Khao Yai

There are certain times in Thailand when I am still really surprised at what this country has to offer. One of those days was on the weekend when I visited Khao Yai the National Park in the center of Thailand.

With a few days spare in my holidays I decided to make the trip there on the bus and explore the national park on one of the organized day and a half tours.

The first afternoon was the half day trip and somehow as we were driving along our guide spotted a thin whip snake hidden in the trees. I was standing right underneath it and still could not spot the snake. It was the first of many creatures the guide was able to spot and teach us about, while also letting us hold the animals and insects. We explored a bat cave with bats, centipedes, millipedes, spiders, scorpions and a scorpion spider.

The main highlight of the afternoon trip was standing near the exit of a bat cave as two million bats exited the cave to fly around for the night. We were standing well away from the exit but the million insect bats flew overhead floating in the sight wind.

The following morning we set off early to spend the day in Khao Yai. Early in the morning we spotted  gibbons and hornbills two of the main drawcards to the park. Hornbills are a toucan looking bird that sits high up in the trees. The gibbon is a monkey looking creature which also lives at the tops of trees. Never walking on the ground.  An excellent telescope helped us see the animals in a better view.

My group consisted of myself, two Dutch couples and a French couple and together we followed the Thai guide through the jungle for a couple of hours. The whole time we were under the canopy of the tall trees it was raining then when we came into a large opening luckily the rain stopped.

Next stop after the walk was Nam Tok Haew Suwat the waterfall used in the film The Beach. I was really excited to see this as I am a big fan of the movie. It did resemble what I remembered from the movie although people are no longer allowed to swim there. Our guide explained it was because too many drunk Thai people were drowning there.  I would not have swam though because of all the rain the water was really gushing down the waterfall.

Our last mission for the day was to go in search of a wild elephant.  It wasn’t hard to miss as the elephant was standing right in the middle of the road. I have seen elephants in Thailand but this was the first time I had seen a wild elephant. Wild elephants are unpredictable and can be quite dangerous so we stayed in the bus which was an open songthaew style bus and reversed slowly towards the elephant. Should the elephant have decided to charge us we could drive off in a hurry. Luckily it did not and we were safe. After spotting the elephant we headed back to the guesthouse after an impressive day exploring a magnificent part of Thailand.

7-11

It is impossible to visit Thailand and not enter a 7-11 store. According to a credible internet source (Wikipedia) there were more than 6,300 stores in Thailand last year and that number is quickly expanding.
There are at least ten in the city I live in and there is one located at the entrance to the building where I live. I pass by the 7-11 maybe seven or eight times a day.
7-11 stores are always cool with their air conditioning blasting and there is nearly always a dog sleeping at the entrance to the store. It is funny when the dog decides the entrance is not cool enough and sleep inside instead.
When 7-11 introduce a scheme whereby you collect stamps for certain purchases it became a very successful promotion. My girlfriend Prang became almost obsessed with collecting the stamps to redeem for prizes. She asked her students and friends to collect the tokens for her.
The promotion was so successful that all the products you can buy to collect tokens were sold out.
Prang has already collected enough tokens for a backpack, a chair, a small lunchbox and we need only fifty more tokens for a small table to collect the full set of prizes.

Our new 'free' chair from 7-11.

Bang Saen beach

Thailand is famous for its beaches. Many have white sand with clear blue water. Bang saen beach is definitely not one of those beaches used on posters around the World to advertise Thailand. The sand was dirty almost black, the beach umbrellas were so close together that no sun was reaching the beach chairs and the food being cooked along the beach smelt so bad I could hardly walk down the path.
I visited the beach because many of the students at school say it is their favourite beach in Thailand. This is because it is the closest beach to where I live and therefore it can be easily reached in a day trip. I am guessing many of the students have never visited the more famous beaches on the islands. Many Thai people also like visiting the beach without sunbathing. Which is the reason for the umbrellas being so close together. The most popular time to visit the beach in Thailand is at dusk when the sun is not so bright.
Bang Sean beach is also just near the University where Prang is currently studying her Master's Degree therefore I was intrigued to see what the beach was like. Prang and I decided to stay in one of the only room  for less than a thousand baht a night. The room was a tiny box above a toilet block which we had to walk through to get in and out of the building.
I was not impressed by the beach at all and I am in no hurry to go back.

Good luck getting a tan on these beach chairs.

Elephants, Tigers and Crocs

Si Racha Tiger Zoo  is a popular tourist attraction in the South East of Thailand. Although I had read reports of the mistreatment of animals and the poor living conditions for the animals I still wanted to see the zoo for myself.

Therefore Prang and I went for an afternoon visit one sunny Sunday afternoon.  Yes there was mistreatment of animals and yes the cages were small but I had never seen so many tigers in the one place. There were hundreds.  At a young age the tiger cubs are taken from their mothers and feed by pigs. It’s strange to see but they say the amount of tigers at the zoo is proof the plan works.

For a little extra money visitors are allowed to have their photo taken with the animals. I have never been near or had a photo taken with a live Tiger, Orang-Utan or Crocodile before and although the eopportunities.

The zoo also have a tiger, elephant and crocodile show. All three of these animals are very smart and trainable and can put on a good show. The least trainable of the three is the crocodile. A crocodile cannot walk across a tightrope and play basketball. All the trainers were able to do was open the crocs mouth and slide across the ground till their head was in the mouth of the croc. Every time the trainer finished the trick he looked genuinely excited that he still had a head.

Wai Kru Day

Teachers are well respected in Thailand and at the start of every year there is a day of teacher appreciation. It is known as Wai Kru Day and always held on a Thursday in June. At my school the ceremony was held last Thursday morning. All the students gathered together in an assembly and the teachers walked onto the stage in their year levels and sat in chairs. The students then presented the teachers with a specially made gift and kissed the ground at their feet as the teachers 'wai' the students. To wai in Thailand means to place your hands together in a prayer like motion and slightly bow your head. It is the common way to greet somebody in Thailand.
I actually took part in the ceremony twice. I was ushered onto the stage one time and was presented with a gift the students made which I immediately gave to the student who was hiding behind me before I walked off the stage. I was ushered onto the stage again when one year level did not have enough teachers to fill the seats.

I enjoyed participating in the ceremony and it was just another example of an event which happens in Thailand which would never happen in Australia.