Photos

We were exploring a mud bank that once was the site of a Mon tribal village. The village and its temple were flooded when the lake was dammed to make a reservoir. With the serious droughts of recent years the water has receded and the temple ruins and some of the village has reemerged, like a ghost, from the lake

Phum Mali, my guide, is down by the water’s edge exploring, the village that was home to his people long before he was born. We can see the fresh growth of grass in the foreground and on the far bank. These show how far the lake has receded. All these areas were formally under water. Phum Mali and his family are worried about the shrinking lake, but there is a sign of hope in the sky. The monsoon season has come and it looks like a storm is blowing in across the mountains that mark the boarder with Burma. Maybe this year the lake will fill again.
Anyway, it was time for us to jump into the boat and head for the shore before the storm