rain dancing mountain woman

Truth be told, Chiang Mai’s got some pollution, so I leapt at the chance last weekend give my lungs a break and get out of the city. About ten of us headed up to the mountains of Srilanna National Park to a lake. We spent the night jumping off and cutting a rug on the docks of some floating cabins.

There’s a serious drought in Thailand right now, and the low level of the water line was obvious even in the moonlight as we boated across. It was like the mountains were sliced between greenery and dried out mud. When we woke up the next morning, I could see what looked like an orchard of trees arcing out of the water, their branches sawed down years ago. The sight was an uneasy mix of eerie and gorgeous. The woman who rented the cabins said the lake had not been that low in at least ten years. In the afternoon boat back, someone pointed out that there should be at least ten feet of water above our heads.

As we drove along the highway back to Chiang Mai, the daily rain started. Suddenly, it didn’t seem a nuisance. With the heat, the humidity, the uncontrollable sweating that comes with Thailand’s climate, I constantly feel dehydrated no matter how much water I down. Our trip into the mountains showed the country’s climate in the same predicament: the anxious want for water and its short-lived relief.

Below you’ll find a photo of the lake by day and of yours truly (not a strong swimmer but a lover of lifejackets) by night, taken by Maria.