4x4. A floating raft to cross a lake!

Sometimes when you travel alternative routes, there are alternative ways of getting from A to B. Dirt roads changed to concrete lanes and back to muddy tracks as we followed a national park map. The area had been dammed further down the valley and the surrounding mountains had been claimed as a protected area. Villages and small self-sufficient farms were scattered along the way.

Several hours of slow driving, the map led us to a dotted line across a lake. There was no information if that was a bridge, ferry service or shallow water crossing.

It turned out to be a floating tin can, big enough to carry 2 vehicles at once! and powered by 2 small portable diesel engines.

The water and weather was as calm as could be.. so what could go wrong right! I hesitantly rolled on after being directed by the a local kid no more than 6 or 7 and pulled the handbrake as hard as it could (because that'll help if the raft capsizes!).

The view from up above showed the scale of their village. It seemed the main income that supported the community was the ferry crossing, one floating restaurant that catered to visitors making the crossing and their limited fish market (3 fish on the day we passed through)

Another car was making the crossing too- they said they had made it many times so I felt a little more reassured than the 6 year old telling me 'it should be OK today'.

We got off to a smooth start and the little engines and fan sized propellers were actually working.

As we got further out, the 2 hulls that were bolted together by wooden cross members and planks were working fine. I relaxed and started to enjoy the cool breeze and view... almost as much as my dog.

The on and off ramps were never raised up, but the small bricks wedged under the tyres no doubt met the health and safety requirements of any crossing!

The crossing was about 30 minutes and led us to another dirt track. I'm not sure what would happen if someone decided to travel in a regular salon or small hatchback.

It was a tight squeeze getting off, but we had a safe crossing and were back on dry land.

Perhaps it was the temple visits we made beforehand that gave some good fortune to the crossing. Unlike temples in the cities that are always crowded, these really gave the sense of real history. Some still as they were since they were built hundreds of years ago.

A couple more drone shots of the floating village and one of the temples from the day before.

Once we made the crossing and finally left the mountains we were back on the flat driving through more rice paddies. Eventually we made it to the dam that was holding all this water back, The Queen Sirikit Dam.

I hope you enjoyed the read :)