Khao Sok National Park

A 1.5 hour ferry ride from Samui then about 4 hours of van shuttles and I’m in Khao Sok. One of the world’s oldest evergreen rain forests, older than the Amazon. I read about what I was getting myself into, but I honestly had no idea I would be in the REAL jungle, I imagined another Pai hut living situation. My bungalow is legit in the jungle with a river outside of the balcony. I woke up this morning to monkeys on my balcony and in the trees making all types of noise, usually it’s just roosters. The hotel owner warned me to not leave the doors open because the monkeys are clever enough to find a way in and make a mess. I laughed, but she was dead serious. The restaurant next door is along the riverbed and there are bats that fly very close over your head at night. The jungle makes ALL types of noise at night, a symphony of mammals, amphibians and insects. It’s also pitch black, so walking back to my bung from the restaurant (about 300 meters. Yes, I’m a metric guy now) after dark was a mistake. The only light outside at night is my phone flashlight. Surprisingly enough, after night #2, I was used to it and relatively unbothered.

Khao Sok is also known for snakes, spiders, and wait for it…. Leeches. Also something I didn’t do a lot of research on until I was already in Thailand. The bug spray they sell here has leeches on the bottle, that’s how common they are. If you aren’t terribly familiar, don’t Google it. I needed to know what to do if/when I get them on my body. They aren’t painful but just annoying and scary. I won’t get into the details, don’t Google it. I don’t spook easily but the darkness, the sounds, the leeches… I couldn’t help but wonder that maybe I pushed the comfort zone a bit far. Again, after day and night #2, I wished I stayed another night. I was told the park tours weren’t running because of the lack of tourists but I got lucky and squeezed in with a Belgian couple this morning. An hour ride to the where the long tail motor boats take you out on the lake off we went.

Let’s start with the cave. Let me preface by saying I’ve been in caves before. Let’s choose 50 Americans at random, I would guess 30 wouldn’t have gone in more than half way. Joie would have ran out. Google a movie called “The Descent.” That’s what this cave felt like. Creepy level 10. If you don’t like the dark, small spaces, spiders, or bats, this ain’t for you. Crawling on all fours to get through passages and spiders the size of your hand were a thing. There’s no light except your head lamp so if those went out for some reason… So obviously terrifying, BUT fucking rad, I loved it. Our guide told us, “Don’t worry nothing in there can kill you. Hurt you, sure.” I dropped a lot of F bombs in there. Honestly, I was good but the spider got me. We shined our head lamps on it for a bit then away for a sec, then back on it and it was gone. That’s when your brain has to remind your body how to breathe.

Let’s talk about the lake. Pure beauty. The water is emerald green and there are several canals lined with mountainous rain forest peaks. It reminds me of Avatar. The most peaceful and serene place. We stopped at a floating resort for lunch (there are a few of them on the lake. Floating huts you can stay in) and had some mediocre food, a beer, and I took a kayak out for a nap. The only thing I didn’t like about the lake is that there’s no history, it’s a fairly new man made lake. Has to be in of the most beautiful lakes in the world though. There were some gnarly sounds coming from the rainforest and trees moving around in the distance, and then the guide reminded us there are wild elephants roaming around. Prior to that my mind immediately went to every movie ever with the big scary thing coming and moving trees out of the way as it got closer and closer. I know, I need to chill, I’m meditating.

Like I mentioned, after day and night #2, this place honestly became one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been to, regardless of the endless sounds and/or darkness. I love it here. I think everyone might have a minor freak out moment at first but I can’t get over how pretty it is. I just sat on the river’s edge today for a couple hours. I have to admit I had quite the mental battle with going for a swim but remembering the whole leech thing just terrified me and I couldn’t do it knowing that if I did it, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. Soon after I saw about a dozen Thai people tubing down the river having a blast. After day and night 2, I had an amazing breakfast waiting for me with flowers decorating all the plates, my own private view into the garden, and even made friends with the hotel owner’s friendly black cat (I hate cats, or I did. I’m a Buddhist now) which sat on my lap as I ate breakfast.

The owner, May, made the best brownie, butter cake, and banana bread EVER. I told her she needed to sell this shit and she showed me her jam/marmalade making business. She sells bottles online and records classes for people to subscribe to online and make them at home. I told her I loved her side hustle and if she was in the states, she would crush it at Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc. She pulled up a chair and we chatted for an hour. She’s managing a once very successful eco-resort prior to the pandemic, after working for a US travel agency that went bankrupt (everyone does everything online now obviously), and has 2 kids to take care of that can’t go to school physically. She has a smile on her face everyday and literally puts little flowers in all my food. She texts me every night asking what I want for breakfast the morning after. She sent a wire transfer to my driver in Koh Samui today because it would be too difficult for me to do it, or mail him cash (I left my souvenir bag at the ferry office and my driver, Jar, went to pick it up and mailed it to my next destination in Krabi). The kindness and love I’m experiencing on this trip is unreal.

I was honestly embarrassed to tell her my last job did a number on my mental health. I was embarrassed to tell her I wanted more money when I was making more than enough. Embarrassed to tell her I was a perfectionist to a fault. I told her anyway, she was a good listener. She said, “We made good money and then we made nothing for 2 years. We turned into farmers and lived off the land. I created the online business because I’m passionate about food and it makes me happy, we managed. Happiness and family is the most important thing.” I told her about my culinary experience and she really wants me to chase that career like her friend did. I told her we can be WhatsApp penpals and I’d keep her updated. She is genuinely interested in knowing how well I’m doing in life when I get back home. I bought 4 bottles of her marmalade. Bless this woman and this beautiful place of peace and serenity.Okumaya devam et