Day 171 Jan 22 2015 On train to Bangkok Thailand

view from front window of tree house

looking into the tree house outdoor bathroom

crossing the river to get to town

Waiting for the train to Bangkok

Day 171  Jan 22 2015  On train to Bangkok  Thailand

We walked across the river to the hotel on the other bank for breakfast.  After breakfast we made the kids do a few hours of school work.  We took a minibus to Surat Thani, there was a woman throwing up into a plastic bag towards the front of the van.  The driver did not stop and the smell made the ride seem a lot longer than it was.  When we got to the train station we bought first class tickets to Bangkok, we had 2 joining cabins with 4 comfortable bunks.  We were debating if we wanted the first or second class tickets.  When Evy and the kids went for a walk to check out the train they all came back very happy that we had decided to go with first class.  The train ride was 12 hours long and cost $180 CAD for everyone.  We had supper and the morning coffee delivered to our cabin and the food was excellent.

Day 170 Jan 21 2015 Khao Sok Thailand

start of the night safari

enjoying the forest

Very shortly after taking this pic I got wet ( thanks David)

getting water for coffee

David getting ready to fall into the water

Day 170  Jan 21 2015  Khao Sok  Thailand

We had a slow start to the day,  David and I sat on the chairs on the deck of our tree house and watched the world around us wake up.  We then went and ate a late breakfast and made the kids do school work for a few hours.  We had a night safari booked for 3 pm so we made our way across the river and walked to the meeting point.  We walked into the jungle 4 km where the guide made a supper of squid, chicken, hot chocolate, coffee, thai whiskey and pineapple.   The entire meal was served and cooked using bamboo including the cups and the bamboo tubes used to boil the squid and water for coffee.  After supper, Isabel and David decided to jump from rock to rock. It did not take David very long to miss a jump and fall into the river. Once it got dark we started our walk out of the jungle.  On the way in we saw a green tree viper.  It is scary how something deadly can be so camouflaged that it is possible to look directly at it and not see it.  It took Isabel a minute of looking from 3 feet away to finally figure out where the snake was.  On the way out we saw the eyes of a civet cat about 30 meters up a tree.  The next thing we saw was a banded krait snake.  The guide, David and Evy had all passed by the snake without seeing it 2 feet off the trail.  Isabel was about to pass by when I saw it.  Seeing the snake freaked Isabel out a bit but she got over it quickly and was able to enjoy the rest of the walk.  The next animal we saw was another civet cat walking along a leaning bamboo about 20 meters from us.  The last animal we saw was what I believe was an oriental bay owl that was perched in a tree.  We also saw many spiders, frogs and other insects.  It was a very enjoyable walk.

Day 169 Jan 20 2015 Khao Sok Thailand

On the way to the raft houses 

the raft houses on Cheow Lan Lake

swimming through the Nam Ta Lu Cave

a cool formation

Day 169  Jan 20 2015  Khao Sok Thailand

We went on a tour to Cheow Lan Lake in the Khao Sok national park.  We were picked up at our hotel by van at 8:30 and given a 1 hour ride to the lake.  Once at the lake we were loaded onto long tail boats and shuttled up the lake for 1  hour.  The scenery around the lake is gorgeous with large limestone cliffs and hills.   We stopped at the raft houses on the lake where we had 1 hour to swim and use the kayaks.  One of the options for tours included an overnight stay at the raft houses.   When I saw the raft houses I was glad that we did not opt for that tour as the walkways were definitely not safe for little kids like Isabel.  After the swimming we were fed a lunch of fish and chicken.  Once lunch was done we were loaded back into the long tail boats for a 5 minute ride to the start of the walking trail to the Nam Ta Lu Cave.  We walked 2.5 km to the cave mouth then 800 meters through the cave.  The passage through the cave was very cool, requiring us to walk down a small water fall and wade (swim for Isabel and David) through water that was at my eye level.  Once out of the cave we walked 1.5 km back to the boats and were taken back to the pier were we got into the van and were driven back to our hotel.  At the hotel we watched a documentary on the tsunami that hit the area in 2004.  On the walk from the restaurant to the hotel I came within 2 inches of stepping on a large black scorpion.  That could have been a bad ending to a very good day.

Day 168 Jan 19 2015 Khao Sok Thailand

our hotel room

only in Thailand

on the way to town from our hotel in Khao Sok

tsunami memorial Khao Lak 

Day 168  Jan 19 2015 Khao Sok Thailand

Our day started with no water in the hotel, so we got dressed and went for breakfast.  After breakfast Isabel and I went swimming in the pool and David caught some lizards.  We took a mini van from Khao Lak to Khao Sok.  We stopped at pharmacy to buy ear drops for David as we are pretty sure he has an ear infection.  We also stopped at a navy ship that was pushed 2 km inland during the tsunami that hit the Khao Lak area in 2004. It is now a monument to all the people that died in the disaster.  During our drive to Khoa Sok we came up behind a truck hauling an elephant.  I am fairly certain I will never see that again in my life.  The hotel we booked has tree house rooms that are 4 meters off the ground.  We got two room attached as one tree house, the kids will get one room and Evy and I the other.  The bathroom is opened to the outside and we were warned to lock our doors and window when we leave to make sure monkeys do not get in and make a mess.  The shortest way to get to the village is to wade across a river then walk a km to the main and only street.  Once you reach the main street if you turn left and walk 300 meters you are in the Khao Sok national park.  There is no traffic noise at the hotel, only the sound of the insects, birds, monkey and other rainforest animals.

Day 167 Jan 18 2015 Similan Islands on Choke Duang Ta Thailand

on our way to the next dive site

looking buff in my skin tight shirt (in my mind anyway)

excited to go snorkeling 

swimming from the boat

almost back in port

Day 167  Jan 18 2015  Similan Islands on Choke Duang Ta   Thailand

We were woken up by the engine starting up during the night.  The captain decided to move the boat as it was getting rough in the bay.  When we woke up were moored in Princess Bay of island # 4, the boat was then moved to a different spot on island # 4 where we were dropped off by dingy close to the shore.  The main boat was moved 400 meters down the shore and we snorkeled along the shore to get to it.  David saw a turtle swimming so he turned to look at it and when he was turning he kicked a different turtle that had come up behind him.  We visited several other sites with some nice coral formations.  The boat left the islands at noon and arrived back in port around 4:30 pm.  On the way I saw a whale breach the surface of the ocean about 300 feet of the side, it was an impressive site.  The trip was fantastic and enjoyed by everyone on board.   Isabel made a new friend; a girl from Spain was also on the trip, so she finally had someone to play with instead of her brother.   When we got back to the hotel we ate supper and booked the next 3 nights of our adventure.  We decided to go to a national park called Khoa Sok which is supposedly an hours’ drive from here.

Day 166 Jan 17 2015 Similan Islands on Choke Duang Ta Thailand

our boat for the tour

jumping from the top deck

yet another beautiful beach

David in gym class

honeymoon bay

fantastic food 

Day 166  Jan 17 2015  Similan Islands on Choke Duang Ta   Thailand

Breakfast was served at 8 am followed by snorkeling.  We dove at 4 different sites around islands # 8 and # 9.  We saw an amazing number of fish a 5 to 6 foot moray eel with the highlight for me being a turtle eating a fairly large jelly fish.  We had 3 fantastic meals that were magically prepared in a kitchen that is no more than 4 feet by 7 feet on the most basic of cooking appliances.  The cook was preparing meals for 17 passengers as well as the crew of 5.  We were also fed a snack of banana fritters that I will have to try to make when I get home.  I am pretty sure that I will be disappointed with the results when I try it as the ambiance does affect the taste.  Toward evening we were taken to island # 4 and were taken to the beach where we saw lots of fruit bats and some type of endangered pigeon.  We walked across the island to the beach on the other side where we were taken back to the main boat.  David and Evy decided to swim.  We went snorkeling on island #4 and saw an octopus that we followed for 10 minutes watching it change colors to match what it was swimming over.  When I would get close to it, it would change to a black color then back to the color of it surroundings.  We tied up to a boy on island # 4 for the night and I finished of the night again with the kids watching the stars from the sundeck. 

Day 165 Jan 16 2015 Similan Islands on Choke Duang Ta Thailand

Enjoying a tea on the Choke Duang Ta

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Isabel and her new friend

roughing it on the beach

over looking a beautiful bay

if you slip off the "bridge" it is a 4  meter fall

getting ready to watch the sun set

Day 165  Jan 16 2015  Similan Islands on Choke Duang Ta   Thailand

We got picked up at 6:45 at our hotel and driven to the Poseidon Bungalows where we stored out luggage as space on the boat is at a premium.  We were then driven to the boat where we stowed out luggage and got ready for the 4 hour ride out to the Simlan Islands.  The kids started to get motion sick on the way so we gave them a pill and it made them sleepy.  I felt fine but decided I might as well take the opportunity for a nap as well.  I woke up about 1 hour before we got to Island # 9.  Once we were anchored we put on the snorkeling equipment and jumped into the ocean.  We snorkeled on island # 9 for at least an hour then we moved to a different bay on the island.  We were fed a very good lunch and then went into the water for another 45 minutes of snorkeling.  We then moved to island # 8 where we snorkeled for another hour.  Once everybody was back on board we were taken by a little boat to the beach where we walked up to a big bolder perched on top of a rock hill, the view was nice.  We then went to the beach to play in the water and to watch the sunset.  We were then taken back onto the boat where we were served a fantastic supper.  To finish the night off I lay on the sun deck and watched the stars while talking to some of the other passengers.  I saw one of the best shooting stars of my life; it came across the sky slowly for a meteorite so I could follow it for several seconds.   It then shot off some sparks and disappeared just like a roman candle.