Ramble
Quest - Wildlife Interlude (Kaho Yai).
On my way out to northeast Thailand, I kept an eye out for potentially interesting stops along the train line where I could break up the return trip. Pak Chong was one that caught my eye, so I asked travelers about it. Nahe, a German/Thai woman I met in Phimai, raved about a small travel operation called Green Leaf that ran tours of Kao Yai National Park out of Pak Chong.
Checking it out in Pak Chong, I learned that there are at least three companies that run tours with identical price and itinerary to Khao Yai. The later companies are run by former employees of the originator. The original company is firmly entrenched in all the guidebooks, by far the most popular, and clearly runs the worst tours of the three. I went with Nahe's recommendations and believe that Green Leaf had some clear advantages, namely a superior wildlife guide who carried a telescope and was an expert at quickly setting it up.
The tour runs for a day and a half, starting with a half day trip. The Green Leaf guides go by the codenames Apple and Nine. Mr. Apple does the business end and runs the half day trip, while Mr. Nine, the wildlife expert, guides the full day trip to Khao Yai. The first day we go to a buddhist cave temple, Wat Tam Trirat, once a fine natural cave but now ruined by human traffic. It's still quite interesting to see the cave temple, the remains of an old movie set, and the many bats inside.
After a refreshing swim near the source of a natural spring (lovely spot) we, and I guess I should add at this point that the only person on the tour besides myself is Christopher (more Swiss), yet another person I met in Phimai, head into the forest to watch the wrinkled-lipped bats leave their caves at sunset. The tremendous sight of over a million bats streaming out of their cliff-face cave, flying in long, undulating lines framed against steep, limestone mountains is a spectacularly unforgettable experience. Birds of prey swoop into the lines, trying to pick off a bat. Eventually, the bats spread out into the night to search for insects and return to the cave before dawn.
Mr. Nine takes Christoper and me out the next day to Khao Yai. We spend the morning bushwacking through the jungle looking for wildlife. There's plenty of ticks and leaches in here but we're given socks that are tied up to the knees to keep them off. We get great looks at the fascinating gibbons and hornbills (a site with some videos), as well as many interesting birds, including the rare Siamese Fireback pheasant.
At times we run into the popular tour group and Mr. Nine is amused at their guide's lack of success in spotting wildlife, as she only seems to be able to see an occassional deer. "While they walk, she's always talking, talking, not listening." he explains. He's right. She can't even spot the gibbons, which are easy to find if you listen. Mr. Nine is always alert in the jungle. I'm quite good at spotting wildlife on my own, but I certainly get to see more with him around, plus I love getting the close look through the telescope.
After lunch in a watch tower, we go for a swim in an idyllic pool under the Heaw Suwat waterfall. Then a drive to the top of a large hill for a panorama and lots more bird spotting. After the sun goes down we drive around the park looking for animals with a spotlight. Lots of other cars are here at this time as well, but Mr. Nine is good about avoiding them. We see some civets and get a quick but solid look at wild elephants before they move away. You can often hear the elephants though and they sound nothing like elephants in captivity. Makes me hate it even more when I see tourists riding them because I've seen how they train captive elephants and it isn't gentle. There are very few wild ones left in Asia and I feel it is essential to keep them protected.
I rarely go on tours and am not really into ones that go for wildlife spotting, but felt this one was extremely worthwhile. I'm also glad I took a break from temples before heading to Angkor. This unexpected Khao Yai stop turned out to be just what I was looking for.