Khao Sok/Cheow Lan Dam Lake

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Cheow Lan Dam and Lake

One of the highlights of Khao Sok park is a visit to this gorgeous lake. The dam was built in 1982 and covers an area of 165 km and as it was filled over 100 islands were formed. Sharp limestone cliffs rise from the water and early morning mist porvides excellent photo ops. Accomodation on the lake is by raft house.

We booked our 2 day/overnight trek with Nung House for 2500 B. This is the main reason I'd been hanging around waiting for the rain to end. Kate and I started to come here one year, but it was the (true) rainy season and we'd heard the leeches were horrid, so we just chilled at the beach instead.
GL has been here before last year and wanted to come again. I wish she hadn't. We are sharing a floating rafthouse and I am postively giddy that it's only ONE MORE NIGHT. Of course, she's complaining about the price.

Driving to the lake with our guide, we were fortunate enough to sit up front in the aircon cabin of the truck instead of in the back like the guys in our group. Unfortunately, our guide smelled like he'd been wearing the same sweaty clothes for the last month and he also had a craving for extremely loud Thai rock. Trapped in the car I thought I would eventually get used to the smell, but no such luck. It was possibly the worst body odor I've ever experienced and there was no escape.
The good news is that I had new people to talk to! We formed a group with two older Canadian ladies (who I strongly suspect were lesbians by the number of trips they seem to always take together....), a Dutch guy and 3 Frenchmen, one of who smelled only slightly better than the Thai guide.

It reminded me of something the nun said at the monestary--that to be around the men would be distracting for our meditation because we would be able to smell them...yes, but what we would smell would be distracting in a way I don't think she was talking about. In our free hours, the women were always at the mandis like some sort of pioneer TV show, washing their clothes and bathing. In contrast, when one of the men would walk by, you could tell they were most definately NOT spending their free time bathing nor washing their clothes. The words RIPE and MUSTY come to mind....lovely.

Anyway, soon enough we were out on the longtail boat and passing by the most amazing scenery. The guide had already taken a liking to me, calling me beautiful and insisting on sitting right by me, so...no luck getting away from the smell even in the open air! Again, I practiced loving kindness and just focused on letting it go!

That afternoon was spent swimming in the lake, eating and exploring the Seeroo Cave. This cave has 4 converging passageways and was used as a hide-out for student communist groups between 1975-1982. It also has the sad distinction as the sight of a horrible accident in 2007 as 2 guides and 7 tourists died in the cave when a flash flood came down. Now, no guides will go in this cave in the rainy season for good reason.
For a majority of the cave you are wading through water sometimes up to your chest. It's quite something when it's nearly pitch black and you've no idea where to step. Many times I felt as though my foot was about to be wedging in between a rock. It was slow going. The highlight was a narrow cavern only big enough for one person at a time. You had to climb up a rock face (try this holding a flashlight) and then lower yourself back down to a rope that went along this crevice filled with deep water--water so deep it calls for a rope. This portion is pretty much any guides nightmare as a lot of things could go wrong here. But they didn't for our group and we all emerged safely on the other side.
I was soaked up to my neck and delirious with the thought that this would force my guide to have a bit of a bath--but no! He is such an expert with this rope he was dry chest up. Oh well.

At sunset I took a kayak out and was positively captivated to hear monekys crashing through the trees, see hornbills flying overhead and heard the jungle come alive. It was so great just to be ALONE and have this little passageway all to myself, when suddenly I heard paddling behind me...you guessed it! GL had followed me. So much for solitude. It's a giant lake, why??

We spent the next day doing a morning kayak, spotting gibbons, langurs and a snake swimming across the lake. The sounds of the jungle in the morning and the crazy monkey calls were worth all of the days spent with GL. I am so glad I came here and have been able to experience this beauty.
Plus, the food has been absolutely delicious and plentiful, always a bonus!

Now, off to Khao Lak and going on a live aboard dive boat in the Similan Islands for 4 days and 14 dives.

I have loads of photos, but unfortunately can't upload any of them right now as I'm back logged with blogging and don't have them with me. But I will post them as soon as I'm off this floating Muslim fishing village....who knew they would have internet here?

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