Today was a rather exciting day. Feeling we might need proper guidance to enjoy the jungle, we booked a full-day trip through the park. Our guesthouse seemed pretty reliable and very friendly, so we went with them. $35 for the day, which in Thailand, is a sizable sum of money. For that amount, we thought we'd get a pretty good tour.
However, when our transport arrived, it was quite evident this would be a "bare bones" operation. It was a regular size pickup, with 5 adults piled in back like schoolkids. None looked too happy and all secretly worried just how long this trip would be. Luckily, the cab of the truck was left empty for Terri and I, and we quickly hopped in.
Our guide Bow drove wildly for over an hour to Chan Liaw Lake, a massive man-made lake created by a dam built 20 years ago. It's undeniably the highlight of Kao Sok Park, with limestone cliffs/islands rising out of the water--some over 3000 feet tall. After meeting our disturbed fellow travellers in the back (from Ohio and Germany), we hopped onto a longtail boat and viewed the morning mist over the lake for another hour ride. Stopping for looks at lizards, monkeys, and plenty of birds, we finally arrived at camp (bamboo huts built onto the water). We were told to swim (ummm, no thanks, are there leeches?), and were served a really tasty lunch.
Embarking on the focal point of the journey, we took another longtail boat for 15 minutes into truly the middle of nowhere. After hiking for another hour through some pretty cool jungle, we arrived at the mouth of a cave. This is where the real fun began. We had a total of 2 flashlights for 7 people, and it was VERY dark. A river actually flows through the cave, and at first, water was only ankle deep here and there. Going against the river, we saw thousands of bats (sometimes arm's reach overhead), crabs, HUGE catfish swimming by your legs, tropical frogs, spiders as big as your face, and plenty of other critters I hope I don't see again. The further we went in, the narrower the cave walls became and the deeper the river got. There were also plenty of internal waterfalls in the cave and at times the water's sound was deafening.
Finally, we got to the point where water was 10-15 feet deep and we had to swim (pulling on a rope) through a subterranean gorge. Ummm, did I sign up for this? It was insane. Later, our guide said a few people have actually died doing this trip. Lovely. Despite the high fear-factor, the cave was really gorgeous. Stalactites and stalagmites, quartz deposits, and very cool rock formations when we could see them. Right along with the constant smell of bat dung and sound of rushing water and critter sounds.... We actually really enjoyed this portion, as again, NOWHERE in the USA would any lawyer tolerate an operation like this.
After finally surviving the cave, it was another hour trek back to the boat, 15 minute ride to the hut for fruit, then another hour longtail boat back to the car. Apparently signing up for the "true" rainforest/jungle experience, it started POURING rain on the one hour boatride back. Being a true Seattlite, I was the only one with my raincoat. It barely mattered though, after swimming in caves for an hour...
Now the real fun portion of the trip. Feeling lucky to get the cab of the truck for the way in, AND wearing a raincoat, I felt obligated to get into the back of our 1st class transport truck back. All the while, looking at the other tourists crawling into their covered pickup trucks seen so commonly throughout Thailand. Terri crawled into the front, and it was a bumpy hour of hell for me. Full-on rain in the back of a crappy pickup with a couple of Germans, going 60 mph on a less than adequate highway. Ready to come to Thailand?
Now's a good time to tell you about the driving here. The driver sits on the right, and you drive on the left side of the road. Fine, I can deal with that. However, all traffic laws and painted lines on the road are PURELY "suggestion only." If there's any rule I can find to traffic, it's that motorcycles and mopeds yield for everyone. And they seem to be littered all over the roads like mosquitoes. The middle of the road (right over the line) is open to anyone who wants it. Blind curves? No matter. Giant Coconut truck coming straight at you? No matter, just keep going down the middle of the road. Pedestrian crossing the street? They better move or it's all over for them... The hour drive in the rain, then dark, was much more terrifying than the jungle or cave. Anyway, a local system of flashes and beeps of the horn tells potential head-on collisions where you're going, and luckily, I'm still in one piece.
Again, being the only people staying at Pantaroot Lodge, we were cooked a wonderful green curry dinner and desperately drank our rice whiskey with Toy, the lodge owner. Nice guy with interesting stories of the jungle...
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