(The picture to the left is of the bay between Phuket Island & Mainland Thailand, if you look closely you can see the towers at the inlet used for tsunami detection & warning, they were everywhere along that coast.)
As I mentioned before I had met a gentlemen named Chris who was from Leeds, England. He decided after spending some time reading my LP that he was going to go to Khao Sok as well, and since he seemed like a nice enough guy, and I'm down to save money, we decided to share a room therefore splitting the cost. A few hours up the coast, which for having been devastated by a Tsunami four years prior, looked spectacular. Once to Khao Lak, an area known to be the most epic diving in Thailand, the bus turned east and went another hour inland. We got dropped off at an intersection with a sign, it was the driveway for Khao Sok Nat'l Park.
Unlike anywhere else I had gotten off public transportation in Thailand there was NOT some form of taxi waiting to take us to their accommodations of choice. It was refreshing, we had backpacks so why the hell shouldn't we walk once and a while? (The guidebook said we'd only have to go three or four kilometers.) It was nice to get out of the city, nice to not have to deal with hawkers, & nice to walk in nature alone for the most part. The area is known for it's floating-river & tree-house dwellings, at a very fair price. We researched a few and found that since it was the high season, the price was not as fair as the place we did find, a fairly large bungalow with mosquito netting, hot water & a fan. $12 for the both of us, just outside of the village, I was good. (and the mosquito's were no worse than anywhere else I had been.) Once checked in we found some local grub and went for a hike. The rain forest here is apparently the oldest in the world, and I saw some interesting things characteristic to the Hawaiian, Peruvian or Costa Rican jungles, but with definite differences. The trees seemed taller and the leaves on the ground seemed to get larger the higher up we went. There was more of a variety of them as well; fruit trees, pines, rubbers, firs & deciduous, all next to each other and different types of each. Currently it being the dry season none of the waterfalls were running very hard but there was an abundance of water, this was the major watershed for southern Thailand and other than the leaches I was warned not to ignore it looked as clear as any creek I've seen. Local guides run night-tours deeper in where they see wild elephants fairly often, and sometimes larger pythons, tigers & bears. I didn't see any of that, I did see some exotic birds, fire ants, a large variety of spiders & a ton of flora that wasn't familiar - I was OK with that - wasn't quite sure what I would have done had I seen a tiger, where do you go in a situation like that? I mean, they climb trees pretty well right, can run fast, so I guess I'm happy to just have been in the land of the tiger. I'm not quite sure what sort of organic material ended up getting stuck on this barbed wire but these ants seemed to be enjoying the heck out of it.
We stayed within the canopy till after sunset and I eventually wandered out to find some water & a shower. There was a place, an Italian restaurant, advertising pizza. For some reason after having a few bad ones this place intrigued me, and it did not disappoint. Best I've had by far, and the restaurant itself was very friendly, I decided to make that my hangout. That evening I took it easy, spent some time reading my book and I was in bed by midnight.
The next day was more of the same, took a walk into another part of the jungle, this time we went where the canopy was much more dense, and the vegetation below was used to getting a very low amount of sunlight. I was having a very nice time strolling along just studying the different changes this area goes through. The government had made attempts to make concrete paths through the jungle but they were mostly overgrown by this point. (How long ago I don't think we'll ever know.) Just like how the U.S. Nat'l Park system learned it's much easier to maintain natural trails rather than concrete or pavement.) Good thing this bridge survived. I saw quite a few frogs this time, they like the dank places, bright orange & bright green, but they never held still for a photo. I also saw a fairly large kimodo dragon on my way out, it was just chillin' on a log obviously enjoying himself on this partly cloudy day. His "laziness" inspired me to take a nap. Woke up and went back to that Italian joint for some pasta. Afterwards I spent some time on the Internet, read my book some more, wandered around in the cool night air and eventually landed in bed after a fairly pleasant yet uneventful day.
So two days in that jungle oasis to recharge my energy, and motivation to have a strong finish to my tour of Thailand. I woke up early and threw my thumb out to catch a ride back to the main road, a nice local girl offered to put me on the back of her scooter and I got there in minutes. Caught a mini-bus to a town called Surat Thani, the transportation hub for Thailand's eastern seaboard, and from there I caught another mini-bus to Don Sak. This is where the ferries launch to the various eastern islands, and I was thinking of going to Ko Tau, but feared traveling to this farthest island may take too much time when I didn't have much left. Ko Samui was on the way so I caught a ferry there and spent an hour reading my Lonely Planet to familiarize myself with this larger & more populated island hoping I could find the beaches and accommodation I was looking for there, rather than continue on another ferry to an island without an airport. Basically Ko Tau had come highly recommended, but it was far, I was short on time and tired of traveling overland. I knew flights were reasonable, and had the idea in the back of my mind for a few days now that rather than ride a bus or train back to Bangkok, I'd just catch a plane. So according to the LP Ko Samui would be fine, it had a variety of beaches, cheap bungalows and a great airport. When I arrived I found a computer & bought a plane ticket back to Bangkok for 6pm the following day. This flight is turning an entire day of traveling into an hour, giving me a proper amount of time to see Ko Samui.
Now I caught a cab to Bo Phut Beach, where I found an $8 bungalow 30 feet from the shore with plenty of shade and trees for hammock dwelling... and that's what I did, till well after nightfall. Once motivated I had some "Spicy Noodle," my favorite Thai dish, and walked a mile or so up the beach to see the village and pick up some souvenirs. Another relaxing evening of reading and listening to the ocean led to a very peaceful sleep. The next morning, my last day in this paradise, I woke early & checked out, walked up to another beach and had some lunch. From there I took a taxi to Chaweng Beach, 
where the water & reefs make it Ko Samui's most popular, and when I got there it did not disappoint. This beach was the perfect spot to call my last, I stashed my bag, rented some snorkel gear and headed out to the reef to get away from the people. Yes the beach was packed and from what I was looking at I understood why, plus the snorkeling at the reef was intense, so much to explore I only touched the surface so to speak. When I finished I caught some final rays, had a snack and caught another scooter ride to the airport. This was the nicest airport I've ever been to, open air, not chaotic at all and they provide you with food, pineapple juice and free Internet. An hour there and it was off to Bangkok.
Back at Refill NOW! I had a drink and relaxed some more, tomorrow was an early travel day so I had no desire to leave that neighborhood all evening. Raoul, the manager, retrieved my stash of belongings I had left there, I packed my ever growing bag and had an early night. The following morning I said goodbye to the helpful staff of the best hostel in Thailand and caught my plane to Seoul. A hiccup in my plans, I got sidetracked during my layover in Hong Kong talking with an Australian picking up info on his homeland since I'll be going there in March, and missed my flight. I was upset at first but Cathay Pacific, the airline I was flying with, easily slipped me onto the next flight seven hours later with no additional charge, and I spent the evening in a bar actually speaking rather extensively with an Irishman about New Zealand, the other place I'm going in March, he was returning from an extended stay there and gave me all sorts of great info for my trip.
As I mentioned before I had met a gentlemen named Chris who was from Leeds, England. He decided after spending some time reading my LP that he was going to go to Khao Sok as well, and since he seemed like a nice enough guy, and I'm down to save money, we decided to share a room therefore splitting the cost. A few hours up the coast, which for having been devastated by a Tsunami four years prior, looked spectacular. Once to Khao Lak, an area known to be the most epic diving in Thailand, the bus turned east and went another hour inland. We got dropped off at an intersection with a sign, it was the driveway for Khao Sok Nat'l Park.
Unlike anywhere else I had gotten off public transportation in Thailand there was NOT some form of taxi waiting to take us to their accommodations of choice. It was refreshing, we had backpacks so why the hell shouldn't we walk once and a while? (The guidebook said we'd only have to go three or four kilometers.) It was nice to get out of the city, nice to not have to deal with hawkers, & nice to walk in nature alone for the most part. The area is known for it's floating-river & tree-house dwellings, at a very fair price. We researched a few and found that since it was the high season, the price was not as fair as the place we did find, a fairly large bungalow with mosquito netting, hot water & a fan. $12 for the both of us, just outside of the village, I was good. (and the mosquito's were no worse than anywhere else I had been.) Once checked in we found some local grub and went for a hike. The rain forest here is apparently the oldest in the world, and I saw some interesting things characteristic to the Hawaiian, Peruvian or Costa Rican jungles, but with definite differences. The trees seemed taller and the leaves on the ground seemed to get larger the higher up we went. There was more of a variety of them as well; fruit trees, pines, rubbers, firs & deciduous, all next to each other and different types of each. Currently it being the dry season none of the waterfalls were running very hard but there was an abundance of water, this was the major watershed for southern Thailand and other than the leaches I was warned not to ignore it looked as clear as any creek I've seen. Local guides run night-tours deeper in where they see wild elephants fairly often, and sometimes larger pythons, tigers & bears. I didn't see any of that, I did see some exotic birds, fire ants, a large variety of spiders & a ton of flora that wasn't familiar - I was OK with that - wasn't quite sure what I would have done had I seen a tiger, where do you go in a situation like that? I mean, they climb trees pretty well right, can run fast, so I guess I'm happy to just have been in the land of the tiger. I'm not quite sure what sort of organic material ended up getting stuck on this barbed wire but these ants seemed to be enjoying the heck out of it.
We stayed within the canopy till after sunset and I eventually wandered out to find some water & a shower. There was a place, an Italian restaurant, advertising pizza. For some reason after having a few bad ones this place intrigued me, and it did not disappoint. Best I've had by far, and the restaurant itself was very friendly, I decided to make that my hangout. That evening I took it easy, spent some time reading my book and I was in bed by midnight.
The next day was more of the same, took a walk into another part of the jungle, this time we went where the canopy was much more dense, and the vegetation below was used to getting a very low amount of sunlight. I was having a very nice time strolling along just studying the different changes this area goes through. The government had made attempts to make concrete paths through the jungle but they were mostly overgrown by this point. (How long ago I don't think we'll ever know.) Just like how the U.S. Nat'l Park system learned it's much easier to maintain natural trails rather than concrete or pavement.) Good thing this bridge survived. I saw quite a few frogs this time, they like the dank places, bright orange & bright green, but they never held still for a photo. I also saw a fairly large kimodo dragon on my way out, it was just chillin' on a log obviously enjoying himself on this partly cloudy day. His "laziness" inspired me to take a nap. Woke up and went back to that Italian joint for some pasta. Afterwards I spent some time on the Internet, read my book some more, wandered around in the cool night air and eventually landed in bed after a fairly pleasant yet uneventful day.So two days in that jungle oasis to recharge my energy, and motivation to have a strong finish to my tour of Thailand. I woke up early and threw my thumb out to catch a ride back to the main road, a nice local girl offered to put me on the back of her scooter and I got there in minutes. Caught a mini-bus to a town called Surat Thani, the transportation hub for Thailand's eastern seaboard, and from there I caught another mini-bus to Don Sak. This is where the ferries launch to the various eastern islands, and I was thinking of going to Ko Tau, but feared traveling to this farthest island may take too much time when I didn't have much left. Ko Samui was on the way so I caught a ferry there and spent an hour reading my Lonely Planet to familiarize myself with this larger & more populated island hoping I could find the beaches and accommodation I was looking for there, rather than continue on another ferry to an island without an airport. Basically Ko Tau had come highly recommended, but it was far, I was short on time and tired of traveling overland. I knew flights were reasonable, and had the idea in the back of my mind for a few days now that rather than ride a bus or train back to Bangkok, I'd just catch a plane. So according to the LP Ko Samui would be fine, it had a variety of beaches, cheap bungalows and a great airport. When I arrived I found a computer & bought a plane ticket back to Bangkok for 6pm the following day. This flight is turning an entire day of traveling into an hour, giving me a proper amount of time to see Ko Samui.
Now I caught a cab to Bo Phut Beach, where I found an $8 bungalow 30 feet from the shore with plenty of shade and trees for hammock dwelling... and that's what I did, till well after nightfall. Once motivated I had some "Spicy Noodle," my favorite Thai dish, and walked a mile or so up the beach to see the village and pick up some souvenirs. Another relaxing evening of reading and listening to the ocean led to a very peaceful sleep. The next morning, my last day in this paradise, I woke early & checked out, walked up to another beach and had some lunch. From there I took a taxi to Chaweng Beach, 
where the water & reefs make it Ko Samui's most popular, and when I got there it did not disappoint. This beach was the perfect spot to call my last, I stashed my bag, rented some snorkel gear and headed out to the reef to get away from the people. Yes the beach was packed and from what I was looking at I understood why, plus the snorkeling at the reef was intense, so much to explore I only touched the surface so to speak. When I finished I caught some final rays, had a snack and caught another scooter ride to the airport. This was the nicest airport I've ever been to, open air, not chaotic at all and they provide you with food, pineapple juice and free Internet. An hour there and it was off to Bangkok.Back at Refill NOW! I had a drink and relaxed some more, tomorrow was an early travel day so I had no desire to leave that neighborhood all evening. Raoul, the manager, retrieved my stash of belongings I had left there, I packed my ever growing bag and had an early night. The following morning I said goodbye to the helpful staff of the best hostel in Thailand and caught my plane to Seoul. A hiccup in my plans, I got sidetracked during my layover in Hong Kong talking with an Australian picking up info on his homeland since I'll be going there in March, and missed my flight. I was upset at first but Cathay Pacific, the airline I was flying with, easily slipped me onto the next flight seven hours later with no additional charge, and I spent the evening in a bar actually speaking rather extensively with an Irishman about New Zealand, the other place I'm going in March, he was returning from an extended stay there and gave me all sorts of great info for my trip.
Eventually I made it to Jono's place in Seoul, where I am now, and caught a few hours sleep before we headed out for my final night of this trip. I met up with that old college buddy Matt Leach and introduced those two, we had a great night of barhopping around Matt's neighborhood and eventually I had to say goodbye. Jono & I made it back to his crib for some food, and then we got into a drinking game, a very loud Billy Joel & Elton John DVD accompanied by my last bottle of soju in Korea.
That's it, my hangover is intense as I'm writing this & I'm packed for Cali. Once home I'm spending two nights in my house and it's off to Catalina Island for Dorothy's Birthday/Valentines Day, which I may end up writing about as well... who knows, for now, if you've been keeping up with this, thanks for reading it's been fun keeping this record, and stay tuned for more in the coming months.
That's it, my hangover is intense as I'm writing this & I'm packed for Cali. Once home I'm spending two nights in my house and it's off to Catalina Island for Dorothy's Birthday/Valentines Day, which I may end up writing about as well... who knows, for now, if you've been keeping up with this, thanks for reading it's been fun keeping this record, and stay tuned for more in the coming months.
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