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Published: January 31st 2007
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Jungle Web
Imagine these legs stretching to almost the size of my hand...I was too squeamish about getting close so Chris had to snap the picture without a size reference... Khao Sok National Park required a few bus connections from Krabi town. So for about 100 baht ($2.75) we hired a 'minibus' that took us strait to the park (kind of). Thai timetables seem much more flexible than out west. "Five minutes" is the standard response to questions of time and usually means more like a half an hour. "Mai Pen Li", basic Thai for "no worries", is the most appropriate expression when traveling through Thailand. Even if things don't work out like you thought, they always seem to work out somehow..."Same-same but different" is also popular English.
After some organized chaos and last minute changes we were off to
the park. Upon arrival we were dropped off at Khao Sok Jungle Huts and settled into the jungle. The sound of motorbikes and honking horns that were so prevalent in Krabi were replaced by the almost deafening, but soothing, sounds of the insects, squirrels, geckos, and monkeys. The lack of light pollution enabled us to see the stars vividly and from a considerably different perspective than up in the northern latitudes. The jungle hut's modest and secluded nature was a welcome change.
Day one in Khao Sok, we decided
The never-ending trail
Not really sure if we remembered the correct mile/km conversion, 8 km sounded like no big deal...However because we started the trip around 4pm light was fading fast. Good thing we had the sense to turn around before reaching the waterfall... to take, what looked on the map to be, a short hike to an 11-tiered waterfall. The trail started off as a stair case and slowly narrowed to a tight jungle path along the side of steep forest declines. We learned that Khao Sok is not a tropical rain forest, but a tropical evergreen forest because of its short dry season. The path never seemed to end and we never made it to the waterfall. We had about one and a half hours before dark so we had to turn around before reaching the falls. On the loop back toward the park headquarters, we took a different route leading us to a concrete stairway extending for at least 30 exhausting tiers.
Day two in the park we took another path (much milder) and did our first fresh-water swimming of the trip in one of the many swimming holes. We were unable to see the wild elephants and just missed a mother monkey and baby encounter on the trail. The mother gave a hiss that stunned the travelers on the trail. We arrived just in time to see the slightly frightened look on there faces and heard the trees ruffling
Sok River view
The second day we explored the "easier" trails in Khao Sok which gave way to shaded views of the river. in the distance as the monkey retreated.
The evenings were quiet and filled with good food and good people. We met a girl from the Netherlands traveling by herself and had a nice dinner at the Thai Herb restaurant, followed by some beers at the Rasta Bar across the street. There, we met an English fellow, Paul, with whom we shared many stories. It was his sixth time to Thailand.
Originally a departure day, the next day was a lazy day. We stayed on our bungalow deck and read, played music, and just relaxed. We packed up and readied ourselves for our trip to Ranong and Burma the following day.
We used the bus system to get to Ranong and by 3pm we were in a city once again. Our purpose in going to Ranong was to cross the border to Burma to get our passport stamped. This gives us another 30 days in Thailand which we needed by Feb. 1st. The place we stayed (the Kiwi house) was run by a Thai/New Zealand couple and they organized passport runs daily. New to foreigner "visa runs" Ranong-to-Burma was quite the process and we wondered how people managed
Swimming Hole
The thickness of the jungle air kept us drenched in moisture throughout each trek, so coming across a pool like this was a welcome relief from the heat. to do it on there own without speaking fluent Thai.
The morning went something like this: We hopped into the truck and headed for the Thai immigration office and declared our intent to leave Thailand. We got back into the truck and our guide set us up with a long boat operator whom led us to the Thai pier. We faithfully handed
him our passports and didn't see them again until we reached the Burmese port where we promptly paid $10 U.S. each and got our stamp and 'day pass' for Burma. The U.S. currency you pay with must be in very good condition (a nice crisp $10 or $20, no smudges or deep folds) We have reservations about border towns and weren't up for the chaos of staying in Burma for the afternoon, so we hopped back into the boat and headed back to Ranong, Thailand.
Later that afternoon we caught a minibus to Chumpon, Thailand and awaited our night-ferry to the island of Koh Tao off the East coast of Thailand. The night ferry is a converted barge. They lay a couple dozen thick mats on the floor and you try to sleep your way through
Favorite Eatery
Although Khao Sok's main town is tiny, this restaurant is not attached to a guesthouse. It serves up spicy, local delectables like sauteed basil and fern leaves with taro root soup, and of course, plenty of seafood. the sea of Thailand. At 6am we reached the island and headed straight for the Moonlight Bungalows, perched on a hill and recommended to us by some other travelers. We settled into our place with a stunning view of the northwest side of the island and an endless view of the ocean. Today we explore the coves and beaches of the island and tomorrow we start our diving course. Keep checking back for more photos of Koh Tao to come.......
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Jim
non-member comment
Thanks
This was very helpful. Have to do Khao Sot next time I'm there. Did you ever hear of a guide by the name of Tipz?