Thursday, February 02, 2006

Thale Noi; A Life In A Day

Thale Noi Bird Sanctuary, Thailand, January 29, 2006
This was a day that encompassed a lifetime of beauty.

Jook's sister; 'Ten' invited a bunch of us to Thale Noi Bird Sanctuary, near Phattalung. This is a world heritage site on a huge lake that drains out into the Gulf of Thailand. The water is actually fresh water and salt water combined.

We stayed in these wood huts on the water. They are reserved for staff only, but Ten is a government Nurse with many connections so we were given permission to stay here for a night.

We got up around 7am and sat drinking coffee on the dock while we watched the sunrise.

As it warmed up, the lotus flowers began opening up all over the lake.

Jookie got us a 'Long tail Boat' and pilot, to take us into the wetlands.

Ten brought her son; Chip; along. We call him the little monkey and he lives up to that name. He's always exploring or eating something. He's a sweet little guy.

We saw a wonderful array of birds, flying and nesting, but the most amazing sight for me was the sight of so many lotus covering the lake around us.
When we got back to the dock, we stopped for a great 'aroi mark mark' Thai breakfast. Then Jook's brother drove me to town to take a mini bus to Hat Yai where I got on yet another bus to take me to Songkhla. It was only 11am.

2 comments:

~~ Melissa said...

Those flowers are a photographer's dream! Beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Hi..Steve!!Tjun here..still remember me??how was your trip in malaysia as well in Melaka??How are your friend,Bee and her hubby in Melaka?