Just once a year, a remarkable phenomenon takes place in Udon Thani. The "Talay Bua Daeng", or "Red Lotus Lake", bursts into colorful bloom every year around February.
We had hired a driver from the hotel, who turned out to be the very driver that we had taken from the airport the day before!
He picked us up at the hotel at half past 5. It took nearly an hour to drive to the lake, and we arrived just as the first light of dawn was beginning to illuminate the sky.
We decided to hire a private boat for 300 baht (about $10) to view the lake. Pinky and I climbed aboard the rickety boat, which rocked alarmingly as we took our seats and settled back against the wooden backrest.
It was a tiny boat - barely wide enough for the two of us to sit side by side. Someone gave us a shove off of the shore, the driver fired up the engine, and we began moving across the still water of the lake.
It was surprisingly cold as we set out across the water, and I regretted not having brought a jacket. It had been so hot lately, that I didn't even consider it!
Talay Bua Daeng is a shallow freshwater lake that covers an area of approximately 2,500 acres, and during the winter months (December to February), it becomes covered in a sea of red lotus flowers.
Technically, the flowers aren't lotuses, but rather a special type of water lily which grows in the shallow muddy water of the lake during the cool season.
The flowers cover nearly every part of the lake except for the clear channels where the boats drive through. The drivers are very careful to stay in the designated channels - marked by Thai flags on tall bamboo poles - so as to preserve the beautiful and delicate ecosystem of this natural wonder.
The stunning pink flowers open as the sun rises, but close around noon, so the best way to experience the lake is to arrive just before dawn.
Once we had been ferried into the center of the lake, the driver turned off the engine, and we floated in silence to watch the sunrise. The lake is so big that we felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. There didn't seem to be anyone around as far as the eye could see. It was a really magical experience!
There were lots of birds around the lake as well! We saw some Asian house swifts, black drongos, and (my favorite) lots of Grey-headed swamphens... which are much more interesting than their name suggests.
I had wanted to see this place for ages, and I'm so glad that we finally took the time to do it. It's one of those things that's always been on my list of places to see, but I've just kept putting it off for one reason or another thinking "I'll do it eventually".
In the end, it didn't cost us much to do it, and it was so worth it. So, my advice to anyone who is reading this blog post is this:
If there's something you've always wanted to do but you keep putting it off because you'll "do it eventually"... then just do it! I'm sure you'll be glad that you did.
We stayed out on the lake for about two hours (not bad for a 300 baht tour!).
The driver offered to take some photos of us. I got a little nervous climbing to the front of the tiny boat for the pictures, because it rocked so badly with every move, but fortunately, we were ok!
The driver used a long bamboo pole, which he stuck in the shallow muddy water, to keep the boat steady... it turns out that the lake is only 3-5 feet deep at most parts.
Back at the dock, we bought two hot coffees at a local stall to warm up. The cold wind blowing across the water made me so cold!
It had been a fantastic early morning, and we were back in Udon Thani in time for breakfast.
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