| |
|---|
Time for another excursion, this one to Tha Pom, also known as Khlong Song nam - the canal of 2 waters - or something like that. It is a place where a spring fed stream becomes tidal - hence the 2 waters. We took a long tail to Ao Nang and rented a scooter and headed north. We were amazed by the profusion of limestone towers and cliffs. There really is a lot of potential rock climbing all around on the mainland here. Sometimes we weren't quite sure that we were going in the right direction, but eventually we would see some sort of numbered road sign or other sign that indicated we were on the right track (or needed to go back and take a different turn). We passed another reclining Buddha at Ban Nong Chik and soon we were at our destination. There was a fairly large parking area and some restaurants and gift stores. It appears that this is a popular place for the locals, maybe on weekends. We had some seafood noodle soup and marshmallow desert cookies before heading into the park. There we paid our entrance fee and walked on the boardwalk. There were a few explanatory signs, but I would have liked to see more. The stream was very clear and inviting looking and surrounded by exposed roots. They used to allow swimming here, but the signs said it wasn't allowed anymore. I don't know if that is enforced, but it would be a very nice place to snorkel. We were there at a mid level rising tide which probably made the water clearer than at a high tide. Further downstream we saw a group of sea kayakers exploring. The mangrove swamp probably would be pretty interesting by kayak. The actual boardwalk area was fairly small, but there were benches and some nice views. Unfortunately the 2cd story overlook was closed off and appeared to be used as storage. I took a number of photos with and without the polarizing filter. I was wishing for the tripod for the shadowy areas, and the blotchy sunlight also made things difficult. We watched various fish and shrimp swim around, then headed back.
 |
|---|
 |
|---|
 |
|---|
 |
|---|
 |
|---|
On the way back we took a detour down a dead end road to look at a bunch of karst islands rising from the sea. The high tide helped to hide the mud flats, but unfortunately we couldn't find an easy viewpoint that wasn't partially obscured. Once again it looked like a nice place for some boat exploration. It was a little too hot to want to do much exploring on foot. Then we stopped at the beach north of Ao Nang for some fried fish (some sort of fast swimming open water fish with long pectoral fins). We finished the excursion with a trip to the market to stock up on fruit.
 |
|---|
 |
|---|
 |
|---|