14 November Nam Sai Resort (Ko Samrong)
41.5 kilometers
The weather
gods brought a rain-free day of partly cloudy skies along with variable winds,
more often than not headwinds. I got up at my usual 5 a.m., had a good tofu
fried rice (American breakfasts for the others) at the resort, then boarded the
kayak by 7:30 a.m. Sadly Areeya had to leave us in the early morning to return
home to visit her mother and to prepare Hidden Holiday House for our arrival in
a few days.
Again we had little current in the wider and deeper river,
but we had become stronger paddlers by this point and the day didn’t seem too
long. The shores had more development with stone embankments, sand dredging, and
roads in many spots. Countless tilapia farms hugged the river’s edge with net
‘tanks’ suspended in the water from frames on floats, and another net above to
protect the fish from hungry birds. Curiously most of the farms had lights,
apparently for security against hungry humans. The tilapia farms gave out a
faint unpleasant odor. Limestone cliffs no longer rose from the riverside, but
we passed a limestone mountain on the right and could see mountains far ahead.
No real sights today, though Mathilde and I had a little excitement when a lone
elephant attacked us at Chang Puak. At first I thought the elephant was just
curious when it came to the shore, then the beast threw a stick at us with its
trunk, missing us by a wide margin.
We enjoyed drinks at a handy
floating coffee shop. We also pulled in at meditation retreat center, where
monks were relaxing at the end of a 10-day retreat. We relaxed too, with ice
cream from a motorbike vendor. Chris told of beginning a day-long kayak trip
from here to Kanchanaburi during a time of high water with the challenge of
navigating through trees in a strong current. A bit farther on we took a lunch
break.
Monks watch us
depart after we visit the meditation retreat center.
David, Chow, and
Iew take in lunch.
As do Hans,
Lieneke, and Chris.
Afternoon on the
Khwai Noi
A
couple hours later Nam Sai Resort comes into view.
Chow helps Iew and
David to disembark at the resort.
Then Lieneke and
Hans
Lieneke is grateful for Chow’s help.
We stayed on land in large
comfortable rooms—each with regular and rain showers—at Nam Sai Resort. Although
I liked the rooms, I missed the subtle moving sensations of staying in a raft
resort. Areeya was still with us in spirit, and arranged my vegetarian dinner at
the resort for
tofu-cabbage soup, mixed vegetables, and stuffed omelet while the others had
fish dishes.