictures. I raised my eyebrows and smiled in surprise, warmth and a little embarrassment.

As I came around the bend I could start to see a black stamp on the horizon, I guessed that must be it.
For the journey I rowed quick in patches getting in a real rhythm, other times I let the boat settle into a rocking and took in the surroundings and the water right under me. Laying back and floating. It was just my favourite journey.
As I got closer over the hour, the temple form and the different parts of the temple ground became clearer. There was the main Mon temple, an arched hall, a tower and I guessed a temple area gate that became visible. The architecture and stone patterns were much different to the temples I'd seen elsewhere in Thailand, including here in Sangkhlaburi.

As I approached the main temple building, which is the one you can explore by foot, local children were there with flowers and incense to buy. I got off, and walked about here. For the other parts I explored with the kayak.

Though I was on the surface in the kayak, something about this - the quiet and calm of the explored surroundings maybe - had the feel of being in a submarine or a diving kit within beautiful under water hums.
It is hard to describe sights of the temple area, there are photos below more telling than I can write! But it really felt like something, the journey and destination, seeing that point ahead, reaching it and slowly twisting the kayak about the different parts..
Sliding up next to the now stony arched plant house; seeing grand stair banisters to my side just under the water - the type that circle and open out like lion paws - and letting the kayak bop very slowly around the remains. I felt lucky to see the surface and under levels of the remains. More features were obscured by reeds, and the temple stone work continued below. It was a little eery, as well as beautiful. That which could not be seen above water was now the domain of the fish and left over tales. It's hard to know quite why it was okay for a mighty dam up stream to be built and ultimately flood the village that was here.

It was now time to get back, and the journey lost little of it's novelty. There was more beautiful rocky surroundings and slow cloud dances to spot; more water to cover, more banks to venture to and motorboat waves to jig over.
I really, really enjoyed this.

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Comments

[Les]

How long
Hi am at p guesthouse now was thinking of doing the same thing was looking at the canoes today your report was good but how long did it take you to get to the sunken temples i can imagine the young guys face when i want to say i want to do the same thing ha ha

[Lee Boxcat]

Hey there, nice to hear from another in Sangkhlaburi, a special place. It did not take all that long! An hour to hour and a half there (then back) i think. Give it a go and enjoy the scenery, then the temples can be seen ahead before long. Lee