We met up with our elusive friend Steve Q. and his girl in Ko Chang, Thailand -- here are the pictures to prove it.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Photos from Kanchanaburi, Thailand
We spent a long weekend in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, with our friend Shane. It was a good escape from Bangkok. We visited the largest waterfall in Thailand (Erawan) and also saw and learned about the bridge over the River Kwai.
99 degrees in Vang Vieng, Laos!
Hot damn, it's hot in the shade. Emily and I are still in Vang Vieng, Laos and we have moved out of town a few miles to a quiet bungalow on the river. I am not sure if tourism is down, or it is just a quiet time, but we have the entire place to ourselves. A small family lives on site and runs the entire place. They are also our chefs when we are around, and I love them for this.... However, last night Emily was super tired and left me at the table by myself with an entire fish, two orders of rice, and a good size dish of green curry/chicken. I did my best but later realized that I couldn't fall asleep the entire night due to my binge eating. I had a whole table of local men drinking beer across from me and looking at me like I had ordered it all.
Our first night in this party town, we witnessed two men stumbling and being helped into a back of a Tuk tuk (taxi), on with the back of his head bleeding out, and off they went. second, we noticed many people started to seem very strange and the later and darker that it got the crazier everything seemed. One group of tubers dropped off back in town all were a mess. One man fell straight to his backside, and the other tore off into a nearby restraunt, and the girl was walking downt the street like frankenstein. We know that there is a huge party scene here and that everything is available to poison yourself, but seems like many went over the edge. Emily and I just sat and watched the mayhem for a while and couldn't believe it was real.
The town is also know for their TV bars, yes, TV bars. They run episodes of Friends, Family Guy, Simpson's, and Seinfeld while you order your choice of marijuana, opium, or any mushroom blended treat you can imagine. There are dozens of these places and they were packed every day and night. Yikes....
Yesterday we thought we'd check out how an entire town can be packed with travellers just here to tube and party. We started around noon, being dropped off up river at a loud bumping bar with a deck over the river. I noticed a bunch of cables and strange ladders leading up to this tree/deck area 40 ft off the ground. IT was here that a man hands you a trapieze handle to send you swinging 40-50 ft over the viewing deck and at your decision, you can fly down to the moving river. It was incredible. I did not have enough courage in me to have a go at this, especially after watching a few unpleasant water entries. Some travellers boasted great style with laid out back flips and the occasional double. We moved down river to the junior body slinger, still sending you flying around 30ft. Good times. I am going to work on some plans to build one at the cabin. Ron said that he would help.
We are off back on our mini-moto back to the village. We miss everyone... home sickness is kicking in.
Chad and Emily
Our first night in this party town, we witnessed two men stumbling and being helped into a back of a Tuk tuk (taxi), on with the back of his head bleeding out, and off they went. second, we noticed many people started to seem very strange and the later and darker that it got the crazier everything seemed. One group of tubers dropped off back in town all were a mess. One man fell straight to his backside, and the other tore off into a nearby restraunt, and the girl was walking downt the street like frankenstein. We know that there is a huge party scene here and that everything is available to poison yourself, but seems like many went over the edge. Emily and I just sat and watched the mayhem for a while and couldn't believe it was real.
The town is also know for their TV bars, yes, TV bars. They run episodes of Friends, Family Guy, Simpson's, and Seinfeld while you order your choice of marijuana, opium, or any mushroom blended treat you can imagine. There are dozens of these places and they were packed every day and night. Yikes....
Yesterday we thought we'd check out how an entire town can be packed with travellers just here to tube and party. We started around noon, being dropped off up river at a loud bumping bar with a deck over the river. I noticed a bunch of cables and strange ladders leading up to this tree/deck area 40 ft off the ground. IT was here that a man hands you a trapieze handle to send you swinging 40-50 ft over the viewing deck and at your decision, you can fly down to the moving river. It was incredible. I did not have enough courage in me to have a go at this, especially after watching a few unpleasant water entries. Some travellers boasted great style with laid out back flips and the occasional double. We moved down river to the junior body slinger, still sending you flying around 30ft. Good times. I am going to work on some plans to build one at the cabin. Ron said that he would help.
We are off back on our mini-moto back to the village. We miss everyone... home sickness is kicking in.
Chad and Emily
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Quick update on Laos
We're in Vang Vieng, Laos, surrounded by lovely limestone cliffs, a beautiful river, and lots of other tourists who are here mostly to party. They say this is the adventure capital of laos, but it seems to us like the party capital. We quickly realized this and headed out of town to a very quiet location.
Today -- we tube the river.
Tomorrow -- we go kayaking and river rafting.
We are both missing home but definitely enjoying the adventure.
Soon, we are off to Louang Prabang, Laos.
Today -- we tube the river.
Tomorrow -- we go kayaking and river rafting.
We are both missing home but definitely enjoying the adventure.
Soon, we are off to Louang Prabang, Laos.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Off to Laos
Tomorrow we fly to Vientienne, Laos. We enjoyed Cambodia, but we are anxious to head to Laos for a more relaxed pace.
The main attraction in Siem Reap, and in all of Cambodia, and also the reason we came here, is Angkor Wat, ruins of the ancient Khmer city of one million plus which represented the height of culture, art and architecture of the 11th century.
The scale and intricicy of the temples was truly astonishing; it is one of the wonders of the world. However, the town is completely filled with tourists from all over the world clamoring to see the temples -- mostly japanese tour groups and adventure retiree tour groups.
The Cambodian people (and foreign interests) have quickly capitalized on tourism to the temples. Only 30 years after 1/5 of the population was killed by the Khmer Rouge genocide, there now exists a variety of western-style luxury resorts, restaurants, ATMs and performances.
Reminders of the genocide 30 years ago and the widespread povery are not too far from the luxury resorts, however. Small children stand outside of each temple trying to sell bracelets and postcards, (10 for $1 mister, you buy something, maybe later? I remember you! buy from me!) Tuk-tuk drivers desperately try to get riders whenever a tourist walks by. The main tourist area is lined with boutiques selling handicrafts funded by NGOs to help the people get back on their feet. The first international tribunal trials for the genocide opened in the capital this week. Blind and disfigured landmine victims walk into restaurants asking politely for money. The landmine museum was founded by a 30 year old former child soldier who now spends his time de-mining the landfields of cambodia. And the children at the orphanage perform free dance shows to bring in people to donate $$.
The plight of the people here is hard to ignore, but also disturbingly easy to ignore while sipping on a beer laos.
The main attraction in Siem Reap, and in all of Cambodia, and also the reason we came here, is Angkor Wat, ruins of the ancient Khmer city of one million plus which represented the height of culture, art and architecture of the 11th century.
The scale and intricicy of the temples was truly astonishing; it is one of the wonders of the world. However, the town is completely filled with tourists from all over the world clamoring to see the temples -- mostly japanese tour groups and adventure retiree tour groups.
The Cambodian people (and foreign interests) have quickly capitalized on tourism to the temples. Only 30 years after 1/5 of the population was killed by the Khmer Rouge genocide, there now exists a variety of western-style luxury resorts, restaurants, ATMs and performances.
Reminders of the genocide 30 years ago and the widespread povery are not too far from the luxury resorts, however. Small children stand outside of each temple trying to sell bracelets and postcards, (10 for $1 mister, you buy something, maybe later? I remember you! buy from me!) Tuk-tuk drivers desperately try to get riders whenever a tourist walks by. The main tourist area is lined with boutiques selling handicrafts funded by NGOs to help the people get back on their feet. The first international tribunal trials for the genocide opened in the capital this week. Blind and disfigured landmine victims walk into restaurants asking politely for money. The landmine museum was founded by a 30 year old former child soldier who now spends his time de-mining the landfields of cambodia. And the children at the orphanage perform free dance shows to bring in people to donate $$.
The plight of the people here is hard to ignore, but also disturbingly easy to ignore while sipping on a beer laos.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
We made it to Siem Reap, Cambodia
Well, we made it to Cambodia! We left at 7am on Saturday, and arrived in Siem Reap by 7pm on Saturday.
The trip was exhausting. The road from Thailand to Cambodia was paved only in parts, and was filled with cows, bicyles, various home made machines, and motorbikes. We rode in the upgraded "taxi"option to Siem Reap, which cost $15 a person (a lot) but saved us 3 hours of transit. And, all the times they say are wrong, so it probably saved us 5 hours. Apparently this road is much better than it was in the past, as they were working on paving it (while we were driving on it). Every 10 minutes or so we would have to avoid a new part of the paving process by swerving out of the way of the machines and workers. The driver kept his hand on the horn, honking at every single bicylist and moto that we passed. This meant literally that he honked the entire drive.
We got through immigration with no problems. Since we already taken passport photos, we did not have to pay the $2 required to bribe the officials not to worry about the fact that you don't have photos. We also paid $1 to "expedite" the processing of our visa, which i was more than happy to pay.
In Cambodia, everything is priced in US dollars, but when you pay, you get anything less than $1 back in their local currency, which is Riel. The ATMs dispense Riels. It seems to me like the local people pay in riel, and the foreigners pay in dollars. Today we went to a restaurant where there were no other foreigners, and the guy accidentily told us the price in reil, but then switched to dollars. The dollar price was about 1/3 more. However, in some places it is more.
We went to the temples of Angor Wat today and basically we were forced to eat lunch there. This is the #1 tourist attraction for hte whole country and basically the reason that everyone is here. So, the lunch menus were really pricey, all run by local people, for example, noodle soup = $4. I kept saying, too much, too much, and then they immediatlely dropped the price. Ok, special price for you lady, i give you discount. We got about a 50% discount on their menu prices, but it was still overpriced. You can't blame them, the people here are very poor and the surge of tourists represents something very far out of reach.
One more thing for now, it is HOT HOT HOT HOT here. I am not sure about the real temperature, but it feels about 100 at noon. I was seriously not built for this weather. I realize that I have traded one extreme for another. There is tons of dust in the air because of the dry season, and also lots of smoke because of the cooking methods, and the slash and burn agriculture. All the people on the road wear bandito masks over their noses and mouths to avoid the dust, chad and i have starting doing this as well. But, i am not going to let it bother me. I swear.
The trip was exhausting. The road from Thailand to Cambodia was paved only in parts, and was filled with cows, bicyles, various home made machines, and motorbikes. We rode in the upgraded "taxi"option to Siem Reap, which cost $15 a person (a lot) but saved us 3 hours of transit. And, all the times they say are wrong, so it probably saved us 5 hours. Apparently this road is much better than it was in the past, as they were working on paving it (while we were driving on it). Every 10 minutes or so we would have to avoid a new part of the paving process by swerving out of the way of the machines and workers. The driver kept his hand on the horn, honking at every single bicylist and moto that we passed. This meant literally that he honked the entire drive.
We got through immigration with no problems. Since we already taken passport photos, we did not have to pay the $2 required to bribe the officials not to worry about the fact that you don't have photos. We also paid $1 to "expedite" the processing of our visa, which i was more than happy to pay.
In Cambodia, everything is priced in US dollars, but when you pay, you get anything less than $1 back in their local currency, which is Riel. The ATMs dispense Riels. It seems to me like the local people pay in riel, and the foreigners pay in dollars. Today we went to a restaurant where there were no other foreigners, and the guy accidentily told us the price in reil, but then switched to dollars. The dollar price was about 1/3 more. However, in some places it is more.
We went to the temples of Angor Wat today and basically we were forced to eat lunch there. This is the #1 tourist attraction for hte whole country and basically the reason that everyone is here. So, the lunch menus were really pricey, all run by local people, for example, noodle soup = $4. I kept saying, too much, too much, and then they immediatlely dropped the price. Ok, special price for you lady, i give you discount. We got about a 50% discount on their menu prices, but it was still overpriced. You can't blame them, the people here are very poor and the surge of tourists represents something very far out of reach.
One more thing for now, it is HOT HOT HOT HOT here. I am not sure about the real temperature, but it feels about 100 at noon. I was seriously not built for this weather. I realize that I have traded one extreme for another. There is tons of dust in the air because of the dry season, and also lots of smoke because of the cooking methods, and the slash and burn agriculture. All the people on the road wear bandito masks over their noses and mouths to avoid the dust, chad and i have starting doing this as well. But, i am not going to let it bother me. I swear.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
We found tequila steve
Well, we are now on the island of koh chang, on the east coast of thailand, and we have found our friend steve and his girl ja-ja, who is kazek but lives in shanghai with steve (lots of bad spelling there).
We spent a fun weekend with our friend shane in kanchanaburi which involved riding one hour on motorbikes to a 7 tiered waterfall, a thai-korean barbecue, lots of afternoon drinks, and ending with a trip to the spa for a total detox treatment.
We made the 12 hour journey east to meet up with steve, and we are again in tropical beach paradise soaking up the rays. Tomorrow we will go on a snorkeling trip around the island. Ja-ja cannot swim but is trying to learn, so we hope tomorrow will go ok!
We just finished a dinner of white snapper fresh from the BBQ, tom yum soup, red curry, and fried vegetables in oyster sauce, along with many singhas. Tequila steve got special privledges from ja-ja for some drinking because friends are in town.
Next, we head to Cambodia, most likely siem riep and angkor wat.
We spent a fun weekend with our friend shane in kanchanaburi which involved riding one hour on motorbikes to a 7 tiered waterfall, a thai-korean barbecue, lots of afternoon drinks, and ending with a trip to the spa for a total detox treatment.
We made the 12 hour journey east to meet up with steve, and we are again in tropical beach paradise soaking up the rays. Tomorrow we will go on a snorkeling trip around the island. Ja-ja cannot swim but is trying to learn, so we hope tomorrow will go ok!
We just finished a dinner of white snapper fresh from the BBQ, tom yum soup, red curry, and fried vegetables in oyster sauce, along with many singhas. Tequila steve got special privledges from ja-ja for some drinking because friends are in town.
Next, we head to Cambodia, most likely siem riep and angkor wat.
Friday, February 06, 2009
The elusive Steve Q
Steve has evaded us! With no word from him, we are planning to head instead to Kanchanaburi for a long weekend with Shane. We are staying here: http://www.thaigardeninn.com. We may even partake in karaoke on the floating barges on the river. Watch out! Also, Chad got a haircut and shaved his beard. YEAH!
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
wow.... border jumping and cash talking
Emily and I have been having a great adventure running around in Thailand, and so much that we needed another 15 days to wrap things up here before we roll on into Cambodia. We were intending on heading to another coastal island named Koh Payam on the west coase and made our way to Ranong, a port town, and also the border jump to Burma. This is where every one at the end of there 30 day visa limt, swings some cash at a longtail boat driver to haul you across the murky waters to another port town ont he southermost point of Burma. Everything was very clear and there really wan't too much confusion than some simle navigating tasks, but the whole experince held a seedy stigma that was very present.
It all went smooth, and we now have another 15 day visa, however our plans have changed and we are making our way north to Bankok again to meet Shane. He has Monday off and his company is priceless. There is word that Steve Q, man of China, is to be on Thailan soil this week and beach-bound as well. We are meeting Shane and caravaning south east to intercept Steve and crash his quiet beach vacation. Probably the other way around. I will do my best to keep up with this wild man. We are in the town of Chumpon catching the great 1950's train bound for Bankok, leaving at 11 pm tonight. I will post any sightings of Steve Q. Now, we are off to check out the local night market. Oh, Thanks everyone for checking in on us. We miss everyone. Anybody want to see Cambodia? Ciao, chad and em.
It all went smooth, and we now have another 15 day visa, however our plans have changed and we are making our way north to Bankok again to meet Shane. He has Monday off and his company is priceless. There is word that Steve Q, man of China, is to be on Thailan soil this week and beach-bound as well. We are meeting Shane and caravaning south east to intercept Steve and crash his quiet beach vacation. Probably the other way around. I will do my best to keep up with this wild man. We are in the town of Chumpon catching the great 1950's train bound for Bankok, leaving at 11 pm tonight. I will post any sightings of Steve Q. Now, we are off to check out the local night market. Oh, Thanks everyone for checking in on us. We miss everyone. Anybody want to see Cambodia? Ciao, chad and em.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
hanging out with europeans on holiday in Koh Lak, snorkellling in Similian and Surin Islands
From Koh Sok we headed to Koh Lak, which is a beach town on the west coast. This is the jumping off point for trips to the Similian Islands, which contain fabulous snorkelling and diving spots. LIttle did we know that Koh Sok is THE german and swedish tourist destination in thailand.
Kho Sok was completely devastated by the tsunami, and suffered horrible damage and loss of life. There is a police boat that sits one mile off the beach that was brought in by the tsunami. Apparently someone on the boat made a video of the boat riding the tsunami wave that is now on you tube, apparently you can find it by looking for tsunami, police boat, koh lak (or Ko Lak). If you find it please send me the link, i don't have a fast enough connection here to find it.
As a result of the tsunami, all the beach businesses were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Most everything is rebuilt now, and the beach is dominated by super super high end resorts, charging something like 100 a night for very posh surroudnings. It's very strange how many germans and scandinavians are there. it's like the town has some agreement with travel agencies in these countries. THere were many dive shops and restaurants that advertised in german and swedish, and the town was just full of tall blonde people. It was far too package touristy for us, but a good jumping off point to the islands.
The first night we stayed in a relatively clean room and looked quiet and off the main road. When we went back to our room at night, we discovered that our room was right behind the most happening bar in the area. The front garden area had transformed into a loud busy bar. ARRGH! Another night of bad sleeping!
The next day we relocated to teh Banana Bungalows which were nice, beautiful and quiet. Perfect. And also, a pool, hot water, a safe, and a fridge! Quite a splurge for us at $28 a night but i needed some rest after nights of vermin and loud parties.
We did one day trip to the Similian Islands and the next day went to teh Surin Islands for amazing snorkeling. We saw an octopus, sharks, a sea turtle, and amazing corals and all sorts of other colorful fish. A greenback turtle almost ran into me, i did not see it until it was about one foot away and then i swam away so as not to touch it but still got quite a look at it. The visibility was great and the coral and reef life was so beautiful, it was like national geographic. The octopus was really cool and moved all stealthily grabbing out at fish. He was hard to spot on the bottom of the coral, he blended right in. Everyone said the Surin Islands are the best spot for snorkelling in all of Thailand. Both are protected park areas with only park areas to stay, which is why we did the day trips. It was expensive to get out there but well worth it. I put on SPF 50 twice and still got burnt from the intense sun.
Now we are in Ranong, extending our Visa, and our plans for the next part of the trip may change as we just found out that our friend Steve Q. is also in Thailand.
Until next time!
Kho Sok was completely devastated by the tsunami, and suffered horrible damage and loss of life. There is a police boat that sits one mile off the beach that was brought in by the tsunami. Apparently someone on the boat made a video of the boat riding the tsunami wave that is now on you tube, apparently you can find it by looking for tsunami, police boat, koh lak (or Ko Lak). If you find it please send me the link, i don't have a fast enough connection here to find it.
As a result of the tsunami, all the beach businesses were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Most everything is rebuilt now, and the beach is dominated by super super high end resorts, charging something like 100 a night for very posh surroudnings. It's very strange how many germans and scandinavians are there. it's like the town has some agreement with travel agencies in these countries. THere were many dive shops and restaurants that advertised in german and swedish, and the town was just full of tall blonde people. It was far too package touristy for us, but a good jumping off point to the islands.
The first night we stayed in a relatively clean room and looked quiet and off the main road. When we went back to our room at night, we discovered that our room was right behind the most happening bar in the area. The front garden area had transformed into a loud busy bar. ARRGH! Another night of bad sleeping!
The next day we relocated to teh Banana Bungalows which were nice, beautiful and quiet. Perfect. And also, a pool, hot water, a safe, and a fridge! Quite a splurge for us at $28 a night but i needed some rest after nights of vermin and loud parties.
We did one day trip to the Similian Islands and the next day went to teh Surin Islands for amazing snorkeling. We saw an octopus, sharks, a sea turtle, and amazing corals and all sorts of other colorful fish. A greenback turtle almost ran into me, i did not see it until it was about one foot away and then i swam away so as not to touch it but still got quite a look at it. The visibility was great and the coral and reef life was so beautiful, it was like national geographic. The octopus was really cool and moved all stealthily grabbing out at fish. He was hard to spot on the bottom of the coral, he blended right in. Everyone said the Surin Islands are the best spot for snorkelling in all of Thailand. Both are protected park areas with only park areas to stay, which is why we did the day trips. It was expensive to get out there but well worth it. I put on SPF 50 twice and still got burnt from the intense sun.
Now we are in Ranong, extending our Visa, and our plans for the next part of the trip may change as we just found out that our friend Steve Q. is also in Thailand.
Until next time!
Koh Sak National Park
From Koh Tao we headed southwest to Koh Sok National Park for some time in the jungle. This national park is an area of "SUPER DIVERSITY" and contains miles of protected original jungle and tons of plants and animals.
We stayed at a place called Our Jungle House which was right in the middle of the jungle. The bungalows were very nice and made of woven rattan and had lovely linen lights and very nice details. Out our window was a 100 foot limestone cliff and a river, along with lots of animal noises including monkeys, cicadas and birds. It was very beautiful and we met some great people.
We went on a one day trip to a lake nearby that was made by the Thai government by creating a large dam that they use for hydroelectric power. It's sort of like lake powell, only much bigger. The lake is framed by 100 foot limestone cliffs that are really stunning. We took a longtail boat tour of the lake, and then had lunch at a floating village, along with a swim in the sweet water, as they call fresh water. It was very clear and clean and beautiful for swimming. Apparently since it is man made, not a lot of wildlife live in the lake.
From there we went on a tour of a local cave. We were not sure what to expect. It took us one hour of hiking through the sweaty jungle to get there. Along the way, the tour guide pointed out wildlife including monkeys and also told some dirty thai jokes. I will not repeat them here, though they were pretty unexpected, as we have not heard anything remotely similiar from the very polite, friendly and sensitive thai people.
We had two guides, who both grew up in the area village. Jungle man wore plastic shoes and told the ditry jokes. Big man drove the boat and entertained us with antics like hiding behind a rock wall and pretending to be a wild animal to scare us. it probably would have been more entertaining if i was not already scared for my life.
They brought us to tour a cave where only a few years before 8 people had died when rains unexpectantly filled the caves with water. Big man had to go in the next day and carry out the bodies. I was not too worried about flooding because it is the dry season here and the skys were clear. However i was nervous about slipping on one of the rocks or being bitten by one of the thousands of bats or spiders i saw. But, I could not worry too much as there was no escaping.
We walked deeper and deeper into the cave and the rooms got narrower and narrower. We had headlamps but nothing more. there was no path or no lights. The rocks were very slippery and sharp and it was hard to see where we were going. Red glowing spider eyes followed us everywhere. The smell of bat guano filled the room, and the guides would yell at them and make them fly from their resting spot.
We were soaked from walking in the river through the cave. Finally we came to a point where the only way through was to climb through a cramped opening and then swim to the other end. There was about one foot of breathing room above, and we were not sure what was next after this. I had already had my fill of caving for many years, but i had to keep going.
We really didn't know much about what we were into for the day. We knew "cave tour" and "floating village" and lake tour but that was about it. The people at Our Jungle House made sure we had the right shoes and lights and such, but we really did not know what we were in for!
I was certainly glad to be through the worst of it with the swimming part of the journey. 15 minutes later we saw the light of day and then made our sweaty walk back to the boat.
It was a good day of adventure, and that night we had more adventures when a rat made it's way into our room. YUCK. We saw the teeth marks on our soap in the morning.
The next day we did a 4 hour guided hike to see Rafflesia, one of the biggest flowers in the world which happened to be blooming while we were there. Our guide again was jungle man, but this time the group was only 4 people and he left all his bad humor behind. We hikes for 2 hours strickly uphill climbing on vines and very small paths to see the flowers. I was covered with sweat. We saw 3 of the flowers, they were about 2 feet in diameter and a bloody red color. They bloom once every year for about 4 days, and only bloom in this park. (a relative of this flower blooms in Malaysia as well). It is actually a parasite, not a plant, and cannot be propogated elsewhere. The park had protected the area with barbed wire, but jungle man lifted up the wire and directed us to get closer to the flower. The Thai way. He did warn us of all the places not to step so as to protect the flowers that were not yet blooming. They were amazing, but certainly a journey to get there.
On the hike, we saw hornbills flying above and jungle man told us how to survive in teh forest with plants, water from vines and frogs that taste like chicken. I would have considered a camping trip but it was just too hot and humid.
After the hike, we were exhausted and napped the afternoon away! We were going to dinner about 6pm and i opened the bathroom door and saw a huge rat in the bathroom, it was about one foot long including the tail. The room was open air, so i don't think there is much that can be done. That night i did not sleep well at all!
We headed out the next morning, me happy to be moving to a room safe from vermin.
We stayed at a place called Our Jungle House which was right in the middle of the jungle. The bungalows were very nice and made of woven rattan and had lovely linen lights and very nice details. Out our window was a 100 foot limestone cliff and a river, along with lots of animal noises including monkeys, cicadas and birds. It was very beautiful and we met some great people.
We went on a one day trip to a lake nearby that was made by the Thai government by creating a large dam that they use for hydroelectric power. It's sort of like lake powell, only much bigger. The lake is framed by 100 foot limestone cliffs that are really stunning. We took a longtail boat tour of the lake, and then had lunch at a floating village, along with a swim in the sweet water, as they call fresh water. It was very clear and clean and beautiful for swimming. Apparently since it is man made, not a lot of wildlife live in the lake.
From there we went on a tour of a local cave. We were not sure what to expect. It took us one hour of hiking through the sweaty jungle to get there. Along the way, the tour guide pointed out wildlife including monkeys and also told some dirty thai jokes. I will not repeat them here, though they were pretty unexpected, as we have not heard anything remotely similiar from the very polite, friendly and sensitive thai people.
We had two guides, who both grew up in the area village. Jungle man wore plastic shoes and told the ditry jokes. Big man drove the boat and entertained us with antics like hiding behind a rock wall and pretending to be a wild animal to scare us. it probably would have been more entertaining if i was not already scared for my life.
They brought us to tour a cave where only a few years before 8 people had died when rains unexpectantly filled the caves with water. Big man had to go in the next day and carry out the bodies. I was not too worried about flooding because it is the dry season here and the skys were clear. However i was nervous about slipping on one of the rocks or being bitten by one of the thousands of bats or spiders i saw. But, I could not worry too much as there was no escaping.
We walked deeper and deeper into the cave and the rooms got narrower and narrower. We had headlamps but nothing more. there was no path or no lights. The rocks were very slippery and sharp and it was hard to see where we were going. Red glowing spider eyes followed us everywhere. The smell of bat guano filled the room, and the guides would yell at them and make them fly from their resting spot.
We were soaked from walking in the river through the cave. Finally we came to a point where the only way through was to climb through a cramped opening and then swim to the other end. There was about one foot of breathing room above, and we were not sure what was next after this. I had already had my fill of caving for many years, but i had to keep going.
We really didn't know much about what we were into for the day. We knew "cave tour" and "floating village" and lake tour but that was about it. The people at Our Jungle House made sure we had the right shoes and lights and such, but we really did not know what we were in for!
I was certainly glad to be through the worst of it with the swimming part of the journey. 15 minutes later we saw the light of day and then made our sweaty walk back to the boat.
It was a good day of adventure, and that night we had more adventures when a rat made it's way into our room. YUCK. We saw the teeth marks on our soap in the morning.
The next day we did a 4 hour guided hike to see Rafflesia, one of the biggest flowers in the world which happened to be blooming while we were there. Our guide again was jungle man, but this time the group was only 4 people and he left all his bad humor behind. We hikes for 2 hours strickly uphill climbing on vines and very small paths to see the flowers. I was covered with sweat. We saw 3 of the flowers, they were about 2 feet in diameter and a bloody red color. They bloom once every year for about 4 days, and only bloom in this park. (a relative of this flower blooms in Malaysia as well). It is actually a parasite, not a plant, and cannot be propogated elsewhere. The park had protected the area with barbed wire, but jungle man lifted up the wire and directed us to get closer to the flower. The Thai way. He did warn us of all the places not to step so as to protect the flowers that were not yet blooming. They were amazing, but certainly a journey to get there.
On the hike, we saw hornbills flying above and jungle man told us how to survive in teh forest with plants, water from vines and frogs that taste like chicken. I would have considered a camping trip but it was just too hot and humid.
After the hike, we were exhausted and napped the afternoon away! We were going to dinner about 6pm and i opened the bathroom door and saw a huge rat in the bathroom, it was about one foot long including the tail. The room was open air, so i don't think there is much that can be done. That night i did not sleep well at all!
We headed out the next morning, me happy to be moving to a room safe from vermin.
Map of where we are
Here is a map of southern Thailand that shows where we have been travelling.
We went from Bangkok (not pictured, to the North) and then to the island of Ko Tao. Then, on to Khoa Sok National Park. From there, we headed east to Kho Sok National Park (not on map). We did day trips to both the Similian and then Surin Islands. Now, we are in Ranong extending our visas and planning out our next steps.
We went from Bangkok (not pictured, to the North) and then to the island of Ko Tao. Then, on to Khoa Sok National Park. From there, we headed east to Kho Sok National Park (not on map). We did day trips to both the Similian and then Surin Islands. Now, we are in Ranong extending our visas and planning out our next steps.
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