A nice walk

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Jessika and I took a very nice walk to Ao Son today. It is the next beach down from Ao Molae that has a restaurant as well as camping and basic lodging, 4 km further down the coastline. We got an early start at around 7:15 to beat the heat of the day, which never truly showed up, due to a light cloud cover that hung around through the day. It was nice to be able to move around and be active without dripping in sweat.

We heard many birds and insects along the walk through the jungle, and spotted some crab eating macaques and a few spectacled langurs leaping about in the lush canopy overhead. The beach was a long strip of beautiful white sand squeezed from either side by thick green jungle and clear, blue-green sea. At the far end was a gorgeous delta of varying depths and widths that disappeared into a thick canopy of mangroves and jungle in the distance. The island is so gorgeous. Lined with beautiful beaches and rocky headlands and covered with mountainous jungle and wildlife.

Near the restaurant, which was set back from the ocean and aside a fresh water stream, we spotted a small python wrapped around a tree limb. We also saw two water monitors, one large, and one smaller, as well as a very small baby boar, and some kind of magnificent red-beaked swan or duck, and of course a troupe of pesky macaques.



SO FAR ON THIS TRIP WE'VE SEEN:

* a python

* water monitors

* several other types of lizards

* wild boars

* crab eating macaques

* spectacled langurs

* horn bills and beautiful red and white hawks as well as a number of other birds and some tiny owls!

* Also around 10-15 different types of fish and many different crabs



Sadly, much to nearly all of the coral surrounding the island is completely dead due to rising ocean temperatures and man-made pollution and destruction. It is a stunningly beautiful place but the dirty mark of modern humans is clearly visible, even here in a protected National Park. The walk today, however, was peaceful, and it was great to see a bit more of the jungle of Tarutao.

Tomorrow, sadly, we must leave. But it is then off to Koh Adang, where we have heard there is some nice snorkeling and actual living coral. AND, a really great, nice older couple from Bristol, named Dave and Louise are also leaving for Adang tomorrow, so it should be fun to be on the boat with them and hopefully stay near them over there for a few more nights. Bristol sounds like a really nice coastal part of England, and they are really funny and laid back. Dave is the reason we were able to spot the python and the baby owl we saw. He has a very sharp eye, and "things just seem to present themselves to me," he said. He goes on walk-about and has been lucky enough to stumble onto some wonderful things. Gift wrapped packages from the universe herself.

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