Khao Sok

The Bus

Umm Also the Bus

My Treehouse

Resident Guesthouse Frog

Well, here I am in khao sok, but getting here is an interesting story.  I said goodbye to Thaya and Ah at 10:15.  (See picture.) Thaya asked why I was leaving so soon when the bus wasn't coming until 11:00.  I was a bit concerned because I hadn't been able to find the bus stop and thought I would have time to get some money.  So, I walked up the road and, because it was Sunday, the money exchange opened at eleven.  Oh well, I'll find the bus stop, I thought.  Two guys asked if I wanted a taxi and I said no, but where is the bus stop?  "Where to?", they asked.  "Surat Thani", I replied.  They pointed, I looked and the bus was loading luggage.  IT WAS 10:30!  One more minute and I would have missed it and the next, and only other, one was at 2:00 or 1:30 or 2:30.  Sometimes luck is on your side.  . . And sometimes it isn't.  Please note in the pictures of the bus the Buddhist monks, the king, lots of animal statues, a New York Yankees hat, flowers, offerings, etc. all while Death Race was playing on a TV and people were being blown to bits.  Even more interesting is that the man at the place I'm staying (for $11/night) was waiting for me at the bus stop with my name on a sign!  How did he know?  Anyway, I love it here.  The area is beautiful and my treehouse is cozy and you can hear monkeys and strange sounding birds and insects.  Tomorrow I booked a trip go the Kheuan Chiaw Lan, a man-made lake with karsts.  We will also hike to a cave with bats and the next day I'm hiking in search of the rafflesia, a giant flower found only in this area and can get as big as 33 inches across.
So, regarding the lake, it was as beautiful as I imagined.  The hike was a pretty strenuous hike through jungle with hills and at least six river crossings.  I did not go into the cave however because the water was neck deep, there were no bats, but there were leeches and water snakes.  I admit it - I was creeped out.  I enjoyed the day and loved the lake and the hike, but the guide was noisy and the group chattered constantly which made for a lesser experience in my opinion.  I believe the reason the guide made such noise is because he SAID his father and uncle had both been eaten by tigers.  True?  Who knows?  Today's experience was the opposite.  It was me and one young man and we walked through some family's farm of rubber, palm oil and bananas.  They gave us a lift on the way back where I met Kai's family.  We hiked way up a mountain but alas, no flowers were in bloom.  We saw blossoms the size of a soccer ball and flowers past their prime but it was a good hike and a beautiful place with lots of listening to the sounds of the jungle.  By the way, every time we stopped to catch our breath, Kai would roll and smoke a cigarette that smelled like cloves.  How did he go up those hills so quickly?.  His family also had teeth stained red from chewing betel nut. Tomorrow, on to Koh Yao Noi in Phang Nga Bay.  (Say that three times fast.)

Inigo , Rita, Me and Guayapil 

The Cave Entrance 

A Flower. Bud

Kai

Kai's Family