Holidaymakers flock to Chai Nat river oasis to escape heat
Many Songkran holidaymakers this week sought refuge at a new Chi Nat landmark created by locals seeking to “turn a crisis into an opportunity”.
The visitors enjoyed a 100-metre-long bamboo raft bridge across a shallow section of the Chao Phraya River in Chai Nat’s Sappaya district. Many took selfies against the river backdrop and played in the shallow river water amid temperatures that hit nearly 40 degrees Celsius.
Every year during summer, Ban Wat Kham Phaeng of Tambon Sappaya, located just downstream of the Chao Phraya Dam, would see their river section almost completely dry up. Mid-river sand dunes were exposed, while some water remained thanks to storage by the dam during the dry season to ensure sufficient water for local use.
Some 30 municipal officials and villagers thus joined forces early this month to create a summer attraction by building a 2-metre-wide, 100-metre-long bamboo raft bridge from Wat Kham Phaeng’s front yard to a mid-river sand dune -– which proved popular.