Well, we are back home, and today Fernando and Becky had work and school, respectively. Becky missed a total of 4 days of school (two before the trip, two after), and the last couple of days (the 14th in Thailand and the 15th in the airport in London) she would say, "Ah, my friends are already in class!" with great satisfaction at NOT being among them! But she wasn´t unhappy about going today. Lots to talk about.
Some anecdotes from the trip below. Let´s see how far I get--lots to do today (i.e.--cleaning!)
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Bueno, ya estamos de vuelta, y Fernando y Becky han ido al trabajo y al colegio hoy. Becky perdió 2 días de colegio al principio del viaje, y dos esta semana; los últimos 2 días ha observado con satisfacción "mis compañeros ya están en clase" cuando eran las 8:30 en España! Pero no le importó ir hoy--tiene mucho que contar. ¡Creo que es igual para Fernando!
Unas anécdotas del viaje abajo. Intentaré poner todo lo posible, aunque tengo muchas cosas que hacer hoy (L.I.M.P.I.E.Z.A.) Español en otra entrada.
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-- Our hotel in Bangkok was on a canal (of which there are a lot in Bangkok). Instead of taking the main road back at night, we decided to cross a closer bridge and walk back along on the path that runs along the canal. We found ourselves basically walking through the homes of people who live in basic conditions along the canal. They waved us through, but we didn´t go that way again!
-- In Isaan province, at the Khmer ruins in Phanom Rung our visit coincided with an annual festival. We shared a taxi there with two young Danish women who are spending four months as volunteers in another city in the province. I think almost as many photos were taken OF us as we took. Not many tourists go to that area, especially blonde ones like the Danes! They were used to it...
-- Surreal arrival in Bangkok from Nang Rong (in Isaan province) because the 5-hour bus trip ended at a station we didn´t recognize, in the pooring rain...we followed the crowd along narrow walkways edged with stands and covered with plastic, and wondered if we had really arrived at the station in Bangkok we needed! I asked someone, "Information"? and he didn´t understand. I said, "tickets?" and he pointed us the right way. Fortunately, we got somewhere that we recognized, and yes, we were at the Mo Chit station, where we had an overnight bus south leaving a couple of hours later.
-- Instead of accepting the private transfer offer to our Chieow Lan Lake stay, we decided to save money and take the bus. After our overnight bus from Bangkok to Surat Thani, we waited an hour at the station (from 5 a.m. to 6 something) and got the bus toward Phuket that would let us off. I repeated "Chieow Lan" to the conductor a couple of times, and althoug initially he looked confused he then nodded and charged us 130 baht each. And we rode westward through the misty morning. And rode. And rode. Passed the entry to Khao Sok rainforest (where we would be going a couple of days later. Kept on. I asked the conductor again. He nodded. We finally saw a body of water. Becky said, wow, that doesn't look like a lake, that looks like the sea! And it was. We saw signs for Khao Lak, where we would spend the last 4 days of our vacation...and I searched frantically in the book for the other name of Chieow Lan Lake. Found it, (Rachaprapa), said it to the conductor...and a look of comprehension flooded over his features! Ah! Rachaprapa! Not some town in Phuket! We would have to get off and go back the other way! So, we did. A taxi offered to take us from Khao Lak back to the lake (for the same money that we would have had to spend on the transfer) but we refused. Bad moods all around--we had already been travelling for almost 24 hours.
When we were on a bus going back, I called the tour operator who was waiting for us at the lake. She had been worried. Told me the name of the town where we had to get off, and said we should call her when we got there and she would personally come to pick us up and take us to the pier, where we would be taken to our lake lodging. And so it went. Thanks, Kris! We finally got to the lake about 1:30 p.m. or so, and to our lodgings at about 3, after a cooling longtail boat ride through incredible scenery.
-- First leech! One activity at the lake was a visit to Coral Cave. On the walk up the forest path from the landing, Becky suddenly gave a small scream. There was a leech on her shoe! Fernando tried to get it, but Becky was dancing around; the guide DID get it, and casually threw it into the bushes. He later got one, and was really business-as-usual about it. The cave, by the way, had some beautiful formations and a really cool cave hunter spider.
-- Easiest way to clean yourself at the lake: jump in. Get out. Soap yourself up, shampoo your hair...and jump back in. Seriously.
-- On the wildlife-spotting trips at the lake we saw long-tail macaques, stump-tailed macaques and dusky langurs (from far away.) Heard gibbons (wow) and saw a couple of small hornbills. Becky and Fernando saw a huge snail in the water. Wildlife spotted other times: gorgeous big, hairy spider in the latrines in the morning. We have photos, will post when I figure out how.
--Our first wildlife-spotting trip was shared with an English family, the Limbricks, with whom we got along well, as well as with Jack, a zoologist from London. Always useful to have a zoologist along!
-- Khao Sok National Park. Coool lodgings at Art's Riverview Lodge. Warned at reception upon checkin that when we left the treehouse room we should close the shutters and door and lock them because of the monkeys!
Ran into the Limbricks here again, as they were one day ahead of us. Their trip was incredibly similar to ours, and they also planned to be at Khao Lak around SongKran (the Thai newyear), staying at a place I had initially tried to book!
On the way to the room we saw the monkeys--a troup of long-tailed macaques. Coool. The next morning, Becky and I went to breakfast, where Fernando would join us. He said that when he was still in the bathroom, he heard movement in the room and called out, "Debbie? Becky?" When we didn´t answer he knew: the monkeys had come in! He said that the juveniles fled, but the mature male reatreated very slowly, as Fernando advanced.
-- Last day Khao Sok: we decide to use the morning to make a little trek in the National Park itself, and see something of the rainforest! It had rained the night before, and it was a pretty stiffling morning, but Becky and I put on long pants, we all wore shoes and socks, and I lent Becky my "super shirt"--a longsleeved, nylon shirt with mosquito repellent and mesh segments built in, designed for jungle trekking. I wore a longsleeved cotton shirt over my bikini top. And off we went, Becky trembling at potential leech encounters, poor thing.
We chose a trail off the main entrance, that indicated a waterfall 4 km away. Up we walked. I went first, and about 20-30 minutes along the way, Becky gasped, and said she had seen a leech rise up, seeking me as I went by. Fernando told her she should realize that since she was so scared of finding them she might well have imagined it. But it turned out she was right: it was incredible! If you stopped anywhere along the path except on the concrete stairs or platforms, leeches would begin to crawl towards you. You could see them rise up, sway (sensing your heat or CO2, I don´t know which) and they´d beginn to crawl toward you, like an inchworm. I´ve put a photo on this post that isn´t ours.
Poor Becky was really, really upset, and there we were, under siege! We stopped to make a leech check (one was trying to get into Fernando´s shoe; it actually was halfway in through one of the shoelace holes!) and continued. The trail was really great, you really felt you were in the jungle (maybe because we WERE!) At a point we came to a clearing, where a visitor's center was indicated. We were surprised that there would be another visitor´s center, but Becky was really pleased to think that there might be a safe haven, and a road out! And...it turned out to be the main visitor´s center; we had somehow gone in a circle, and never seen any indication of a waterfall! Better for Beck that we were out...
-- Khao Lak. No leeches! Mosquitos, but no leeches. Our repellent worked, but they got us when we were unprepared. We went to the beach the evening we arrived (after it stopped thunderstorming; early rains this year) and had a little walk. Beautiful. Surprising to see so many tourists; mainly German and Scandinavian here.
Daytrip snorkelling to the Similan Islands the next day, and we discovered that we are really very spoiled by our previous snorkelling on Hawaii! But this was very pretty, if a little less colorful. Lots of fish, lots of soft corals (leather coral, fan coral...). Met friendly people on the boat, including some of the Thai guides, a German couple, and a couple of French women who are living and working in Singapore for a couple of years, and taking advantage of the opportunity to see the region. They were there for the weekend...sigh.
The next day I called the hotel where the Limbricks were staying and left a message that we would be in a certain restaurant at 7 p.m. if they wanted to join us. However, the receptionist said they were checking out that day. Then we went to the beach. Beautiful, sunny day (I stayed in the shade a lot), warm water...and suddenly, while we were on our towel, who should appear just a few meters away? The Limbricks! On the same spot of beach, at the same time. Turned out they had come to Khao Lak earlier than planned, and had decided to change hotels because theirs was too far out of town (about 4 miles south). We hung out and later had dinner together (they had gotten the message, and had planned to try to see us.)
The next day was SongKran, the Thai new year, which is actually more than one day but is celebrated on the 13th, basically, in the South. Great fun: at different points along the roads families or businesses stand out by the road with big plastic garbage cans full of water (often ice water!) and drench anyone coming/going by! We were armed with a small water pistol and waterbottles that Fernando made holes in the tops of, and the people where we were staying had a big, well-prepared setup, so we were drenched within 5 minutes of leaving our room! Met the Limbricks and walked up and down the main drag. Lots of families ride up and down the main street in pickup trucks, also with big buckets of water, and the whole town looks like a bit water fight! People also come up to you and smear your cheeks white, either with talc and water or with some kind of cream (shaving cream? Noxema?). Sometimes the water has dye in it, but we found that it washed out.
When we had walked down to the south end of the action, we walked back up towards our hotel, and the owners invited us into the restaurant (open air) to have some noodles. I guess this is a tradition, and they included us as we were guests. Delicious lunch on the house, therefore, for the New Year. Khao Lak Seafood Restaurant--good show. We all went back to our rooms afterwards, and had a rest. Later Fernando, Becky and I walked down towards the Limbricks' lodgings and got drenched again; had a long walk along the beach, and by the time we went back up (around 6) everything had quieted down and some shops had opened. Dinner with our British friends and "home" for one more night.
Last morning: a walk on the beach (with me paranoid about getting any more sun!), then breakfast in a German café, souvenir buying, and a taxi to the airport at 12:45.
A great trip.
