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Sunday, May 17, 2009

Weekend Snapshot: Something Fishy

If you want something 'fishy,' Thailand's Namtophliu National Park in Chantaburi is the place to be. The stream is thickly populated with catfish. I can't believe how tame they are. They sense it when people approach, they come near where they know they are going to be admired, fed, or photographed:
They're not afraid of humans. No wonder my friend wants to pet them :-)
~ Crowd near the waterfall - feeding, swimming, chatting, some were just watching the activity, and I was wondering how to wade in without stepping on them because they swish through people's feet freely:
~ Friends throwing them a string beans party:
~ Delicate pink - I saw this while hiking deeper into the forest. It's growing on fissures between the rocks. Does anyone know the name of this flower?
~ A moss-covered chedi made from laterite, built to commemorate King Rama and Queen Sunantha's visit to the park in 1876. Queen Sunantha drowned when the royal boat capsized in the Chao Phrya river. A Wikipedia entry describes the drowning, "despite the presence of many onlookers, they were forbidden on pain of death to touch the queen - not even to save her life." There is a sign near this chedi that says do not stand near if you are not properly dressed. We took this shot using a Nokia phone from a distance:


This is one of the houses available for rent if you want to stay the night:

Needless to say we had so much fun. I honestly didn't want to go back to Bangkok right away. Next time I want to have a quiet weekend, breathe fresh air, or frolic with the fish again, I know where to go. Have a great week, everyone!

22 comments:

  1. What a lovely place to spend the weekend!

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  2. so, pwede ba silang hulihin at iihaw? :D , kidding aside, paano sila naging malapit sa tao?

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  3. To Ebie, thanks for the visit. I'm going to your post in awhile.

    To Willa, nope, hindi pwede hulihin and ihawin. Guards are everywhere hahah! Bags are also checked at the entrance for anything that might be harmful to them. Siguro sa katagalan na palaging pinapakain sila ng mga tao, nakaka-aliw kasi na lumalapit sa yo e, super sanay na sila.

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  4. wow!a string beans party! the fishes had a fun party and so are the people around them. Cool photos!

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  5. I'd bring a timba and catch as much as I can! hihi. Ayy bawal pala haha...buti walang tendency mangagat ano... otherwise hindi ako lulusong hehe. Have a nice week!

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  6. Interesting. That's an amazing story about the queen. I wonder what her thoughts were in that moment. Beautiful scenery.

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  7. That looks like a wonderful time. Amazing how free the fish are around the people. This was an interesting post and great shots.

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  8. Wa! So many fishes. So crowded.

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  9. To Khitara, korek. talagang masaya :-)

    To Xia, we brought them a huge bundle of string beans which i thought was too much. turned out it wasn't even enough. they kept coming back. matatakaw :-)

    To Mirage, i got a nip from one of them which sent me squirting out of the water. i knew it was because they were feeding near my feet so napagkamalang sting bean ang paa ko hahaha...but i went back and sat on a rock in the middle of the water and that's where i had soooooo much fun with them.

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  10. To SandyCarlson, i'm hypothesizing such a trajedy must have prompted the monarchy to review their laws on proximity allowed between royals and commoners. I read King Rama was grief-stricken. He built a pyramid as memorial to the queen. The pyramid is inside this park too.

    To Carver, I was all fun and amazement during this weekend :-)

    To Dora, it was a long weekend, the following Monday was a holiday, thus the crowd.

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  11. Those fishes, they're vain, huh. :D

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  12. I also wondered the same. Panong di mo matatapakan yun. Glad to hear that you enjoyed your weekend.

    Hope you can visit my WS here.

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  13. To Lynn, you bet!

    To Sassy Mom, they may be pampered but they do know how to give way for really curious human feet. yon nga lang mahirap lumakad sa tubig na nakabuntot sila :-)

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  14. that's a great week-end activity, Zel! I thought the fish can be ordered to be cooked. :)

    Happy Monday!

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  15. Thank you so much for the award. I feel so honoured!

    I loved seeing more photos of the park and the fish. A friend had fish in a pond in her garden and one of them was a very tame catfish who would eat out of your hand. Awesome!

    How sad about Queen Sunantha.

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  16. mareng blogger, great to read about our enchanting chantaburi adventure--you tell a story just like it happened, so much fun!
    i'm gonna tell the whole gang (the chanta crowd)to visit this site soon, so they too can reminisce that terrific weekend amidst nature.

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  17. To Arlene, now I'm beginning to think I should have titled this post "For Your Eyes Only :-)

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  18. To Black Cat, it's my second time to hear of a tame catfish. maybe they really are the kind that are easily domesticated.

    yeah, the queen - sentimental, her story was.

    I'm honored and glad that you accepted the award. Thank you.

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  19. To Cheery, let's go back there one of these days, mareng :-)

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  20. love love eating catfish, but i wouldn't want to be in a pool full of them ;-) nice pics though

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  21. wow, i love to pet them too! pero dun lang sa area na yana ha? I don't want them sa house, parang di ko yata kaya! :)

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