Up at 4:30am we watched the sunrise over the lake from the vantage point of a bridge. Being close to the equator the sunrise is surprisingly quick from the first glimmer to full day. The rain stayed away and the clouds were formed in at least five layers creating spots and shafts of light.
The dawning light allowed us to see the lakeside fishing nets, Yor Yak. The nets are approximately 4m square on a rigid frame hanging over the river on a tripod. A counter lever system allows the net to be lowered quickly in to the water, weighted in the middle by an old beer bottle. After a few minutes the net is gently brought back up and any catch is scooped up using a long handled net.
Taking a boat out on to the lake we saw a husband and wife fishing team. He stands in the water holding one end of the net whilst she loops the boat out to deeper water distributing the net as she goes. On returning back to her husband she too climbs out of the boat and enters the water up to the waist holding the other end of the net. He crouches down and she stands behind him and together they pull the net behind them, him scooping for fish whilst she hauls. The loop gets smaller and smaller until the catch of fish is caught in the middle of the net and lifted out of the water, each catch being about the size of a shopping bag.
Heading across the lake we saw a third approach to fishing, as the fisherman stood on the bank and through out his net across an inlet. Hauling any catch back to shore.
The north end of the lake is a protected waterfowl reserve, Thale Noi Waterfowl Reserve, famous for the thousands of birds. Not having the best weather we didn't see all 180 promised species and I couldn't really identify all those that we did see, but there were certainly gulls and storks, swifts and herons and most surprisingly for me, large hawks.
Two more delightful surprises were the herd of majestic Water Buffalo, eating the grass with their ankles in water then swimming to another piece of swampy land. On a little further and we were taken to the middle of an expanse of pink lotus flowers. Sitting peacefully in the middle we listened to the calling of the birds and watched dragonfly, both of the brightest blue.
To shore and we went for breakfast in a local café. Fried rice was ordered but we'd spotted the chapatti. The rice flour, Coconut milk pancakes we had had a few days earlier. Not as good as the banana ones from before but a choice of butter, egg or tuna. The butter won the popular vote, tuna was in third place but we agreed it wasn't as bad as it sounded.
We returned to the hotel for a quick wash, pack and to collect the one member of the group who hadn't woken for the morning excursion. Hitting the road once more we set off to see some local handicrafts.
First stop the drum making family. Drums are used for calling the workers in from work on the rice fields, and for ceremonial activities. Carrying the shrine during a procession takes up to 20 pairs of men in front and behind, for them all to march in time a drum beating the rhythm is essential. Today most of the drums being made are requested by hotels and other tourist centres. The first stage we saw when we arrived was the hide of the water Buffalo being dried on a rack and then stretched across a drum template. The skin was then nailed to the drum body which was made from hollowed out trees, or miniature versions using a Coconut shell for tourist souvenirs.
Next stop a sustainable bamboo plantation. The story we were told was that the owner had had a few failed businesses but then bought one bamboo after visiting another centre. The bamboo did so well she returned the following year and purchased more plants and species. Now with a large acreage almost everything on site is made out of bamboo, from the fences and accommodation to the cups and the toilet block.
We stopped at a roadside canteen where lunch was provided, a plate of rice and up to two toppings. By this point my taste buds seem to be getting used to the flavours and I probably disappointed the locals by not becoming the coughing, eye watering mess of previous days. This was our first chance to have a traditional dessert, a choice between Tapioca with black sesame and Coconut milk (a cross between rice pudding in taste & frog spawn in appearance) or strips of fruit similar in texture to Lychee in iced syrup.
Our final visit for the day was at the handicraft centre where they carved shadow puppets. The puppets, and pictures, are intricately cut from Water Buffalo skin using stencils (now printed rather than hand drawn), knives and a hammer and punch. We bought everything from key-rings to elephant herds.
We journeyed southwards in the VIP bus and the FBI jeep to our village homestay, Baan Kho Mak. This has to be the most beautiful stop of the trip. A Lakeside village at the bottom end of the same lake we were on this morning. Every family seemed to have a pig, a cow and a dog, the houses were basic but the atmosphere was of contentment.
The main accommodation was in a five room guest house, under which we congregated for meals. The remaining four of us, the tour guide and the driver slept on the floor of a two room property with a wet room - the shower consisting of a barrel of water that had heated during the day and a small bowl for tipping water over your body. More refreshing than it sounds.
By the end of the day my feet and ankles were also reminiscent of a Water Buffalo. The combination of air travel, heat, insect bites and lack of exercise causing my feet to swell to unrecognisable dimensions. I was given some deep heat and raised my feet as much as possible, taking care to avoid pointing them at anyone which would have caused great offence.
The last of the evening passed with rum and coke on the veranda, and discovering that the driver snores so loudly that even with hearing aid removed my French companion could still hear him. He did have very swanky pyjamas though.
No comments:
Post a Comment