A submerged forrest

Kao Sok national park was created in the 60's when a hydroelectric dam was built submerging an area of rain forest. The result is a massive lake surrounded by shear lime stone cliffs, which are covered by rain forest. In the evening and early morning you hear monkeys, birds and the sounds of insects filling the air. It is beautiful, remote and very peaceful.

We stayed in basic bamboo bungalows which float on the lake and again enjoyed tremendous Thai hospitality with delicious food.  The only way to get there is by boat. We were awed by the scale of the limestone cliffs on the ride to the bungalows. By now we are getting to know the typical Thai long tail boat very well. All our stays have involved several boat trips on these traditional boats.The children were cooked pancakes cut into fun shapes, and were even, one happy afternoon, brought a plate of specially made chips. The children were a bit of a novelty we think.

We spent the days swimming and kayaking on the lake, hiking in the jungle and exploring a cave. One evening we enjoyed a spectacular tropical storm that went on for hours.

It was wonderful to see the children have so much freedom to play. They each enjoyed paddling a kayak to a submerged tree in the lake. They would then climb the tree and jump from the top of the trunk into the water below. They had a ball. One of the things that we have loved the most about being away is enjoying the outdoors on a daily basis.