The lake

Cheow Lan lake was formed in 1982 when the river was dammed for a hydroelectric power plant. It covers 160sq km and is up to 120m deep in some places. 

 There are more than a hundred islands in the lake – some of them with Limestone peaks reaching to 6-700m

 The area surrounding the lake is all National Park and all of the development has been restricted to floating raft houses where you can stay overnight. We decided that a day trip was enough and avoided the 800m trek through one of the caves which everyone else did. We settled for some kayaking and a cooling swim - with a couple of cold Chang to maintain the hydration levels.

It was more than an hour in a longtail from the dam to the raft houses and the journey hack seemed long - particularly since the guide and driver were playing games and most of us got soaked in the spray. Not a particularly sensible move since it certainly reduced the size of their tip!
We were glad to be back on dry land - although the lake looked very different in the evening light.