10 November Krit Raft House (Sai Yok National Park)
36.0 kilometers
I
filled up with my usual muesli, yogurt, bread, and hot cocoa breakfast, then
asked for the fried rice and bread-butter-jam ordered last night for breakfast
be packed for a take-away, which I had as lunch during the next two rest stops.
A bit of fog hung around early morning, then cleared for partly cloudy skies on
this cooler day, though late afternoon showers caught us. A good current flowed,
making for easier paddling. We stopped at Lin Thin Hot Springs beside the river,
where I hopped into the 41° pool, though others chose the 39° one. After a good
soak I hopped into the cool pool. Chris went for a little swim in the river
below the hot springs, then rested under the water intake tower. Areeya pulled a
sneaky trick by walking out on the tower and pouring fish food onto an
unsuspecting Chris who found himself in the midst of a fish-feeding frenzy.
Dawn on the river
at our resort
David and Iew paddle onward.
Into the moody
morning.
The
less-hot pool at Lin Thin Hot Springs
How wonderful!
Areeya likes it
too after a moment of hesitation.
We stopped at the nice café Baan Tang Rim Kwae, where I had a cold Thai tea and
the others went for snacks. Next we pulled in for a visit at Dao Wadung Cave, a
long walk up a road and trail, then a ranger-led visit into several small
branching chambers full of dry and wet cave features along with a few bats. The
cave’s electrical lighting didn’t work, but we and the ranger had flashlights.
As yesterday, we passed limestone cliffs with a few waterfalls. Distant mountain
ranges occasionally came into view. We saw more raft hotels than yesterday, and
some rooms had bathtubs or hot tubs exposed on their verandahs.
Iew and David
enjoying life on the river.
The way ahead
We get out for
the walk to the entrance of Dao Wadung Cave.
We follow this road
through the bamboo to the cave.
Chow, Bill, David,
Chris, Mathilde, Hans, Lieneke, and Areeya pose outside the cave.
(Iew had
stayed with the kayaks.)
Areeya and Lieneke
entice us into the cave.
Massive features
just inside the entrance
Stalagmites soar.
Draperies—a combination of flowstone and stalactites—hang from the ceiling.
“Cave bacon”
draperies
Our guide (on the right) leads us through the chambers.
A bat snoozes on
the cave ceiling.
Areeya, Lieneke,
and Chris follow the trail back to our kayaks.
Getting in and out
of a kayak can be tricky!
Lots of
raft houses cluster together within sight of the pounding Sai Yok Yai
Waterfall. Our rustic little raft rooms lacked luxuries such as
air-conditioning or hot-water shower, but the evening felt cool though humid. A small boat took us across to a raft
moored at the edge of the waterfall where I went for a brief swim, however the
strong river current made swimming challenging. Our resort served a great
dinner; I got a tom
kha—coconut cream soup with mushrooms and mixed vegetables.
A small waterfall
emerges from the mysterious jungle.
Chow, Areeya, and
Chris seem lost in the immense valley.
Rain in dazzling
sunshine
A
rare two-tier waterfall
We see this cascade
a little way upriver from Sai Yok Yai Waterfall.
Raft houses line
both shores just above Sai Yok Yai Waterfall.
Krit Raft House,
our abode for the night
Sai Yok Yai
Waterfall, from Krit Raft House
A passenger boat
makes its way upriver late in the day.
Sai Yok Yai Waterfall thunders on the
right.