11/11/2011

A Tour To A Mangrove Forest in Chantaburi, Thailand

I visited a friend's ancestral home in Chantaburi, Thailand  in August of 2010. One of the highlights of my trip was the tour to Pa Chai Len (translates forest growing between high and low tide) or simply called "mud coast forest". It is actually a mangrove vegetation/ecosystem which is a project of the king of Thailand.


Some say it was a boring place to be. Mangroves, mangroves, mangroves! There's nothing really to see!


But for me, it was an exciting place. Nostalgic, actually. Mangroves are part of my childhood.



When I was a little child, my father would go to the nearest seacoast to look for a perfect mangrove for our Christmas tree. At that time, decades back, I'm sure we were allowed to cut at least one tree a year.


Mangroves are important part of our ecosystem because they protect human lives and property from any oceanic catastrophe.


One peculiar characteristic of mangroves is the aerial roots standing upright and crawling on the ground.


One economic value of mangroves is its hard wood. This tree is the oldest tree in this forest, believed to be more than 100 years old.



One thing I appreciate on how this project was done is the way people adjusted to nature. I believe no tree was cut during the process.



The pathway was very long and winding and was made of quality wood that could withstand the challenge of rain, sunshine, and salt water.



It was a long walk and humidity was high. No one could go all the way without stopping for some rest.


This structure is built for viewing the coastal area.


By the time I reached the coast, I was sweaty and my hair was just damp!  But the coast was an incredible sight! I was glad to have 2 cameras with me because one has run out of battery after taking tons of shots.


Aside from those on pictures, I saw snakes, crab, birds, fish, and other tiny creatures thriving there.

On the way to the exit, I saw cultured oysters and .....


... a shrimp pond.
Well, you can imagine how refreshing this trip was for a city girl, and how much seafood was enjoyed the whole time!


1 comment:

  1. very refreshing indeed. thanks for sharing. see you next Green Monday

    ReplyDelete