A week in Southern Thailand

After 3 flights (and a minivan ride with a Chinese businessman rapping to Eminem's Without Me), 24 hours of travelling, and only 2.5 hours of sleep, we finally landed in Phuket, Thailand. In hindsight, the cheapest flights can be rather torturous. 

In Phuket, we stayed in a small guesthouse in Patong Beach. Once we had partially recovered from our travels, we went for a wander through the mayhem of the tourist-infested town, bought some tropical fruit at the market, and then had a look at a Thai supermarket (the meat section was not for the faint hearted). The day was finished off with a well-deserved beer at a Bob Marley-themed bar. 

Dennis on our way home from the Bob Marley Bar.

Our highlight of Patong Beach was the beach itself. During the day, we walked to one end of the beach, had a swim, and saw some tropical fish. At night, we returned for a beer and noodles to watch the sun set. We were treated to the spectacle of tourists being strapped into a parasail harness and sent flying across the sea, while a Thai man would hang from the sail wires and fly with them. 

Patong Beach at sunset.

Patong Beach was loaded with tourists, or people trying to sell things to tourists. Although this part of Thailand may not be traditional Thai culture, it certainly has a culture of its own! We observed drunk Russians frolicking along the beach, Australians migrating to the Aussie-themed bars, and countless people offering tickets to ping pong shows.

Although the touristy madness and beautiful beaches of Phuket are a "must see", we were ready for a different kind of adventure. At 7:30 am the next morning, we were picked up in a minibus and taken to a bus station, where we were driven to Khao Sok, a small town just outside of the Khao Sok National Park. 

Just arrived at Khao Sok!

Khao Sok National Park is located in the Surat Thani province of Southern Thailand and covers 739 square kilometres. The rainforest that decorates the Karst mountains in this park is one of the oldest in the world. In the middle of the park, there is a lake called Cheow Lan Lake (also known as Ratchaprapha Lake). This was the Thailand that we had been eager to experience!

This young gentleman joined us for Lunch.

We stayed at the Morning Mist Resort, where we enjoyed swimming in the pool, and some delicious food (the best Tom Yum that we have ever had). We also decided to book a two-day tour of the Khao Sok National Park for the following two days. The evening was finished off with a few cocktails while we observed the local wildlife.

Our private bungalow at The Morning Mist Resort.

The following day, we were picked up from our accommodation and taken to the edge of the Cheow Lan Lake. We were then put on a longboat and driven across the lake to our accommodation (Khao Sok Smiley Lakehouse), where the rooms were private floating bungalows. We were able to swim in the pristine green lake right outside our bedroom door. 

Our longboat ride over to the lakehouse.

The view from the deck of our floating bungalow.

After a delicious Thai lunch, we were taken across the lake to Nam Talu Cave. A half hour walk through the jungle and through some small rivers brought us to the entrance of the cave. Although the cave entrance was small, especially with the river flowing out, it opened up once we were inside. We were to walk, climb, and swim through the cave and then trek back to the longboats once we reached the other side. Within the cave, we saw interesting rock formations, bats, frogs, toads, cave crickets and spiders. Dennis held a creepy looking cave spider that was apparently very "friendly"...

A friendly cave spider with alien-like front legs.

Sunset on the way home from Nam Talu Cave.

During the two-day tour, we were taken on two longboat safaris; one after sunset to experience the rainforest at night, and the other at dawn. In the evening, we saw a monkey and an owl, while in the morning, we saw more monkeys and various bird species. However, the beautiful sunrise and the mist that settled across the lake and karst mountains was the most breathtaking part of these longboat safaris.

Longboat tied up at the lakehouse.

Early morning on Cheow Lan Lake.

After our tour of Khao Sok National Park, we returned to the Morning Mist Resort for a night to rest our weary bodies. It had been a busy and exciting few days in the National Park. Although we didn't island hop in Southern Thailand, this is what we really wanted to experience. We would highly recommend Khao Sok National Park!

Cheow Lan Lake in the Khao Sok National Park.