Khao Sok: Brown-water tubing

Excellent views all around

You know what is an excellent cure for post-hike and leech-battle sweaty-ness?

Floating down a river for a couple miles in a giant inner-tube, for less than $5 American. Everyone can get behind that!

Monica relaxing for once

After our leech filled hike in Khao Sok we traded our sweaty hiking gear for swim suits and jumped into the Phum Duang river that passed by our guest house. The tubing was scheduled thru our hosts at the Jungle Huts (I assume they get a cut of the price we pay). We met our guide at a little hut filled to the brim with giant black and blue tubes, covered in white writing. And then it was just a matter of slipping down the river bank and jumping in.

Starting out the river was quite shallow. I could wade out to the center and my shoulders were still above water. But the water was almost completely opaque so it was hard to gauge depth once we were sitting in our tubes.

That river was unlike any I've seen in Washington. Those rivers run almost directly from the Cascade Mountains into the Sound; they are cold and clear and not something to tube on. This river was slow moving, warm, and full of suspended sediment.

Our stack of tubes

I imagine there is quite a lot of life living in water as well. I tried not to think about it, as we floated down. If nothing bit me I'd walk away happy.

Turns out I didn't need to worry. We didn't see any creatures. Just a lot of limestone cliffs, lush jungle, and low hanging branches.The views were breathtaking.

Monica, my savoir!

Our appreciation of the views was only punctuated by our guide trying to tip us out of our tubes. He'd float behind us, slip off his tube, swim underneath ours, and push us, face first, into the river. In thoery that would have been fine. I can swim, the water wasn't cold, but I wasn't about to start drinking it and being tossed face first, with no warning, tends to cause some unexpected inhalation. I managed to avoid being dunked, but Manda and Monica weren't so lucky.

We floated for a fair few miles. The river was relatively calm, punctuated by short stretches of "rapids". Rapids, consisting of turns where the water was slightly choppier than smooth. There wasn't any white water.

When we reached the end of the tubing adventure, we waiting for a truck to pick us up for the ride back to the Jungle Huts. We swam about in the river by the bank. The current in that location was quite strong, maybe it always was. There were a fair few splash fights and piggy back rides and probably quite of bit of water swallowed.

It was an excellent end to a outdoor adventure day. On the docket for tomorrow is more hiking. Yay leeches!

Khao Sok: Monkeys, Lizards, and Leeches...Oh My!!!

I am beginning to see a trend in this trip: any aliment (from jet lag to slight food poisoning) can be cured with enough sleep. Monica and I got over the last bit of our disagreement with Fon-Fon food with 12 hours of sleep. And we woke bright and early for our first Khao Sok adventure.

But before we could run off to do some trekking in the jungle we had to fuel up. We dropped by the main lounge area for some breakfast. One thing I have learned about Thailand is that their idea of coffee does not match up with my idea of coffee. Admittedly they probably could not have found someone with a higher bar. "Coffee" here is generally Nescafe with a powdered creamer. Not exactly your Holler Mountain blend from the neighborhood Irwin's. But early morning caffeine is caffeine and to keep up with Monica I was going to need to drink up.

Manda and I on the road to the park

Our hostess, "spider-woman" caught up with us before we left for the hike. She had some valuable vocational advice, involving leeches. Of which there are many. She suggested we wear shorts, so we can catch the buggers before they get onto our bare legs. She told us that leeches like to climb up the inside of pants and bite people high up on the thigh. Yuck! We took her excellent advice and put on shorts (not to mention is was going to be hot and very humid, pants would have led to death). I also took the liberty of wearing a pair of Jon's hiking socks, hiked all the way up. Which made me look ridiculous, but I hoped would protect my bare legs from the leeches.

The park was a leisurely 20 minute walk from the Jungle Huts. It was early enough that the mountains still had fog around their peaks. It gave the whole area a misty, mysterious feel as we meandered towards our goal. Not to mention we weren't boiling. Which was nice.

Once we arrived at the park entrance and paid the entrance fee, 200 baht (which translates to less than $7). There were several trail heads to choose from. Unfortunately, due to the season, only some of the trails were open. In the rainy season there is a high chance of flash flooding on certain routes. None of the open trails were all that long, 6k at the most.

Spider-woman had suggested a set of trails leading to a waterfall. She told us that the waterfall trail was much wider and drier than the others, so we'd be less likely to get leeched.

Mandatory leech check

But being the Washingtonian's that we are, we didn't listen to her advice. We thought, "Nah, we got this. We hike all the time." And we took a trail headed to a lookout point instead. I believe the reasoning was that we could check out her trail suggestion once we finished the lookout path. The trail was wet and overgrown and full of vegetation. The plants seemed to create a tunnel to walk thru. The air was heavy and damp. And everywhere was the sound of dripping water and buzzing of insects. It was very unlike any place I'd ever hiked before. Washington has pretty dense flora but this place was lush to the extreme.

About 2 minutes in the fun really started. I can't remember who looked down first, but soon the air was full of the sounds of girly screams. Well maybe not screams, but but definitely some choice words I won't be repeating here. There were leeches. And they were everywhere. The nasty little buggers could feel the vibrations of us walking. They would rear up and latch on to our shoes. And then climb up onto our legs with surprising speed. I was immediately glad I was wearing the stupid looking socks. At least until I realized they could bite right thru the fabric.

From then on the hike to the view point became less of a hike and more of a battle. Every 100 yards (maybe less), we would stop to knock all the leeches off our shoes and socks. I caught one on the back of Manda's bare calf, knocking it off before it actually bit her. I lost count after something like 30 leeches knocked off me. I admit, I spent more time watching the ground for leeches and less looking at the surroundings. All I recall from that hike was a mad dash to the next patch of clear ground. It was fun, in a sort of sad way. We didn't really get to enjoy any of the normal hiking delights, but we did do battle with nature, in a way.

Our dashing came to an end with a washed out bridge a couple miles in. We were forced to go back the way we came, dodging leeches all the way. Once we were back at the trail head we ripped off our shoes and socks in an attempt to make sure we were leech free. I caught one crawling along the hair line on the back of Monica's neck. That induced some panic. Apparently they drop out of trees, according to Manda (she failed to share that earlier, probably for the greater good).

Lizard, spotted just off the trail

Turns out Spider-woman was right. The trail she suggested was at least twice as wide as our original choice. There was less vegetation overhang and more breaks in the dense trees, with view out to the mountains that surrounded the park.

We hadn't even gone a miles before we encountered a giant lizard crossing the path. It was at least a meter long, it's tail making up at least half of it's length. It didn't take any notice of us, just continued on it's way.

We continued on, taking much fewer leech check breaks. The drier ground seemed to nearly leech free. For the most part the trail led deeper into the jungle. There wasn't a strong incline and no switchbacks to speak of, which was a change from hiking in Washington. As we walked I kept thinking, "This area seems so flat, where is the waterfall going to come in?"

Turns out "waterfall" is a relative term. After hiking in the Cascades I feel waterfalls have been ruined for me. When we got to the waterfall it was more of a "water-step". The river was probably 7 meters across, but the drop was maybe a meter at most. It was still beautiful, surrounded by all the jungle and hanging vines. Just not awe inspiring.

Manda poses by the "waterfall"

 Monica and I by the "waterfall"

Once we had soaked in enough of the waterfall we headed back down the trail. We passed a couple with a guide heading up the trail. They were stopped in the middle of the trail staring out into what appeared to be an empty group of trees. When we took a closer look there were a group of monkeys hanging out in the upper branches.

View of the limestone cliffs

We may have flipped out a bit, we hadn't seen any monkeys yet. And monkeys are pretty cute. But before we really got a chance to take any excellent pictures the guide from the other hiking group threw a rock at the tree to scare them off. When we made sad noises he just shrugged and said, "No monkey. Monkey bite." So our first encounter with monkeys passed with photographic evidence.

Our hiking adventure started with mist and leeches, and ended with monkeys and fantastic views of the surrounding cliff. By the time we had made our way back down to the trail head the oppressive sun had melted away all the mist. The cliffs surrounding the entrance to the park were completely visible. And while they were beautiful, I think I'd take Washington hiking over Thailand hiking any day. No leeches in Washington.

For another account of our leech adventure check out Monica's blog: The Blue Horse

Travel day: Fon-Fon isn't good people

This Monday was not kind to anyone. The lovely restaurant Sue and Jon took us to last night (Fon-Fon) did not agree with our weak american stomachs. Both Monica and I were awoken in the night by gastric distress. Consequently we spent the whole morning either laying in the fetal position on the bed or hunched over the toilet (lovely I know). And poor Manda had to deal with us. By us I mean me, because Monica is way tougher than I am when it comes to illness. Regardless, Manda was very kind. Running out to the store, before her morning coffee, to buy us ginger ale and crackers. Helping pack the rest of our things. Providing water and back rubs. Etc.

I can't decide whether or not the stomach issues were a curse or blessing. On one hand, we were bound to get sick at some point early in the trip. You don't eat that much MSG and spicy seasonings without feeling a little ill. And we won't be wasting a day that could otherwise be spent adventuring, since we are traveling today. On the other hand, feeling ill and traveling around rural Thailand on a bus for the first time is enough to make me slightly less than happy without adding sickness on top of that. 

So for better or worse we packed our things, said goodbye to Sue and Jon, and jumped on a bus headed for Khao Sok National park. 

Our travel itinerary for the day involved cab to bus station, bus ride to the entrance to Khao Sok, and a ride in the back of a truck to our guest house. The bus was one of those tall buses that tourists ride around on in the states. It also reminded me of the buses Monica and I spent a lot of time on in Ireland. Two seats on either side of the aisle, aircon that either didn't work or made you feel like you were sitting in your own personal Antarctica, baggage stored underneath the passenger area, and the ugliest damn upholstery I've ever seen. I wonder how they pick out the upholstery and for what purpose? To hide the grime of the hordes of travelers sitting on them I guess.

View of Khao Sok from the bus

The bus ride was mostly uneventful. I honestly don't think I was conscious for most of the ride. But in between awkward bouts of naps and games of scrabble on Manda's kindle I noticed we drove past a lot of beautiful scenery. Once we got off Phuket island we drove through mostly rural Thai countryside. Occasionally stopping to pick up a person on the side of the rode. How the driver knew to pick them up, I'm not sure. There certainly weren't marked bus stops.

As we got closer to Khao Sok the emptier the countryside seemed to become, the steeper the roads, and the crazier the bus driving became. We whipped around corners of cliff roads at speeds I wouldn't have dared in a car. I first I thought that my sickness induced haze was coloring my judgment but Manda was clutching the side of her seat with white knuckles, so I don't think I was too off base.

We arrived in Khao Sok after 6 hours of travel. The main road, a snake-like two-lane road was intersected by a single lane paved road. There was a small sign declaring the entrance to the National Park to be several kilometers down road. The bus stopped, dropped us and our baggage, and sped away. Waiting at the beginning of this road were a congregation of guest house owners with pictures of their digs. As soon as we stepped off the bus they were in our faces. "You have place to stay?" "My place is best!" "Air-conditioning!!!"  Being sick and hazy, I sort of just stared into the distance. Monica glared at anyone who got too close. Manda ignored all but the guy in the pink hat holding the sign for the "Jungle Huts". Apparently she had called earlier in the day and was told to look for him. Clever girl.

The Jungle Huts, view from out hut

We jumped into the back of a pickup truck, whose bed had padded benches in the back, for a ride down the road to our first guest house. The road approaching the Khao Sok entrance was full of guest houses (all had a jungle theme of some sort), tour companies (all seemed to offer similar tour packages), restaurants and mini marts. It should have felt touristy, but it had a sort of sleepy, rural ambiance. Or maybe I was still out of it.

The Jungle Huts was a compound off the main road a few hundred yards down a dirt road. They were centered around a raised main lounge area, which held the restaurant. From the main lounge a walkway lead to a series of hexagonal huts, which were raised off the ground on a series of wooden poles. A variety of local plants grew up along the walkway. The whole compound was surrounded by trees and beyond the limestone cliffs Khao Sok seem to stretch on in every direction. It gave the whole place a really wonderfully secluded feel.

Monica is checking out the digs

The huts were very simple, a single room with attached bathroom. Ours had a single and double bed right in the middle of the room. Mosquito nets hung above, tied off for the day. The bathroom was odd, the shower was a spray nozzle, that could be detached from the wall and held. There was no separate shower stall, the floor was slightly tilted towards a drain. So when you showered you had to be careful not to spray the whole bathroom and get the toilet paper wet. A lesson I learned the hard way. 

Once we were somewhat settled and showered we trouped over to the restaurant. We were greeted by our host, a very nice woman who told us to called her "Spider Lady". Since Monica and I were still feeling somewhat under the weather (although much better than we did in the morning) we decided not to hike right away. The guest house offered a selection of tour and hiking packages. We decided to try our hand at hiking without a guide but we did book a river tubing adventure for the next afternoon.