Khao Sok National Park - Heading North

Hello again - still on holiday only just though - as the song goes 'One night in Bangkok and the world's your oxster'. We fly out tonight so Elvis is shopping while I'm cooling off in the super-slick shopping mall internet cafe.



After weeks of beach life we headed for some adventure and took off to Khao Sok National park - this was our first sight of it from the car window.


You know what I'm going to ask don't you - so go on then - can name that critter. Well can ya punk?













Me Tarzan she Jane - the keys to our new abode, right in the middle of a 150 million year old rainforest (that's older than the amazon I'll have you know).







Ok - it's not something Tarzan would knock up with his missus Jane and the labourer Cheetah, but we're westerners and we expect certain standards you know!! Actually, it was quite basic, what you actually pay for is the location. The noise of Gibbons, birds, insects and the occasional pack of dogs is amazing. The shower was pretty good too - it's a full scale waterfall in your bathroom man!








Having been trained well by Sister Ginny and brother-in-law Bob, we were out doing the hikes before long. This was a killer!! The map had it at 7Km each way, but we later found that the park map was wrong and it was actually an 18km round trip. This was one of many stops for a cool swim.

Elvis getting a 'cool down' and a back massage at the same time.

I won't ask you to name this 'Charlie Drake' because I don't know myself. Elvis was froze stiff while it came towards her and I gallantly asked her to keep still while I got a picture!

Along the way a couple of monkeys came right the way down from the tree tops to check out the action.

A short ride from the park gets you to a lake made by a dam. It's a beautiful area. We decided to join a group for two days and one night in a floating bamboo hut on the lake. We met some great people again, and it was a great way to end the trip. This is the lake with the tops of the karsts sticking out of the water.

When the dam was built and the lake formed, an entire forest was covered. Some of the big trees (which have long since died) still stick out of the water in some of the shallow spots. Imagine a whole dead forest under the water.

This is the bamboo hut and that's Elvis on the veranda - another step forward and she's in the drink! Notice no en suite or even a 'Gordon the Bucket' what's the English to do without their chamber pot? I'll let you imagine - you don't want all the gory details do you?

This was an expedition to a 'bat cave' - it was actually very tricky! The cave has a river running through it and is totally black dark, the water is so deep in some spots that you have to swim and the headroom isn't that great so it can feel quite hairy at times. Elvis is amazing me with how she's getting stuck in with just about anything - she said to me at the end of this "a few years ago I wouldn't have even attempted that but actually, I quite enjoyed it" Don't worry Ma & Pa Elvis, we're not going to become 'pot holers'.

Some 'cave dwellers'. Fruit bats, so unlike every other winged creature in the forest, these ones aren't after your blood!

Elvis and I at the end of the cave. Photo a la 'long arm' technique.

Another sunset, this time in the forest. We were on the lake waiting for the Great Hornbills to return to their nests -quite a rare bird and an amazing site. The guides know exactly where to take you to spot them.

Returning to our floating bamboo houses.

Action girl Elvis taking the canoe - I was waiting to be picked up 'Taxi for Hodgie please' - we went down one of the rivers and watched a Kingfisher doing its stuff.

My taxi approaches!

The last day we headed up one of the karsts to a look out point over the lakes - one of the toughest climbs we've done.

A tough climb but look at the next two pictures - what a view.

This is me getting a bit stick of Mick the Italian - far left and Peter the Dutchman. We went for a swim and as we didn't have our swim suits, the lads went in with only their thrappers on - mine, according to these two - were a little tight! Luckily Elvis was able not to catch that on the picture

Cups of tea - Will you Sandersfields cut it out? Poor Sophie must be having a right life (Ha)! Anyway, you were both wrong so put your tea bags away and get the custard Nana's back in the tin - the Outsourcer pooped on your parade weighing in with the correct answer - it is of course the Durian fruit, which has the unpleasant reputation of smelling like rotting flesh!! So Mr & Mrs Sandersfield, what's Latin for 'shit - we got that one wrong didn't we'.

Ok folks we have literally only a few hours left and we're heading for Bangkok airport, then to Abu Dhabi (did I ever mention how they like the Flintstones in Abu Dhabi?) and then to Newcastle, getting in sometime around midday on Friday. See some of you soon, the rest of you later. This is blogger control, over and out. Love and kisses to you all and we wish you enough.

Hodgie and Elvis xxx

Thailand - Deeper South!

Will you Sandersfields please conduct your internal communications within the confines of your own house please - really, the blog is no place to be discussing who is or isn't suffering from 'dialectitis' (what??).

Now, moving on to the business in hand and then items under 'any other business' (w have some cups of tea issues to sort out). We are now even further south and again, yet another beautiful island - this is Koh Ngai - very small but possibly the best stretch of beach we've ever clapped eyes on - and we've clapped on a few now (that's clapped by the way).

A day out on a snorkeling trip from the island. We came to this - it's the emerald cave and one of the most fantastic things ever!! We swim through a pitch black cave for 80 metres, then you come out into the middle of a secret lagoon that looks like something from the set of 'the land that time forgot' - it was truly gorgeous. It reminded me of a 'lagoon' I used to visit as a kid in Leyburn North Yorkshire - except we could only look at it from above - this one you emerge in the middle of it. Elvis was extremely brave I must say - not being a fan of dark caves or swimming in the dark!



This is inside the lagoon, a full eco-system is going on inside the island.

Another picture from inside the lagoon - the sides were about 200 feet high of sheer cliff all the way around, the only way in (unless your adept at rock climbing) is through the under water cave tunnel.

I know, I know - it's freezing at home and the sod keeps showing pictures of gorgeous beaches - well calm down will you - we'll be home soon freezing with you.

This is the small group we went on the cave trip with - Dave and Sue from England and Joseph from Austria. We had a great couple of night dining - and wining with them.


You won't notice looking at this picture, but we've just moved to another island - Koh Lipe which is a few hours on the boat from Koh Ngai and very close to the Malaysian border. This is the very aptly named 'sunrise beach'

I won't say anything - it only gets you all mad!

Well now, if you buy something from this shop and it's crap, then you only have yourself to blame don't you!

One of those long tail boats parked up on sunrise beach.

Oooh you're a hard lot to please - I can almost hear you making your jealous snipes from behind those frost covered windows.

What do you mean - a posed photograph - rubbish - Elvis really did want to have a swing looking into the rising sun - who wouldn't.

Later that day we left Ko Lipe for a long journey by speed boat and hired car to get to a tree house named 'Tarzan and Jane' - somewhere in the oldest rainforest on planet earth - but as we used to say - that's for another blog!

Cup of tea hysteria - before I try to sort out what's being going on - get your thinking hats on and tell me what this fruit is then (I'm sure I've asked before) - no it's not a pineapple!!

Last questions - I'll try to remember. Well done Mam Elves naming the 'Red Dragon' I'm not sure I asked what it was called but your fortitude in these matters is worthy of a cup of tea indeed!!

The outsourcer has taken leave of her senses!! The cup at the tree is harvesting rubber - not olives - we're not in Italy! The tree is not a mangrove - they grow by the waters edge and have very complex root systems and Sissy Ginny had to put you right on the birds nests! Ginny - 'Git big steps' was obviously right and Outsourcer, thank goodness you got one in the end - the rock formations are called Karsts!! And finally the boat man with all the lights on the boat assures me he's after squid and not the prawn!! Don't worry y'all - rest your brains- the trip is nearly over already for Pete's sake go figure. However - if time permits in Bangkok airport, we might just have time to squeeze in another blog about the aforementioned rain forest.

Island mania - down south!

We've now moved to another island - Koh Lanta, only a 90 minute boat ride from Koh Phi Phi. But before we show you about the place, get the kettle on and make yourself a nice cuppa by answering this COT question. What steps would you take if one of these critter lands on you? (tread carefully how you answer this - it's a type of question that my brother Ron would answer without thinking! - that's a clue).

But enough of this COT Tom Foolery. Here is the main port in Koh Lanta

This is sunbeds Thai style, a bamboo nest on stilts right on the beach. Oh and they do insist on bringing drinks and snacks on a 30 minute cycle (how do they know Elvis so well?)

The obligatory motorbike! We've had blue bikes - the bluebottle, yellow bikes - the wasp and even the silver flash -any idea what this 'pink' number should be called, keep it clean now, remember the aunties!
Always remember, when riding a motorbike to wear some quality sun glasses - but if you don't have any, just strap a windshield from a defunct space shuttle to the front of your face - I find it works just as well. Look carefully at that cute shopping basket on the front of the scooter and you'll see a bag full of rambutans. But, for a nice cup of earl grey, what's a rambutan when it's weshed?

Questions are coming thick and fast - get the scones and jam out and tell us what kind of fishing boat is this? No nets or hooks, just bright lights suspended on long arms - and they do all their 'fishing' in the black dark!

This is the pier at Koh Lanta old town - a 20 minute scooter ride to the other side of the island.

A hammock from ye olde hammock shop - yes one has been purchased, fortunately just the material part and not the two trees to support it, at least I think so, I wouldn't put it past Elvis.

Koh Lanta old town - main drag.

Get your kettles on again! What's being harvested here do you think?

Look at this picture Judge Didge - we had moved into our hotel only 3 hours earlier and already the green wheelie bin had been delivered!! Can you beat that?

All this lying around beaches can get too much for us, so we took the scooter right down to the most Southern tip of the island which is a national park. Some great jungle hikes and secluded beaches and stunning views.

The aforementioned jungle hike - halfway through and sweating like a big lad in a pie shop.

This little critter jumped off the tree and produced what I can only describe as a 'batman cape' from its back and literally glided off into the distance - bloody bizarre!

This is the gorgeous bay at the end of the walk - we were straight in for a cool down!

Now look here - my arms are not really that long - besides I'm supposed to be Tarzan not Cheetah

Here's Cheetah! Just before sunset the jungle comes alive and all the monkeys make there way to the parks and beaches - probably to clean up after the humans have left.

A new blog without a sunset - that would be like fish without chips? This is long beach - Koh Lanta at sunset and I quite like this one (CS)





I'm obviously setting the questions too hard because the Outsourcer fouled up pretty badly! The big rocky craggy things in the sea are not called big rocky craggy things Ms Outsourcer - I was looking for a particular word and people climb those ropes to harvest something more than glitter on the rocks? Do you want to try again? I hope you enjoy the blog -we might do one more when we get to Bangkok in a few days - our next stop may not have Internet - in fact a flushing toilet will be a bonus.... Elvis - get the wet wipes ready!!!!!