Very close to the monkey temple (Wat Tham Pla) there is a really romantic place: a lake that seems enchanted in the evening or early morning hours with a rickety wooden bridge to the other shore, where a relatively small, semi-dark cave is waiting.
In the morning there is often fog over the lake. Then the lake looks particularly beautiful with the jungle-covered slopes in the back. As far as I know, the bridge is maintained by the nearby temple to maintain access to the cave with Buddha. Again and again new planks or wooden poles are nailed to the wooden bridge to make it last. In a small shop run by the temple you can buy fish food and enjoy the many catfish.
I was told that a dragon lives in the lake. Is that why nobody goes swimming here?
UPDATE 2018: The picturesque wooden bridge is now replaced by a stone bridge. It was too much work for the temple to renew the bridge every year after the rainy season. A pity, but understandable.
Extra Tip
Cross the bridge and follow the path to the right to reach a fairly flat spot on the lakeshore. A little further up the slope is a mighty bamboo grove. The single trunks are more than arm-thick and you can see very nicely how they all grow from one root.
Place on Google Maps
Food and drink
Small pavilions at a restaurant invite you to feast and chill out.
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