With the opportunity of joining a Khao Sok Lake Group Tour Experience last week, we got the chance to visit the fascinating Nam Taloo Cave and stay at TonToey Raft House, one of the oldest raft houses on the lake!

The first day we started with a visit to the Nam Talu Cave, which we heard is over 500 meters long and in total darkness. First we had to make it there. During the hike we crossed a small river several times which was a welcome cooling for the feet. Those who were skillful enough could try to swing on a Liana vine over the river and keep their feet dry!

But we knew our feet would get wet anyway,  since the Nam Talu cave was formed by the river itself and had a river running through it. Another interesting fact about the cave is that it was used as a hideout for a group of student activists between 1975 – 1982. These communist insurgents, in disagreement with the Thai government, were able to hold off the army for seven years. They also prevented loggers, miners and hunters from exploiting the area and therefore contributed to the preservation of the beautiful National Park we still find today. On the hike to the cave we passed some shelters, holes in the ground covered with bamboo roofs, which served as stash for the communists.

 

Before we entered the cave, our guide advised us to go to the “Pi Pi Island” around the corner, in order to keep the water level low 😉 Anyway, in the cave we were walking one after the other through narrow passages and water ponds amazed by the beauty of the stalagmites and stalactites. Everyone was so busy looking around and admiring the sparkling cave wall and the swarm of bats sleeping at the ceiling, that it was hard to watch your step. It was nice to see everyone taking care of one another since the ground was hard to see when we were walking in the water. We always got advices from the guide or persons walking in front: “watch out there is a big stone! Or “take care, it’s getting deep here”.  Some of the water ponds were even so deep that we had to swim through.

When we came out of the cave again, the weather had changed completely from a bright sunny sky to pouring rain. Controversy to what most of us western people might think, that rain is a negative thing, it appeared to be a really nice experience.

The impression of the jungle is totally different. The dropping rain coming down the leaves, the grayish light in which the jungle looks even more mysterious and the soothing noise of the rain were sensational. The rain in the jungle also elicits different kind of animals such as leeches which some of us found on their legs. Luckily they don’t do any harm and can easily be removed when you grab them with some tobacco to get hold of them. The tobacco can also be used to put in the top of your socks as a leech deterrent.

Back at Ton Toey raft house, we really couldn’t complain about the food provided. The table was fully served with delicious Thai food including Green Curry, Massaman Curry, stir fried vegetables and fresh fish. And after having eaten we could already chose our breakfast ranging from Congee (rice porridge), fried eggs to pineapple pancakes. Ton Toey Raft House is one of the oldest raft houses at the lake and was a former ranger station. Its’ location is a perfect spot for kayaking because there are many inlets which are  nice to paddle around and the chances to see some Macaque monkeys on your own by kayak are fairly high.

The next morning we started with a Morning Mist Safari where we got incredibly close to some Long-tailed Maquac monkeys. They were having breakfast in a tree which branches were hanging down into the water. I was quite surprised how little they were afraid of falling into the water and our guide told us that they are very well able to swim and even dive for up to 5 minutes.

They like to sleep in trees close to the water and stay in groups together. Macaques also have cheek pouches in which they can store food and transport it away to still enjoy it to a later time.

Furthermore we saw some Lar Gibbons (White Handed Gibbons), they were hiding in the tree and with a closer look one could even spot a Lar Gobbon family. In the morning hours Gibbons can be heard singing in the trees. It sounds like they are responding each other from one tree to another and our guide even joined in doing Gibbon calls.

While quietly waiting in the boat for some animals to appear in the trees, we heard a whooping sound coming closer and when we looked up the sky, we saw some hornbills passing by. One might think that it is a weird sound for a bird, but what actually causes this noise are their wings.

Hornbills owe their name to their physical appearance. The bill is way bigger than the rest of the head and roundly shaped like a horn in yellowish color.

“ The way is the goal” this was the motto of the following hike to the viewpoint. The jungle and its’ variety of plants were wonderful to see. What especially amazed me were the huge buttressed roots of the so called Ban Yen trees. If you would look at the bottom profile of the trees trunk, it looks rather stellar than round and if you knock against it, it sounds almost like a drum.

There are several theories why the roots of the tree are formed like this. One of them is that due to intense winds and tropical storms they built up strong roots which don’t go deep into the ground because the water is near the surface. Instead the root systems of large trees are often partially exposed, spreading wide and shallow and keeping the tree upright. Another or further explanation of this feature is that flared roots greatly expand the surface area of the bark at the base of the tree. Nutrients are important to supply the massive foliage in the canopy.

Those Ban Yen trees can measure a size of 65m above the ground and generally get between 150 – 300 years old. The one on the picture for example is estimated to be 120+ years old.

Summarizing, we had a great tour experienced and would have loved to stay even longer. It was incredibly relaxing to be out at the lake and at the same time exciting to see the wildlife and astonishing natural environment.

 

Here at Khao Sok Lake, we put aside 20% of all profit for reinvestment in the community and in our team.  We have contributed to scholarships for local children, conducted environmental education days for village schools, helped fund community cultural centers, and most recently provided advanced Wilderness First Aid Training for our guides.  This training was kindly hosted by Our Jungle House.

Injuries to our guests are very rare.  However, ensuring that our guides are up to date and equipped with the best knowledge and training is incredibly important.  Guides receive CPR training as a part of getting their license, but this training does not involve first aid specifically for remote areas like those found in Khao Sok.  We refreshed guides on old knowledge and built from that with this training.

This most recent training was taught by Daisuke Kondo, a certified SOLO First Aid trainer.  The Wilderness First Aid course provided guides with new, in-depth techniques for rescue breathing, palpating different wound types, splinting, and monitoring patients.

Wilderness first aid gives guides a systematic framework for assessing patients, properly prioritizing multiple injuries and documenting information for receiving medical staff at local hospitals.  Accidents in the park are rare, but this gives guides the confidence to act in a situation where a medical emergency occurs.

In addition, the course materials have been translated into Thai.  This will ensure that our guides will be able to access this information via mobile phone at any time for reference.

“Getting regular training like this helps remind us what we’ve learned already while learning new techniques,” said Rung “Gai” Saelin, one of the veteran local guides who attended the training.  It also gives guests the peace of mind that they have an experienced guide and staff on their trip.  “This way we can all enjoy the jungle without worry.”

We were invited to follow along on a scientific research trip to the farthest reaches of Khao Sok lake… and beyond!  The goal: collect 61 camera traps, visit 12 islands, and hike six animal trails along remote ridgetops and valleys in 8 days, covering nearly 100 km by foot through rough terrain in the rainy season.  Here’s what I found joining for 4 days searching for wildlife in Thailand:

Day 1: We all meet up, board a week’s worth of supplies on the boat, and begin our day’s work. For me, it’s also a chance to spend time with an old friend, Pi Road, who is the boat driver for this expedition, known for his wealth of knowledge of the lake and wildlife in Thailand.

 

For today, we’re splitting into two groups: one going over a ridge along the Saeng River ending at the rafthouse where we’ll be staying tonight; the other collecting camera traps from several different islands. I stayed in the boat with Road and Jasdev, a field researcher currently working in Malaysia, to go by boat. The rain made the collecting slow-going, even for the short trips to collect traps from the islands.

We make it back as the light is fading so that Road can set up our makeshift kitchen for the next few days. As the night falls, the other group of Luke, Alex (a grad student at Mahidol University in Bangkok) and Grom (a long-time ranger who regularly walks these deep jungle trails) still hasn’t returned. Road indicates where they’ll be coming out and asks us to watch for their return. Just as I tell Jasdev I’m beginning to worry, we notice the beam of a headlight emerging from the opposite bank.

Covered in rain and mud, they explain the state of the trail held them back and caused them to miss the last camera trap. Their combination of exhaustion and frustration is pretty easy to see, but it to eases away after a shower and a hot meal together. We cover interesting topics, such as proper form for sitting in a hammock, who would try eating a leech for the least amount of money, and everyone’s scariest wildlife encounters. My dream of meeting elephants in the wild slowly becomes a phobia.

Day 2: We pile on to the boat the next morning to start our trip to the mouth of Klong Saeng, at the farthest edge of the lake. At full speed from several meters away, Road somehow spots a pregnant fish whose eggs have caused her to float upside down.  Then, he has the skills to stop the boat right alongside the fish and catch it with his bare hands.  The man is a wizard!

Once we’re on the trail, we’re greeted with a parade of downpours throughout our hike.  The one positive: Dr. Gibson has no trouble finding plenty of new specimens for his research collection of leeches.  I won the leech collecting contest, with nearly 50 bites all over my body.  The days of itching in all kinds of strange and exotic places was quite the souvenir.

Even though the weather wasn’t ideal for wildlife spotting, we still had a bit of good luck.  Aside from the armies of leeches trying to bite us, we saw several birds and snakes throughout the day, including a brief glimpse of the world’s largest pheasant, the Great Argus.  Toward the end of our hike, we ran into an Asian Brown Tortoise.

Day 3: We woke up the next morning to one of the most amazing mist displays I’ve ever seen.  The lake is known for its beautiful, misty mornings, but this was… well, see for yourself. To top this all off, we got word from one of the rangers that there was an elephant out getting some water along the neighboring banks.  Even I was able to spot this one from far away, and luckily, we were able to watch it from the boat at a safe distance. Today, we had the benefit of good weather throughout most of the day.  We spent the morning collecting from another valley near the edge of Klong Saeng and spent the afternoon picking up the traps we missed from the first day.  We even ran into a family of wild pigs, which quickly dispersed upon smelling us. Klong Saeng is unique from the other areas of the lake because of its transition from disturbed flooded forest back to undisturbed riverine forest.  It is easy to see why this place is a sanctuary for wildlife in Thailand: Khao Sok lake has undisturbed habitat, like buffalo grass, that is rarely seen nowadays.  Most of it was flooded by the creation of the dam inside the park and converted for agriculture outside of the park.  Back here, the forest, and the wildlife, are both alive and well. When we got to the last trap of the day, we had a nice surprise waiting for us.  Scorpions.  Cute, cuddly, baby scorpions. The day ended with a heavy storm, which we watched pass from a floating supply shop tucked away in it’s own small bay.  We were ready for a beer and a nap.  Some of us more than others. Day 4: The group was slowly dissolving: Last night, Grom had leave to for Khao Yai National Park for a conservation management meeting among national park officials and Alex also had to make his way back up to school in Bangkok.  For Luke, Road and Jasdev, nature called.  For me, the working world called.  Emails, emails, and of course, cooking up an excuse to get out into the jungle again.  While Luke and Jasdev went off to do more hiking and camping, I went off to do some inbox management, and of course look at all the cool photos I had the chance to take while out on the lake.

Hiking

• The half-day hike is an intermediate three hour hike that begins in a lime orchard and proceeds up a hill with a stop at a small cave and a viewpoint over the river, a lovely spot to stop and picnic.  Be advised that though this trail is generally easy, but there are a few places where you’ll need to use the wooden railings provided to ensure your safety

• The full-day hike visits a bat cave, some very large trees, a 51-meter vertical cave, and several viewpoints depending on the duration of the hike, which can last between 5 to 7 hours.  Full-day trips include a coffee/lunch break underneath a natural rock overhang.  Be aware that the trail here has not yet been fully cleared, and there are several narrow parts, some of which are thorny and several of which are slippery and muddy when wet.  This trail is quite adventurous and requires good physical fitness.  Long pants are recommended as well to protect from thorns and mosquitoes.

Fruit Orchards 

What to Bring:

 

We have written this blog to inform travelers on the burning question: has the military coup  affected tourism in Thailand?

In order to understand the current measures taken by the Thai Military and the resulting consequences we have to let’s look at some of the key recent events:

• • The year 2006 the Thai military ousted Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup. A former Thai business tycoon, he held the office of Prime Minister from 2001 till 2006. He won this office largely by promising billions of baht in subsidies to Thailand’s poor Northeastern rice and rubber farmers. This caused huge problems with Thailand’s economy and he was eventually tried and convicted by Thailands Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for abusing his political powers and embezzling billions. He has lived in exile since then.In the years from 2007-2011 Thailand found itself in a political turmoil. Governments were elected then accused of election manipulation and withdrawn from their administrative positions by the Military or due to the power of political protesters.

 

• • On the 3th of July 2011,Yingluck Shinawatra, without being previously involved into politics,  became the first female prime minister of Thailand. Her political party slogan was “Thaksin thinks, Thai people act”. She was not only the first female minister but also the youngest sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. She was reviled by the public and thought of as a political puppet and somewhat of a joke by Thailand’s elite.

 

• • On 7 May 2014, the Constitutional Court ruled that Yingluck would have to step down as the Prime Minister as she was deemed to have abused her power by appointing a family member to a high- level government office without the support of her constituents. (Hodal, Kate. “Thai court orders Yingluck Shinawatra to step down as PM”. theguardian.com. Retrieved 7 May 2014.)This move followed six months of political deadlock as protesters rallied against Ms Yingluck’s government.

So with no Government in place and a lot of failure and corruption in the background ,Thailand’s army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha took over public safety on May 22th,announcing martial law in order to stabilize the current situation after the political unrests. The global reaction followed on pace, more than 40 countries have issued travel alerts, including the U.S. and Hong Kong, which have advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Thailand.This made some of the travelers coming to Thailand quite happy because this lack of demand decreases the overall prices and tourists the value of foreign currency increased. A lot of tourists prove this statement posting pictures from crystal clear waters and empty beaches, What Coup? Thailand’s way forward is not an easy one. The democratic election has yet to beannounced, and the different political parties must be brought together regainthe overall social stability. Thailand has had a lot of political problems in the past and most citizens believe this “coup” will be instrumental in returning the country to legitimate democracy. In terms of tourism, the Thai population is not nearly as bad as the foreign press releases make it sound. It’s citizens are well accustomed to political unrests and crises and well aware of how to cope with them (it is the 12^th military coup since 1932). Thailand’s citizens know better than to threaten or interfere with visitors as more than 16.7% of National income is driven by tourism. In more rural areas, the coup has not been felt by residents at all. The worst thing that happened in Ta Khun was that the 7/11 closed down at 10 p.m.! Taxis, Busses, Trains, and tour companies continue to run with reasonable punctuality (considering it’s Thailand!) and there seems to be a general feeling of hope as most of the locals seem to be feeling positive about changes in their government.All of this said, there have been surprisingly few consequences to traveling foreigners:

• • Political gatherings of more than five people banned, with penalties of up to a one-year jail term, 10,000 baht ($307) fine, or both. (Unless you are a political activist, this will have no affect on your vacation)

• • Curfew hours are 12 a.m till 5 a.m. This is only enforced in the densely populated areas such as Phuket or Bangkok, and even then as long as you carry your passport and the address of your hotel, you should be fine.

• • Mandatory check points at the entrance to all major towns , and provincial borders (although I have yet to hear of them stopping a bus or a train)

• • Overnight Buses / Planes are operating normally (no one will arrest you for being at a train or bus station between the hours of 12:00 and 5:00)

• • The social media site Facebook was not blocked (feel free to post, tweet, and chat to your hearts content!)

• • The national television was providing information on the first day of the coup has since returned to normal broadcasts. (Should you want to watch television in your hotel room, you may do so uninterrupted)

A recent political cartoon says it better than we could: