Khao Sok, a well preserved jungle in Southern Thailand has incredible views, infinite curries, scooters on the brink of combustion and all the indigenous creepy crawlers you’d expect to find in a tropical jungle. And, after weeks of Justin eating different combinations of granulated sugar, powdered sugar and condensed milk, you’d bet said creepy crawlers formed sophisticated migration routes leading to the mecca that are Justin’s belongings. We Googled it, this is indeed the first case of human secretion having high enough sugar content to attract this many ant species.
We stayed at Khao Sok Cabana Resort, in one of what was a string of jungle bungalows sitting directly beneath limestone karsts and about 500 meters from one of the two entrances to the National Park. Oh yeah- it has taken months but I’m now quite well versed in the metric system. Our bungalow was crafted from bamboo, had a private open air bathroom and a giant bed created by pushing two full sized beds together. This would end up being perfect for not only sleeping but also for quarantining Justin who fell victim to whatever virus I just survived.
Our bungalow also had a beautiful porch, ideal for sipping Chang during the evening monsoons. There were several monkeys living on the property and while it was cute to see the monkeys swinging from branches with their young holding on for dear life, they also saw every open window and door as an invitation into our room and whatever cough drops Justin had stashed away. And while there were attempts, no monkey successfully made it into our bungalow thanks to Justin’s extensive Muay Thai impressions.
Fueled by coconut (milk)shakes, Justin and I spent one day hiking around the “land” portion of the park. Unfortunately, most of the hikes in the park required a guide so Justin and I stuck to the canopy walkways, waterfall swimming holes and nature trails.
The “lake” portion of the park is easily one of the most picturesque sights we’ve seen in southern Thailand and as such, the people here are slinging tours to Cheow Lan left and right. Wanting a bit more independence, Justin and I rented a scooter (and very questionable helmets) and did some Googling to find out that there may be one gas station along the way. We got to the lake and hired a private long tailed boat to take us on a two hour ride weaving through limestone karsts. It was one of those rides that continuously got more and more beautiful, every second, for the next two hours.
On our way home, we went through the typical motorbike thought cycle:
1) “This is easily the most beautiful way to see a place. Maybe we should buy one of these babies and ride it from the top to the bottom of Vietnam”
2) “My butt really hurts”
3) “What do you think is leaking from the motorbike?”
Luckily our motorbike made it right to the towns entrance where we were able to walk it back to the guy we rented it from- who by the way, showed no element of surprise that the bike had broken down. Ah, the adventure of the motorbike.
Note: At the time this post was written, Justin has admitted he has a problem with sugar and is currently in step two of his sugar addiction recovery (putting a reminder in his phone that he can resume eating ice cream again in one week).
KHAO SOK > BANGKOK