Jungle Journeys

Karen Village Trek

We escaped the city for a few days of jungle trekking. We stayed in the villages of the Karen people. These aren’t American Karens. They’re much tougher as shown by them all walking around in flip flops. Up and down steep hills between the houses. Across rice terraces and along jungle tracks. I would recommend some Sport Mode Crocs if they all weren't so nonchalant about it. I'm just glad no managers were called during our adventures.

The villages ranged from 60 to 120 families and were over 100 years old. Each house creaking on stilts to keep them dry during the rainy season. The miles of rice terraces muddy and brown due to the recent harvest and crop burns. Chickens roamed amidst the homes and roosters shrieked every few minutes. Children ran about as they enjoyed the last days before school started again. The serenity masking the daily toil of rural subsistence farming.

We enjoyed some local dishes with our hosts the first night. I was halfway through my first mouthful when our guide informed me that I was eating squirrel. A little too boney for my Westernized tastes. I washed out that memory with some of their rice moonshine. I wish the liquor had blinded me because later that night I discovered a giant spider on my way back from a midnight bathroom break. Easily 9 inches across and hanging out on our door frame. I didn't sleep super well after that.

The trekking was a good change of pace from our hot days in the cities. To be clear, it was still hotter than hell and we stank like water buffalos by the end. But, the trek felt like an adventure rather than simple sightseeing. I asked our guide if he liked to trek for fun. He laughed at my naïveté and told me Thai people don't like to walk anywhere.

On our final morning, we met the local elephant and fed it some bananas. The elephant snatched them from our hands almost as soon as we offered. Each elephant needs to eat at least 200kg (440lbs) of food per day. They spend 18 hours a day chomping down on bananas, bamboo and tree bark. What a life. With Molly grinning from ear to ear, we boarded a bamboo raft and floated back to civilization.

Khao Sok National Park

I should probably start Googling places before going there. Molly grows more agitated each time I show up to each destination with no idea what’s going on or why we’re there. I apologize for trusting the good people at Monarch & Swift to curate a perfect experience. That’s all to say I was NOT PREPARED for the beauty of Khao Sok National Park.

Our longtail boat hummed across the cerulean waters into the heart of Cheow Larn Lake. We passed through giant limestone mountains covered in forest. The sheer cliffs dropped straight into the pristine waters of the lake. Small islands with idyllic sandy beaches dotted the landscape. I half expected John Williams and the Vienna Philharmonic, blasting the Jurassic Park theme song, to zip past on another boat.

We spent the next three days searching for wildlife, trails and sunsets. We spotted monkeys swinging in the trees. Hornbills and eagles soaring in the sky. Several bison emerged from the jungle for a late afternoon drink from the lake. We learned that there are bison in Thailand. They are not the same as water buffalo. Jungle Bison. Mhmmm. Sure. Ok. Go off Nature.

It wasn't all idealized adventure. Our bamboo hut, while beautiful, was incredibly hot and shared with many lizards. The “bed” consisted of a calcified mattress and some sheet rock for a pillow. We didn't "sleep" but rather tried out some intermittent dosing. At least we weren't in one of the hostel group tours. One American demanded to see their guide's drivers license because he didn't believe the guide's name was actually Pad Thai.

Khao Sok was my first safari experience. Turns out, ***shockingly***, it’s not Animal Planet style instant gratification. It’s mainly sitting in silence and searching dense jungle for a twitch of movement. Sometimes, you hear the animal rummaging around just out of sight. I’m grateful for this experience before our African safari. I’m more mentally prepared for the waiting. Especially because the wait was worth it. Two minutes into our boat ride back to the dock, our guide shrieked and veered left. The elephant we’d been stalking for two days had finally come down to the water to drink and reapply its mud coat. Praise Be!!