Rachel's Travels (and Studies of Course!): Thailand

It was only recently that I realised I had never finished blogging all my Thailand-based stories. I think this was partly as a result of having too many NZ-based adventures in between, and partly due age-induced memory loss (yes I recently hit the big 3-0)! My last stories involve monkey feeding, an elephant trek and canoeing adventure, and a cruise to some of the outlying Islands.

I had already decided as soon as I arrived in Phuket that I would like to do an elephant trek, so began searching for suitable outings immediately. The one that seemed to fit perfectly with my plans was a day trek that began with canoeing down the Khao Sok river, monkey feeding at a local temple, and then a short elephant safari. Lunch was included, and it was a pretty good deal for the amount of activities on offer.

The mini bus collected me from the hotel at 8am, and it was a fairly long drive (2-3 hours) to the Khao Sok River from Phuket. On the way we made a brief stop at the tsunami 'museum'. It wasn't really much of a museum, just a few pictures on a market stall and a 90ft police boat. Apparently the boat had been anchored approximately 1 nautical mile offshore when the tsunami hit, and got carried 2km on to the mainland. It was quite impressive!

After spending a few minutes at the museum, we moved on to the river and began the canoeing experience. Although I didn't actually get to do any paddling, it was quite nice because I could just take in the views and the sounds of the wildlife. It was very relaxing, and despite a muddy river (due to heavy rainfall), there was plenty to see. The canoeing lasted around 40 mins and I got given 2 bamboo cups and spoons carved by the guide. Unfortunately I couldn't take them back to NZ due to their strict rules and regulations on the importation of biological items. I did take a photo of them though, and gave them to the hotel receptionist who was very pleased with them!

After canoeing had finished, we moved on to the monkey temple. There were lots of monkeys around, mostly adults, but a few babies. We could purchase peanuts to feed them with, and they were more than happy to take it from our hands. I loved it, as it was the first time I had ever had such close contact with them. They were very friendly, and obviously used to tourists. We were all told to hang on tightly to our belongings as they had been known to steal things. Luckily nothing happened to our group, and we made it past them without incident!

Following the monkey experience, we travelled on to the elephant trek. We were put into pairs and assigned an elephant. The trek itself was around 45 minutes long, and we went through some forest, lots of mud, and through the river. There was a guide that walked alongside the elephant directing it where to go. My elephant was a bit naughty and kept stopping to eat some of the fruit that had fallen from the trees. I didn't mind though as it made the experience last longer! After the trek, we got the opportunity to feed our elephant, and pet them. As I was feeding him some bananas, a huge butterfly came and landed on my hand, so I made sure I got a photograph of that too. The whole day was fantastic, and I was so glad I went as I got to experience so many things I had never done before, and may never have the opportunity to do again.

The day after this amazing experience, myself and my friend headed out on a tour to some of the surrounding islands. We visited so many, including the set of 'The Beach' which starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Everywhere we stopped, the sand was white and the water so blue. We stopped for a swim and snorkel part way round, and were also given time on each of the islands to explore and take photos. The only downside was that all the tours went to the same places so there were always lots of other people where ever we went. It was still nice to experience island paradise though and of course walk in the steps of film stars!