About 20 minutes north of Cha am at the back of this craggy hill
is a cave, home to a colony of bats. I say ‘colony’ but perhaps a continent is more accurate as it is estimated that more then 10 million (!) live there, sleeping during the day and emerging at dusk to go food shopping. And what a sight it is as they fly off into the dying light of day
snaking into the air like some lazy smoke trail from a bonfire or chimney stack.
I have no idea where they are going
or when they return from their daily ritual. What is certain is that, for those who didn’t see this amazing spectacle today, the same thing will happen tomorrow and the next day and the next…
While this wonder of nature is happening up in the air, down on earth the sights are often not so beautiful.
Although Thais have the most marvellous sense of ‘family’, this often doesn’t extend to care in the overall community or any commitment to environmental improvement. I suspect that part of this is fuelled by opportunistic desires to cash in on the massive boom in tourism in recent years – almost at any cost and not always successfully. Abandoned structures are plentiful
as are half finished development projects
but every once in a while someone gets it right – and with a certain style…
and cost!!
Tomorrow it’s south again to Hua Hin which I know will be in sharp contrast to the idyllic oasis of my current abode so close to the less than idyllic town of Cha am. In the meantime, time for one last swim.
and a bit of ‘scrumping’ from the papaya tree and I’m off.
Phileas
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