Day #4 (23/6/2020)
Distance travelled: 228 km
(Happy birthday, dad!)
Morning in Mu Ko Ra – Ko Phra Thong National Park
Overnight went like this: Every hour until about 2 am, I turned on the engine to blast the car with cold air, to which we both sighed with relief. Once off, within about 15 minutes, the heat started to build up again and Mrs mozzie was back beside my ear. Thankfully, I often heard Dimi lightly snoring. But every now and then, he would forcefully expel air out through his mouth; he sounded uncomfortable. I felt bad. I climbed to the back seat, to see if I could lie flat while still stretching out, big mistake… I clambered back to the front, trying to make as little noise as possible, so not to disturb Dimi. The way I had myself slouched in the chair, if I bent my head sideways towards the door and looked up, I could see the night sky, dotted with stars, and at times, lit up by lightning. I heard boats with their loud engines passing by. I assumed they were fishermen. I can’t remember much of what happened after 2 am other than stirring in that chair but once dawn cracked… no more sleep for me. Dimi woke shortly after.
There was not much point in us sticking around to enjoy the morning’s view. It was still unbearable inside the car, and outside, mozzies were quick to swarm around us. We therefore dressed and I drove back along the same road Dimi had taken last night. It was nice to see it all in daylight. The path was narrow; good that no other car met us. How less scary everything feels during day time. It took us a while to find a coffee place that was neither someone’s house nor closed. Eventually, we stopped at Punch Italian Coffee, for our much-needed caffeine fix.
At an Elephant Camp
On our way to Mae Yen Waterfall, we took a short detour down a dirt road to pass by an elephant camp. We were hoping to spot elephants going about their own business, as they were no longer required to work, carrying fat tourists on their back, due to the virus preventing such visitors. As we were closing in on the entrance to the camp, I spotted a single fellow in the river, chucking mud on his back while standing in the sunshine. We stopped to observe him and take pictures. Further along the river, stood another lonesome elephant with his back turned at us. All was quiet at camp, except for a local walking around, who we assumed maintained the area and the elephants. There we found another, much larger elephant, surrounded by food. I felt a mixture of emotions as I drove away from them; such joy initially, to see them in flesh; but then, the reality of what their daily lives consist of quickly dampened my spirits.
Visiting Mae Yen Waterfall
Mae Yen Waterfall was a little further along the road. As we pulled up, a group of local lads were just leaving on scooters with their hair wet! This was a good sign that the waterfall was accessible. It was tall, with a good amount of water running down the rocks. I managed to collect some and give my face a good scrub… can’t get more natural than that. I saw a bar of soap on the side as I walked back over the slab to Dimi.
In Khao Sok National Park
Next, we drove to Khao Sok National Park and had a short stop by a nice viewpoint to marvel at the green fields and mountains extending before us. A guy with his motorbike rested there too. We planned to visit this national park over coffee this morning, with the possibility of camping there overnight. The road leading up to the entrance of the park was packed either-side with guest houses, restaurants, bars, and tour agencies. It was around midday and many places appeared closed. During the high season (Nov-March), this spot must be rammed. Of course, as we approached the ticket office, we noticed a barrier half down and a large banner with the words COVID-19, which meant one thing… “you and Dimi aren’t getting in!”
We didn’t even wait to be told by the ranger, who stood up on our arrival, about the news. It was old news now. We first encountered the closure of national parks a few days after they implemented the change, back in March, in Chiang Rai. Places, including golf courses, bars, and massage parlours were now starting to open. And the curfew had been recently lifted. When would they open the goddamn parks?!
As I started turning the car around, the ranger came out and smiled at us. I asked in English, “open?… when?”, and he replied, “1st of July”. Saddened and hungry, it was time for lunch. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long; we found a restaurant close by, Nongsaw Thai Food. The food lay in big silver trays in a cabinet, ready to be served. The owner was a very friendly lady and the little English she spoke to us was well understood. There was another foreigner (Falang as the Thais call us) eating there, surrounded by locals, and he ended up being the only one we saw in the area. Over lunch, we agreed to cease further attempts to access national parks until after the 1st of July. We were wasting time and still had a long way to travel down south and back again.
From the restaurant, I drove down a side road, further passing a river and more guesthouses. Dotted about in the grounds were wooden shacks, buried amongst green vegetation. Compared to the main street, accommodation here would make for a more peaceful retreat. We followed the road, which ended and turned into a dirt track, taking us deep into the forest. However, after a few kilometres, the road proved far too much for our little Nissan, so we had to retrace our way back. At one point, we were swaying from side to side, as the car bounced along the uneven track. You can imagine the faces we pulled every time our wheel hit a pretty big pothole, followed by a loooong, piercing, scraping noise.
We stopped for a ciggie break at a second viewpoint which happened to be on the same road as the first. There was a gap to pull the car in and completely take it off the road. To have to pause and take another peek at this peaceful landscape was alright by us.
In search of a jackfruit
The plan now was to drive back along the road, past our coffee place, and onto the coast, to settle for the night. We would also visit Ton Tham Waterfall, which, according to the map, was not situated in a national park, so hopefully not manned. Along the way, I asked Dimi to keep an eye out for fruit stalls. I had a massive craving for jackfruit; the last time we ate one was a month ago in Chiang Rai. Steering the car around a bend brought us to a field with clusters of odd-looking trees. We had to stop. Upon closer examination, I found them to look like spiders, with their pointy leaves bent like legs. Both me and Dimi had never seen this type of tree before. We passed many fruit stalls but none were selling what we wanted, only stinky durian, which, like jackfruit, is both large and green with spiky-type skin. Eventually, I spotted a table outside a house, piled with various-sized jackfruits. But unfortunately, the ladies, with great difficultly, explained the fruit would not be ready to eat for another four days. Dimi suggested we leave it as it would spoil with us having nowhere to properly store it.
Ton Tham Waterfall
The turn to the waterfall was coming up and I noticed a sign on the corner: waterfall closed – entry forbidden. “Did you see it?” I said to Dimi, to which he replied with a cheeky smile “see what?” and continued pressing his foot on the gas. When we reached what looked like a car park, we noticed a hut near a pond advertising fish food but it was bare of food and a vendor. We quickly grabbed our swimming stuff and walked the trail leading down to the waterfall. After stepping onto some rocks to stand before the rushing water, we noticed, to our right, a dam with a small pool. To our left, the water plunged down over the rocks.
We followed its path by climbing down a rusty ladder and stepping onto a lower level with a small cave lodging many sleeping bats. The spray from the fall made some of the rocks quite slippery. Treading carefully, we scaled a big boulder and came face-to-face with a small, but powerful, waterfall. There was an opportunity to have a dip, but space was limited. So we decided to take a dip near the dam. The water temperature was cool. A handful of small, dark fish swam about, waiting to feast on human flesh; it would be ours today. With each nibble, I had a jumping attack, so I ended up merely dunking my toes while Dimi fully submerged himself.
Sunset at Bang Niang Beach
Onwards to another dip… but on the coast this time, waves crashing onto our legs and sand settling in between our toes. We came to Bang Niang Beach. It was lovely to be back on a beach, looking out at the Indian Ocean – such a beautiful colour! We thought about settling there for a beer, but nowhere was open; the place was like a ghost town. After a short drive through the village, however, we spotted a beach restaurant with cute kiosks to sit in. So we parked our car and bums and ordered two large changs.
Camping at Khao Lampi Beach
Following sunset, Dimi drove us to a petrol station to grab food (toasties and pad thai) at a 7/11. We stayed there until dark. Our next stop would be our home for the night. We left the main road to drive along the coast in search of a sweet spot. This was one long road. Along Khao Lampi Beach, and away from civilisation, Dimi spotted an opening in the trees, and in we went. Once we opened the doors to inspect the area, the waves came crashing down onto the shore creating such a loud noise. It sounded very impressive. I was looking forward to seeing its size and colour in the morning. Down the beach, we spotted the odd torchlight being waved about on the shore and in the sea… fishermen? We pitched our tent on the sand, close to the casuarinas; then looked up: the sky was full of stars, and around us, fireflies. Dimi’s Nightsky app highlighted Alpha Centauri Crux and other south constellations. It was such a treat to be able to sit outside the tent without being attacked by mozzies and enjoy the night sky.
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