In the Isan region of north east Thailand is the truly enchanting and magical lake of Talay Bua Daeng, filled with hundreds of thousands of floating pink flowers erroneously named the red lotus.
The lake is to be found about an hour south of Thailand’s sixth largest city, Udon Thani, and is best visited in January (when the Red Lotus Sea festival is held each year) or February; it makes a truly impressive Valentines Day visit! Whatever time of year the ‘sea’ is visited, the flowers and the lake are at their best in the early morning.
There are numerous small boats waiting to take visitors to the centre of the lake where the waters become clear, fish are clearly abundant and flowers spread thickly across the 600 acre lake in all directions. This is, most certainly, a photographers paradise.
Throughout the lake are numerous small islets with Buddhist statues and shrines, local fishermen in carved wooden boats and numerous water birds, including the ubiquitous egrets.
After a charming morning on this most alluring lake, there are several small restaurants on the edge of the lake that serve lotus stem dishes such as curries and stir fries.