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Wilderness Adventure – Thailand
Thailand
has always held a special place in my heart. I first travelled there in 1991, a
wide eyed kid wet behind the ears with a bucket shop one way ticket to Bangkok. My grand plans
of a short beach break before heading down to the east coast of Australia joining
the 1000’s of Pommie pilgrims earning a right of passage didn’t exactly go to
plan. I left Thailand
eleven months later to return home penniless, emancipated and full of great
stories, which my friends soon got bored with.
I returned a few
times mainly to Bangkok
and Koh Samui happy to be back in the land of smiles but feeling slightly
disappointed at all the changes. The old story of development being good for
the locals but not good for my sense of adventure. That didn’t deter me from
joining the Imaginative Travellers Wilderness Adventure two years ago.
Arriving in Bangkok
this time was different. I had a hotel booked so no lugging my pack in Bangkok’s suffocating
mixture of exhaust fumes, heat and humidity looking for a clean bed. I had a
group to meet too, this was also good, eating Pad Thai on your own looking for a
fellow traveller to strike a conversation with can be hard work. There were 10
of us, a mix of Poms, Aussies, a Canadian, an American and a South African. We
all met for dinner and shortly after my first Thai beer I knew this would be a
fun trip
Bangkok
to me means food and shopping and the best place to find both is the Chata Chuk
weekend market. I headed there with belly empty and wallet full destined to
reverse the two. The market is huge, really huge, 35 acres of cheap goodies huge
and sells everything from furniture to genuine fake designer clothes. The
street food is fantastic but remember the Thai’s like it hot. I left my
shopping with the hotel to keep safe as I would be returning there once I
finished the trip.
Off to Chiang Mai on the overnight train. I like travelling
like this, sleeping while moving makes sense to me and the train is clean,
functional, safe and fine. I think Chiang Mai is the perfect place to escape hectic
Bangkok. It’s a
peaceful, happy place and that reflects in the locals. Sight seeing will take
you to the Wat Pratat Doi Suthep temple - stunning and golden on a sunny day. The next stage of the trip was trekking in the
surrounding jungle, I decided I needed a massage before we set off.
A trek in the hills of Northern
Thailand is a chance to escape everyday life and clear your head.
The going is not too difficult for someone with fairly good fitness although if
it rains the mud can be tricky. I was enjoying my own head space when we
arrived at the first village of wooden homes, pecking chickens and lots of
smiles, basic but I couldn’t think of anywhere else I would rather have been.
Chan, our guide, was a local from a neighbouring village and before long he had
us divided amongst our village hosts before the sun set and got too difficult
for us city people to do anything without electric light. That night, with the
noise of the surrounding jungle lying on a mattress roll on a bamboo floor, was
maybe the most peaceful night’s sleep I have ever had.
The next day’s trek was shorter and we covered ground
quicker, maybe we were getting used to the trekking but I think it was the
excitement of the elephant ride to come that afternoon. Lunch was delicious but
we were too busy watching the elephants wash in the river to notice. Elephants
are brilliant creatures and being on one journeying deeper into the jungle is a
fantastic experience.
The next morning Chan had us up early helping him and the
village men build our rafts to take us down river to civilization. It is all
part of the experience helping the guys and by helping I mean staying out of
their way while they expertly craft our rafts. A serene float down to the
nearest small town where our bus was waiting to take us to a hot shower and
another massage.
We left Chiang Mai and headed back to Bangkok where we broke the journey up to the
south with an over night stay in the city of angels.
I had heard a few good things about Khoa Sok national park,
not too popular with tourists or backpackers alike due it not having a major
bus stop. To get there you need to stop the bus by the 3rd banyan
tree after 17th stream near the big hill and you will find a bakkie
waiting to take you into the park. I’m glad we had a tour leader. The first
night we slept with the birds in tree houses the second and third we stayed in
raft houses on a man made dam. It is a truly beautiful area and a few of us spent
the days swimming in waterfalls, flooded caves, kayaking and hiking and some of
just sat back and took it all in.
How to finish this Thailand trip? On the beach of
course. The islands around Krabi are what we visualize when we think of a Thai
beach and they do not disappoint. The Thai’s have a word called sabai, loosely
translated it means an inner happiness and contentment. I woke one afternoon
from a napping on the beach and understood exactly what sabai means.
This trip can be found on the Thailand section of Travel Light
http://www.travellight.co.za/south_east_asia_tours/thailand_tours.htm
Spencer Neal has worked in adventure travel since 1997. His
many adventures and passion for travel has led him to part own an online
adventure travel agency Travel Light www.travellight.co.za
specialising in world wide adventures for South Africans. You can contact him
at spencer@travellight.co.za
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