Thailand- part 2

The next place I visited- still inside Khao Sok National Park- was Chieow Laan Lake. An hour or so down the road from my previous location we took a long boat another hour past the towering limestone cliffs and all the little caves and islands to the far side of the lake. There I traded in my lovely jungle tree house for a small community of tiny bamboo huts floating on the water. As hot and humid as it was I was unspeakably grateful to have a little hut from which I could walk three steps out the front door and dive straight into the cool sparkling waters. A nice group of travelers there, we were able to do a little hiking through the jungle (this time with a guide!), listen to the wild gibbons calling out from the trees on the the bank, and of course do a lot of swimming. In my two days at the lake I think I hardly got out of my swimsuit! We ate all our meals at a floating restaurant attached to our bank of huts which was lovely. Lots of fresh seafood and nice Thai meals. Again quite a rustic experience- walking back from dinner that first night we looked over to see the cooks washing our dishes right in the lake water. I guess that explains why all the little fishies were swimming around by the restaurant! While there we were also able to take some nice longboat tours around the lake and out to see the sunset ans also do an early morning kayak tour to look for all the local wildlife. We saw of course the wild gibbons that we could hear all around us as well as a couple different kinds of monkeys and some interesting birds and insects. I got a little sunburned in my days there as being right on the lake left no respite from the reflecting sunlight, but other than that it was perfect! Our guide Yu took wonderful care of us at the lake and helped us learn a lot about the history of the region. (Despite all the teasing from our Canadian couple in the group who couldn't get over his name... Hey Yu! What do Yu know?) :) Apparently Chieow Laan is a fairly recently made man-made lake with the original villages still down below the water. It makes this lake a haven for divers who like to go down and look around at the villages preserved at the bottom. Many of the people who work in the park- like our boat driver and the cooks at the floating restaurant- were once residents of those villages. Now they make their living giving tours and taking care of the travelers that visit. It seems to work out well for everyone. The lake itself is a water reservoir for the rest of Thailand and the villagers all agreed to give up their villages before the lake was created. Such a nice relaxing couple days before heading on to the next part of my voyage!

Thailand, February 2010

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.

Pohang Market Pictures

I love going to the outdoor markets, and seeing everything so fresh and local is great. I especially loved seeing how the fish and seaweed are dried right there out in the open sea air. But this market was a little depressing too. There were just so many fish in total that worries of overfishing the waters kept rising up. Also, you can see all the live fish there (and crabs and shellfish and all sorts of other sea creatures) in tiny little aquariums with no space to move around, or sometimes just out lying on beds of ice still wriggling around. That last picture though is probably the most troubling... it might be hard to see in the picture, but they're carving and selling whale (and sometimes dolphin as well) in many of the seafood markets along the coast. So sad to see.

More Pohang Pictures

Pohang

Finally got to the beach this weekend to visit my friend Priscilla who's teaching over there. We've been trying to get together for months now but always had conflicting schedules. I'm glad I got to go in the springtime though, it's beautiful right now with all the cherry blossoms just starting to come out. Spring is finally here!!!!
I didn't have too much time to visit since the bus ride takes about 3 1/2 hours from my little town, but had a wonderful time there even if it was short. We were able to get lunch when I first got there- rice and oyster soup that was delicious! Then went for fresh made gelato at a little local shop, then took a walk along the beach with one of her Korean co-teachers and hiked up through their little hiking trails. I saw the very sad caged animals that the city has there in lieu of a zoo, the free art museum (the POMA) that was small but nice- good to see some Korean artists and their perspectives... even if it means a whole wall of paintings of kimchi :) - and the park area with a dirt basketball court and all the workout machines that they have here in parks and along hiking trails. It's great that they have such a wonderful emphasis on health here- I'll miss all the hiking paths when I leave. Then we went back to Priscilla's apartment and snacked on wine and bread and fruit and chocolate all night while we talked and I even got to meet her neighbors there. A fun, relaxing day at the beach. This morning we walked back along the beach and had stuffed pretzels for breakfast, then headed down to the big outdoor market and saw all the fish and veggies and everything before I had to catch a bus back home. Such a nice weekend. It reminded me a little of our trips to Fort Bragg (except a MUCH bigger city!) Great weekend, but I'm wishing I could still be at the beach :) Good thing I love my town too!

Sick :(

After months of being healthy here in Korea, I managed to get sick not once but twice last month. Nothing too horrible, but it means that I spent March sleeping in my apartment instead of being out around town. All of us here from the west keep marveling at how much medication everyone seems to be given for the simplest problems. The pills above are what I had to take 3 times a day for 5 days because I had a tummy ache one day... Luckily, I had theraflu to get me through my cold and didn't have to go back to the doctor. o.O

Snow In March

We had quite a late winter this year. They say it's been the coldest winter and the most snow they've had in Sangju in years and years. Lucky me :) So I'm just posting a few pictures of our (hopefully) last snow of the year that happened around mid-March or so. This is my view of Sangju from my apartment window. Gorgeous, beautiful snow! (but soooo chilly!)