Kra Isthmus

You learn something new every day and today's new knowledge for me is the name of the isthmus which joins SE Asia to Malaysia. The eastern side of the Kra Isthmus along which Mark has been cycling today is a narrow coastal plain onto which most of the population in the area is crowded. 10 -15 miles inland, the flat terrain gives way to a mountainous spine which is covered in dense tropical rainforest.....In the view above, you can clearly see a large lake in the middle of the image. This is the Kaeng Krachan Dam. Completed in 1996, it is 58 metres high and 760 metres long, overlooking beautiful scenery of the reservoir and its islands...The reservoir is on the edge of Thailand's largest national park - the Kaeng Krachan National Park. The hyperlink links to a detailed website about the park with 'interesting' English but also a gallery of lovely photos. Sadly, forest fires, mostly started deliberately to clear land, are common in the dry season in this part of Thailand and it doesn't take long to find some examples in the forests round here close to the Burmese border..By lunchtime today Mark was approaching the narrowest part of Thailand - a mere 15km wide between the Gulf of Thailand and the Burmese border...
There are some lovely beaches along the coast here which sadly Mark will not be able to visit. The race must go on!