Slightly out of order and terribly overdue, this was my trip to Thailand last February. The first leg of my trip I spent in Khao Sok National Park. It was ridiculously hot and sticky (I can't even imagine what it would be like in summertime!) but gorgeous! I loved every minute of my time in the park and do not regret at all not spending more time on the famous beaches instead. I spent my first couple days in the jungle there sleeping in my own private tree house near a little river. The cabin was lovely and rustic though a bit more so than I'd bargained at a few points- I was immediately stung by a fire ant in the shower (and was subsequently much more careful of what might be in my shower with me!) and had a lovely view of the treetops through a picture window in my shower stall, which of course gave anyone walking the hiking trail below a lovely picture window into my shower stall :) But aside from a few minor quirks it was heavenly- the windows opened up to let a nice gentle breeze through and the color tinted windows near the door filtered in a beautiful rainbow in the afternoons. I even had my own little porch to sit out on and watch the wildlife and the river down below. There was a little restaurant just down the way that had amazing authentic Thai food and lots of fresh fruit juices and just across from their patio was a cave where a group of wild long tail macaque monkeys lived. The monkeys would play in the river around dawn, then wander down past the cabins and out into the jungle for the day before returning around dusk and retreating to their cave for the night just after sunset. They were so gentle and calm that they would come quite near to anyone standing quietly by- I got to see them playing and grooming and even get a nice view of the babies the moms were carrying. They were amazing. One of my favorite parts of the whole trip. My first day at the tree house I went down below the restaurant and got my first Thai massage. So relaxing. Not what I had expected- it's a bit like forced yoga and I was told more than once "it's supposed to hurt" :) It's surprising though how nice it feels afterward! Then on my second day I went a little down the road to a rubber tree plantation and rode an elephant- another of my top moments of the trip! We rode through a little stretch past the rubber trees and through an open field up into the jungle and stopped by a creek at the base of a waterfall before turning around and heading back. The elephants are so tall you have to mount them from a platform and then sit on a little bench saddle on their back strapped in so you don't get bucked off as they lurch from side to side. They have a calm and gentle gait but like to take big steps so I had to hold on from time to time. I was surprised too by how much they have to eat in a day- they sleep very little but eat and drink almost constantly throughout the day. Perhaps due to their size. The whole time we were walking they were munching on sugar canes and the like. Such beautiful animals. I wished I could spend more time there with them. That afternoon I tried to do a little hiking in the park- there were a couple waterfalls near to where my cabin was as well as some rare flowers that were blooming right at the time of my trip. Hiking in Thailand, as it turns out is something best left to locals. The heat and humidity made dehydration a serious concern and also troubling is the local wildlife which includes king cobras, pit vipers, tarantulas, occasionally wild elephants, and the rare but still present wild tigers. I got a little way up the trail to one of the waterfalls, but turned around when I saw the beware of wild elephant signs. Most of the other travelers where I was staying were on holiday down from Germany, France, and Spain and spoke very little English. But on my last night there I met some fellow English speakers at the restaurant and we had a nice dinner together before I headed out for my next destination.
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