June 6. Elephant Hills to Ao Nang
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The buffet breakfast wasn’t very inspiring but the charcoal fired toaster was magnificent.We then returned to our tents and made the extensive preparations for our jungle walk. This mainly involved donning long sleeves, long trousers and LOTS of insect repellent.Left: Coal-fired toaster |
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We trudged the short way through the herb garden to the river bank and then successfully negotiated the bamboo raft bridge to the other side.We had to do this in two groups, with the porter manoeuvring the raft with the aid of a rope suspended across the river. |
I was quite brave about this but there was considerable trepidation on behalf of some of the party. The porter went on ahead carrying large quantities of stuff, the purpose of which was later to become obvious.
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Rafts across the river |
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Once across, the guide showed us the plants to avoid - the ones with saw-edged leaves, the bamboo that shouldn't be touched and the insignificant looking plant that could burn through the hide of an elephant. Thus encouraged, we set off on our way. As can be seen, I completely mis-interpreted the white balance requirements in the jungle. “Shade” didn’t work. Switching to “Auto” helped.
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The route uphill was tough going, both slippery and very hot. We weren't exactly in virgin rain forest - the plastic water pipes being a dead giveaway.
There were also crude railings and some ropes to help us scale some of the steeper sections. In the heat and humidity, these were tough going and a reasonable amount of physical flexibility was required. Quite a lot of the route followed the beds of temporary streams which run in the rainy season. Whilst they offered a reasonably open path, they were full of nice, slippery, lichen covered stones.
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In addition to the white balance problem, photography was made extremely difficult by the overall darkness underneath the trees which was penetrated at intervals by blindingly bright light where the sun could gain access. A good photographer with a good film camera would have had problems. A mediocre one with a digital camera ensured almost certain failure. This problem was to present itself on many other occasions during the holiday.
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We made it to a small shelter, where the porter turned chef and served us tea and coffee in bamboo cups, the water heated over an open fire. The real fun then began. Pork was being barbecued over the fire and we watched as a coconut was gradually dismembered with a machete.
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The flesh was then grated and squeezed. This was mixed with a little water, sieved and thus converted into coconut cream. This was boiled with chicken, herbs vegetables etc and even added to about a dozen eggs to form a Thai omelette (scrambled eggs). All was simple and very good and all had been carried up the side of the mountain by the porter/chef. |
We didn’t see much wildlife on our walk, although there were strange noises in the distance which, we were assured, were gibbons (or similar). One small fellow arrived at lunchtime but, as far as I am aware, didn’t get any food. After a suitable rest, we lurched gently downhill again through the jungle.
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There were some interesting fungi but, yet again, not as many as I would have expected to see in the jungle. It is perfectly possible that we would have seen more if we had ventured off the track - but the risks of poisonous plants and unexpected chasms made us stay on the straight & narrow.
On the way down again, we saw jackfruit and durian trees, the photographs of which didn’t work, light again, lots of bamboo, which we had been warned not to touch, and numerous huge trees, some of which looked a bit like the NZ Kahikatea.
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Near the bottom was a small plantation of rubber trees. I had seen these on the elephant trail but my photos were shaken so badly by the unfamiliar motion that there were ruined. |
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Here we were able to watch the process as the guide sliced away a piece of bark - requiring all the strength that she had. The sap then collects in the cut - a process which started to occur within a few seconds of the cut having been made. After a couple more minutes, enough sap has collected for it to start running down the length of the cut, whence it drips into the little collection bowl.
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We reached the river again but, this time, we removed our shoes and socks and waded across. It was only knee deep but reasonably fast flowing and with a bed of round, slippery stones. We all made it across safely but with quite a little effort. Using a camera would have tempted fate, so I didn’t. By now, we were all in a disgustingly dirty condition so fell into the shower, having first removed our filthy clothing. |
We made our farewells to the staff and to the other couples in our party, collected our bamboo mugs (made by the chef/porter at amazing speed) and climbed aboard the minibus.
Two hours later, after avoiding more dogs sleeping in the road and lots of dangerous overtaking, we checked back into the Ao Nang Villa and made straight for the pool. The hotel is posh, catering almost exclusively for overseas visitors. The notices in the rooms were written in both English and Swedish.
After our dip we walked into town and were instantly assailed by the proprietors off clothes shops, gift shops, taxis etc etc. The town is definitely on the way to becoming as tourist trap of the worst sort - the next Phuket. The beach, however, is spectacular, with the amazingly shaped islands on the horizon. It was also acting as a football pitch for some of the locals.
We ate at a fish restaurant on the beach. Lots of prawns, squid & all manner of nice looking fish. Nice place, shame about the food. The worst meal since we arrived. My prawns were over cooked and I don’t think any of the others’ meals were any better.
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We did have a bottle of Thai wine, Chateau de Phayayen, a pleasant enough white. My investigations about it on the WWW were hampered by the fact that most of the site is in Thai. We walked back to the hotel, had a play on the internet and went to bed.