Four from Khlong Saeng

Here’s a rare non-wildlife photo. Actually four photos. All from Khlong Saeng in Thailand. This is an incredibly beautiful location and these photos can only hint at what this place is actually like. Back in 1987, the construction of a dam flooded this area that had, for the most part, been previously unnavigable. You can still see many old tree trunks rising from the water. And all around ancient coral reefs rise sharply from the water and are now limestone crags, or karst, covered in thick jungle. It is the domain of a wide variety of animals, including clouded leopards, marbled cats, slow lorises and many other rare species of southeast Asia. I didn’t see any of those three creatures, but did see plenty of gibbons, langurs and hornbills while exploring by boat. And boat is really the only way to go in Khlong Saeng. All exploration is possible due to the water. Even the hotels are made possible by the vast lake and its many arms and tributaries and are actually floating lodges, a few of which you can see in the first and third images. The second image shows one of the boats that ferries tourists around, as well as the swallowed-up trees that rise from shallower depths. In the last photo, my guide, boat captain and I entered a watery alcove where a troop of langurs were putting on a bit of a show.
First Photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
Second Photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
Third Photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
Fourth Photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/400th of a second