{"id":3964,"date":"2019-02-11T23:18:50","date_gmt":"2019-02-12T07:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/?p=3964"},"modified":"2019-08-11T15:17:32","modified_gmt":"2019-08-11T22:17:32","slug":"the-hard-work-of-relaxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/2019\/02\/the-hard-work-of-relaxing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hard Work of Relaxing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gazing out over the beach from the Anda Lanta\u2019s breakfast buffet, it is easy to understand the attractions of this island. Yet we must continue North: more reefs need to be snorkeled, and more delicious Thai food awaits. Krabi, here we come.<\/p>\n

Friday, February 8, 2019<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We loaded our vans and wound our way off the island to our first stop of the day. The Emerald Pool (Sra Morakot) is a refreshingly cool spring-fed pond amidst a series of streams. As recently as 2010, we seemed to have it mostly to ourselves. But the park has become incredibly popular, with tour buses and school groups pouring in throughout the day. Instead of parking within a few yards of the entrance, you now pass a dozen shops and restaurants before reaching the ticket booth. The secret definitely is out.<\/p>\n

Kasma surprised me by asking me to take charge of the group, buying the tickets and getting everyone back for lunch. The first 0.5 kilometers I managed to keep everyone together, but shortly before we reached the pool, we had some people heading for the bathroom, others a remote clump of trees, and those of us who headed to our usual quiet spot found it full of other people already, so we had to improvise places to drop our stuff. By then, who was where? These cats were not going to be easy to herd today.<\/p>\n

The water in the Emerald Pool is a lovely blue-green color, but it is ringed by banks of slippery yellow algae so entry and exit can be a bit tricky. Once into the chest-deep waters, we headed to the end with a small waterfall where we waited our turns to experience a pounding shoulder and head massage while our companions captured an embarrassing photo. Once this essential element was completed, we relaxed a bit before struggling back onto dry land. While I couldn\u2019t quite account for the entire group, we headed back toward the front of the park, trusting that everyone would find their way.<\/p>\n

On the way in, we had walked on a wide, straight road without much to see. By contrast, the nature trail is a concrete boardwalk that roughly follows a meandering stream through a forest of thin trees. Aside from a few wildflowers and the occasional lizard, there isn\u2019t much nature to see on the walk, and most people seem to pass it as quickly as possible. Even stopping for the occasional photo, we were roughly on time for lunch. Kasma expressed her appreciation: \u201cYou didn\u2019t lose any of them.\u201d At least, I\u2019m pretty sure she meant that in a positive way.<\/p>\n

\"\"Emerald Pool Sign<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Emerald Pool \"Waterfall\" Paparazzi<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Bamboo along Sra Morakot Nature Trail<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Twisted vines along Sra Morakot Nature Trail<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Wildfloweralong Sra Morakot Nature Trail<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Wild Orchid along Sra Morakot Nature Trail<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Lizard along Sra Morakot Nature Trail<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Moth along Sra Morakot Nature Trail<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>