Monday, 28.02.2011




A songthaew brought us to the pier and after saying goodbye to Pramot we boarded the ferry to Phuket. When we arrived the taxi driver already waited for us. On the way to the bus stop at the heroine monument we stopped at a cash machine and since we had not heard anything from Pramot until today we assume that he got his money in the end.


At the bus stop you can buy tickets to a lot of destinations all over Thailand. The lady at the counter always knows which bus is next and calls passengers to get ready. Soon we sat in the bus to Surat Thani which stops at Khao Sok National Park.



Map created with: http://www.stepmap.de/


The bus stopped for a short break at a market hall and we bought some chicken satay with peanut sauce and sticky rice with mango.


bananas aplenty
sticky rice - yummie!!


After a pleasant drive (we were very happy that the air con was not too chilly) we arrived at Khao Sok NP at noon. Some songthaews were waiting for customers already and one of them brought us to Our Jungle House.

Our Jungle House is the last resort at the end of the street, on the edge of the jungle. The bungalows and tree houses are scattered over the area and you can hear the sounds of the jungle all the time. Especially the cicadas' "singing" can reach an ear-piercing level but also monkey cries and - in the night - geckos can be heard.

Our tree house was located not far from the river that flows through the village (which is actually an accumulation of small resorts).


Welcome to the jungle!!
the backside with balcony

Dagmar at the balcony



inside the tree house


After settling in we started to explore the area and to get some food in the village. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get to the center with some small shops. There is a restaurant at almost every resort and the paths are bordered by nice flowers and banana trees.

We enjoyed some fruit shakes and then walked to the visitors' center of the park for some information. There are different hiking tracks leading to a number of small waterfalls in the jungle which can be explored on your own or with a guide. One main attraction of the park is the Rafflesia, the largest flower of the world. A dam and reservoir some 60 km away is also part of the national park area.

On our way back we made a detour to the monkey swimming hole at the river, but no monkeys were there at the moment. However, other guests later told us that they come everyday in the afternoon.


Dagmar with heliconias

In the evening we went for dinner to the village again, and the way back through the jungle in the pitch-black darkness was kind of creepy - armed with only one headlamp and knowing that there are king cobras and other beasts around...

In the afternoon we had already booked a trip to the lake for the next day. =>


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