After an afternoon at the beach, under the umbrella, I got some sunburn from the reflection of the UV rays on the white sand. So it's high time to do something different. The Sam Roi Yot National Park is nearby and I decide to drive there, with a big detour. Part of the park is Thailand's largest freshwater basin with large fields of lilies, lotus flowers and a wide variety of water birds.
Because it is relatively close by, I leave my motorcycle suit and stuff I don't need at the hotel. Great to travel 'light' again in this heat, but I still feel vulnerable in jeans and longsleeves.
I read on the internet that a sunrise boat trip must be fantastic so I booked the nearest overnight stay: a hut on stilts on the banks of the lotus fields. With only a fan and a cold water shower it is manageable, but the view is truly phenomenal. During the setting sun I enjoy dinner made by the owner's mother: salty fish from the lake, with rice, vegetables and watermelon for dessert. But also the desolation, the dancing fireflies and the sounds of waterfowl and insects.
That will be different at night, because then the frogs start a concert that lasts all night. When the boat that will sail me around docks silently at 7:00 am the next morning, I am already enjoying a cup of coffee and the priceless view over the water. That makes up for the broken night.
The cruise is one of the most beautiful experiences I have on this trip and difficult to describe in words. The rising sun, the mirror-smooth water, the lilies and lotus flowers that fully open show their splendor, the sounds of startling water birds, the sunbeams shining over the ridge of the mountain: it looks like a fairy tale so beautiful.
When I go back to my cabin after 1.5 hours, I am completely upside down, almost emotionally. Enjoying breakfast I stare over the water for hours before I can tear myself away from this special place. What beautiful places our world has!
