Khao Lak To Khao Sok

Khao Lak To Khao Sok

I allowed myself a couple days in Khao Lak to see new friends off and to see other parts of Khao Lak. The town is fine and full of luxury hotels if that’s your thing but north are fewer hotels and more open beaches. It’s worth a search on Surin beach or a couple others up that way. All places offer tours of various degrees, fishing trips, one day excursions to the markets in Takhuapa, Khao Sok and return, Jet boat to snorkel the Similan Islands, Fun dives for those who are apprehensive about a new environment, lots of choices and more than I care to name at this point. Beach walks are great further up the coast. I needed to do laundry after 6 days at sea with minimal clothing basically a bathing suit and a t-shirt.

The owner/manager of the Traveller Lodge told me of a national park just south down the road, up the hill, and I took the time to go on a very beautiful ocean/rain forest trail walk in the park to a very small and beautiful beach with virtually no one on it but me and a monkey.

The following morning I packed and crossed the street for the first bus heading north to Takhuapa around seven am, just wave it down. It cost 60 Baht on the local bus to go 30 kilometers to the bus station in Takhuapa and another 100 Baht to get to Khao Sok and hour later. You can also hire a taxi for 600 Baht but you are now on Thai time so what’s the hurry? The difference pays for an extra night and dinner. I arrived at Smileys Bungalow and pulled in for 300 Baht/night. There are newer ones for 500 Baht. I was staying for 8 days but not all in town but still wanted the bungalow to keep my gear I would leave when the time came.

I highly recommend inner tubing down river for three hours of chillaxing. Come December if the rains have subsided as they should seasonally then the water goes low and tubing is a bit of both wading through shallow spots and again setting your tail in a tube and doing very little to get down stream. The river runs through limestone monoliths and plantation properties with a few bungalow groups and resorts along the rivers edge. I continually go to Art’s Review Resort for a late lunch and a sunset. Art’s over looks the river with a deep swimming hole and a very popular rope swing drop in the late afternoon with the local kids. It’s all in good fun.

Evenings are very low key with a Chill-out bar with a camp fire and a Reggae Bar pushing the definition of night and day but for the most part a sleepy little village with specific tourism operations in place offering activities such as night walks looking for critters, tubing, day tours of the area, guided excursions into deep regions in Khao Sok National Park. There is a company getting well-established here running people into deep jungle for 3-5 days where you are self-sufficient. One of my favorites is a night on a floating bungalow on the lake behind Rachaprapha Dam. This is a massive reservoir used for power but also back in the day, late 70’s and 80’s, the communist students were hiding in the local villages and when the logging companies came in and cleared out the trees before the dam was finished the future was prewritten and the communists moved up above the expected water line and into the limestone caves and were even harder to find than before. Some local villagers sympathized with their cause and helped with food, medicines and the essentials. The water came and created a massive lake elaborate with spindling fingers of waterways and limestone outcrops of epic proportions. The government dropped in a stack of different freshwater fish for a sustainable fresh water fish economy. Some of the deep water fish are said to hit serious kilo numbers, I’ve heard up to 50, some say higher and that’s a local argument I’m not yet ready to enter. Maybe a fishing trip the next time; The Old Man and The Lake, ha!

I hooked up with two Dutchmen and three Frenchmen at 8 am and we had a quick breakfast and hopped in Kit’s van to the lake about an hour and a half away, hopped on Kit’s long tail boat with canopy that we immediately dropped to take photos. We took a lot of photos. Manu and I had bigger cameras and went to work along with a few Gopro film cameras and some smaller hand held cameras and phones.

 When I was here last I stayed at Green Mountain View Guesthouse with Tawee, on the other side of the mountains to the south and very secluded. I would have stayed there but his number had changed. It’s also where the tubing ends. He’s still there and we chatted.

Kit drove us through the vast waterways for about an hour and then into more narrow passages and some with monolith spires all the way around us. I told one of the Dutch guys, Luc, that I had been coming to this National Park since 1996 and he was curious why. By the end of the trip he knew well enough why, they all did.

We pulled into Smiley’s floating bungalows where we found only a few people. That’s always a good sign at any of the floating bungalow places on the lake at high season. Originally the bungalows were made of bamboo and wood but innocently some of the operators would turn to the forest to get their supplies and to stop this those in power changed the rules and all new bungalows are of metal framework with store bought siding, plywood, batten/board, on metal floats. The walkways down the floats are also metal and can get hotter than hot so good footwear is a must. You are also going to need that same footwear to get through the cave.

Flip-flops are not worth bringing at all. This is a rain forest and mud is a constant. Have you ever walked through mud in flip-flops? No good. Sandals with straps are your best bet or trainers that can get soaked. While walking the trail I could hear the occasional person take a digger and splat in the mud. Have no fear there are plenty of places to wash off before you swim through the cave. That’s right, there are some spots where your feet don’t touch and the guide carries a dry bag where everybody chucks their cameras in for the really wet part. You actually walk through a mountain and come out the other side. In the cave are big spiders, not poisonous, many types of fish in the water, and hundreds of bats overhead. It has that ammonia bat guano smell to it for part of the trail.

The boat ride to the jungle walk to the cave is a nice introduction to the deeper recesses of the reservoir. Every now and again you can see an over grown logging road buried in trees and new growth. There are few maps of all to be seen but I’ll tell you now there are bat caves, unexplored caves and even some that haven’t been discovered. It is an exploring spelunkers wet dream that would take more than a lifetime to sort out. That economic industry has yet to be tapped.

We returned early evening and there should have been a night ‘safari’ by boat to look for critters along the lake bank but Kit wasn’t really in the mood and we had had a big night prior so we were happy to chill. A card game ensued in the floating dining room. I hit the deck at 9 pm and awoke to Gibbons and long tail monkeys hooting and barking into the rising sun. I got up and sat on the front walkway by the water and watched the sun shake off the shadows of the night.

Three cups of tea and we boarded the long tail for a morning ‘safari’ of photos and looking for animals that had come out of the forest for morning fruit by the lakeside. The light was perfect and the water so still that you could see the sun twice and every tree had a reflection. You could look for animals in the reflection and never look up. It was an epic morning.

We peeled into a couple bays with little success always looking for fruit trees or a band of gibbon on the move swinging through the canopy. Kit turned into a bay and cut the engine below a massive Banyan tree where a flock of twenty or more Hornbills were bickering with band of long tail monkeys over the ripe fruit in the tree. On our arrival a group of Hornbills moved on but many stayed, some even stuck their heads out to see what was happening.

After half an hour Kit started her up and we crossed a finger of water where the water was as still as glass and we all took advantage of it. I was on the ‘good’ side of the boat and clicked like I had the jitters hoping one would capture what we were all seeing.

I got lucky,

A few times.

We played the afternoon away swimming, fishing and more swimming in the tepid water. During the drive back, the Dutch went their way to Surat Thani and the French and myself went back to Khao Sok for a night at the Reggea Bar to play Jenga and pool.

The next morning I walked into Khao Sok National Park for a second run at Ton Kloi waterfall, 7 kilometers through the jungle. I had to get up early because 14 kilometers doesn’t sound like much until you add the fact that its over roots, logs, narrow paths all in the jungle with seven different waterfalls and ponds to chose from to swim in. I saw a wild boar, a mouse deer, and a couple snakes that were harmless.

I returned to Art’s Review Resort for a Tom Yum Ghai and a Chang Yai. I watched the water flow and kids swing into space and let go with the inevitable splash followed by screams and laughter.

Another week well spent in on of my favorite areas of Thailand. Eight days is seriously not enough, but then again I get itchy feet. See you where they stop for the holidays.

I believe it’s back in the water searching for whale sharks.

www.davidcdagley.com

Wicked Diving In The Similan Islands, Thailand

Wicked Diving Similan Islands, Thailand

We had just completed 9 dives in 3 days including a night dive in the Surin Islands just north of the Similan Islands and headed into the harbor for a Wicked Diving crew change and to let those off who had signed up for a three day-9 dive trip and pick up new guests. Four of us remained for the second three day-9 dive trip to the Similan Islands. I’m not going to go into detail about the boat because I did it in the last blog. This is more about the differences, what we saw and the experience.

For one thing the islands are more granite than limestone and boulders seen above waterline are identical to those below but obviously the flora and fauna and environment are very different. There are lots of narrow corridors and a few swim through spots about that are always fun. Our dive guide Nack is a young buck with one more year of high school to go. He was as comfortable under the water as he was above. He looked for anything and everything and landed us on some incredible sights. Cop Khun Cop.

I do have to mention that in the last four years of traveling about I hadn’t been with such a large group of Americans. There were at least 8 including myself. I hadn’t seen 7 Americans at the same time in years besides in the U.S. We did talk about our lovely political candidates. (Tongue in cheek). The rest of the guests and staff again were from all walks of life and everybody got on smashingly. The dive and boat staff was experienced and knowledgeable and willing to help out whenever however they could. Some short film clips coming, here's one below.

I do have to say ‘kudos’ to the kitchen crew and the Captain for another awesome trip. They were jovial and fun to chill with and my little Thai and their good English were enough to laugh together and constantly smile in passing. Again the food was phenomenal.

There were two trainees on board for Wicked Diving, both engaging and passionate about diving like the rest of us. Tom led the Wicked Diving introductions and every time I called him Thomas he thought his mother was coming after him. Each scuba dive session began with a pre-dive briefing, what to expect and what to look for while below. I can't take you below because the film files are too big but I'm working on a solution. Here's another shorty;

Join me in Khao Sok National Park

www.davidcdagley.com

Wicked Diving Surin-ity

Wicked Diving Surin-ity

Almost every afternoon at this time of year in Khao Lak the rain comes down into the microclimate formed between the mountains and sea where the gray clouds drench the town and flash the night with lightening for an hour or two. I checked out of the Traveller Lodge at noon and the owner/manager invited me to leave my gear until it was time to go to the Wicked Diving office just up the road and go diving. I checked into Wicked Diving and filled out the last minute paperwork and had the afternoon to check out town, grab a late lunch and get any last minute supplies that Wicked doesn’t offer on the boat, peanuts, chips, chocolate and beer if you don’t like Singha or Tiger which they sell on board. If you want something stronger this is the time to acquire it. I thought about it and decided to wait to the last minute and go to the closest shop two doors down from Wicked.

I met two folks that were having last minute Pad Thai and picking up a case of Singha. I introduced myself and picked up a case Chang. Chang is like picking up a case of Russian roulette, it says 5.5% alcohol but there’s a variance of 1.5% above. It turned out the two were going out for six-night scuba dive trip as well. After everyone gathered we hopped in two vans and drove an hour and half up the coast to the pier and the boat. We ate around 8 pm and were given an introduction to the Captain, his wife, kitchen crew, knowledgeable and experienced dive staff, rules, and were given roommates - 2 per stateroom unless you are coupled. The boat departed and once out a ways firecrackers were lit to ward off any evil spirits we may have intentionally or unintentionally brought with us. It was an internationally broad group of people from around the world with at least one common interest, diving.

Chris, head of the first 3-day program, informed us we were diving the Surin Islands, the most remote islands in Thailand and southern neighbors of the Burmese Islands. The Andaman Sea is and has been the home of the Moken people for thousands of years. The Moken are what we now call ‘sea gypsies’. The Moken have relatives in the Burmese islands and are related distantly to the sea peoples all the way down to the Mentawi Islands off the west coast of Sumatra. In their folklore stories are told of ‘Laboon’, the force of the ocean, also known as a Tsunami. Before the Tsunami of 2004 the Moken were somewhat told that they needed to settle on land and the Thai government set some of them on the Surin Islands where they’d be close to the ocean and remote enough to live without much outside influence. When the tsunami hit, they knew what to do due to the elders and their stories and they headed for the hills or to take their ‘kabang’ boat, out to deep water. When all was said and done the village survived with no casualties. That was not the case for the Moken living in tents at the Surin Island National Park Headquarters for a project. December 26^th 2004 at 8:30 the water dropped severely at high tide and the first wave hit followed by a bigger wave and then another. Those that made it to sea picked up those in the water and the Moken that ran into the jungle and up the granite or limestone hills survived. Through out history the Moken have had a rough go of it when it comes to foreigners entering their waters. Typically they prefer to disperse out of fear running their boats into mangrove narrows where they can’t be easily followed and eventually recollect when the coast is clear. They also used the Mangroves for protection from monsoons. Monsoon time seems to be the only time they live on land and even then build houses at the edge of the sea, their mother, their guardian, and their savior.

There were three dives scheduled for the first full day with the first dive being a check out dive sorting divers with others using the same amount of O2 and also ability such as Open Water divers with the like and Advanced divers would be grouped together unless requested differently. This is the dive you are introduced to your guide and sort out your gear in case something doesn’t fit right or needs adjusting. You keep the same set-up for 9 dives in three days or 18 dives in six days; in actuality it’s three nights-four days, six nights-seven days. Wicked Diving also offers numerous courses that you can take on the boat such as Open Water graduating to Advanced Open Water. In the case of the Open Water course Wicked Diving prefers to do the theoretical on land before you get on the boat so plan a couple days in Khao Lak prior.

The Captain of the Mariner has been doing this a very long time and is well respected by the rest of the dive boat Captains. On numerous occasions when we arrived at a dive site a boat would already be on the choice buoy and would relinquish his spot and we would pull in. It’s all about respect. Talking about respect, the food on the boat is better and more consistent than food I’ve been eating in restaurants across Thailand. The Captain’s wife is head of the kitchen and knows her business well. There is usually a lavish western breakfast but most everything else is Thai. The boat buys its vegetables from an organic farm and the honey, eggs and biodegradable soaps are purchased from an orphanage.

Wicked Diving has a strong policy about conservation and ecology with 2% of a guests fees going to projects in the area such as the orphanage, buying chickens so the orphanage can sell the eggs, working with the Moken people in some well thought out and preplanned way for the betterment of life.

I grouped up with Edwin, Jacqueline, and her husband Marshall. Our guide Chris was also the trip lead and has been diving since he was around thirteen. We dove 3 dives the first day, 4 dives on the second day with the last being a night dive and 2 dives on the 3^rd day before heading into the harbor to change crew and guests and then back out heading for the Similan Islands for another 3 days and 9 more dives.

We rarely dove in the same spot but one particular place we did and it was worth every pound of air per square inch.

The boat was spacious enough to find a place to relax, read, sunbathe, listen to music, chat with new friends. The sun deck is half covered because the sun can be brutal but the views are spectacular so the covered area was a favorite and the beanbags were always occupied. A few of us opted to sleep on mats on the top deck under the bright stars and a warm breeze for a blanket. The only light that interferes with the stars is the fishing boat lights outside the National Park and they don’t usually last the night. Sunrises are my favorite.

The main deck was used for pre-dive briefings explaining the topography, what you might see in way of Flora and Fauna, current direction and limitations if any. All meals were served here and there was plenty of food. Wicked has gone as far as cutting down on their plastic bottle consumption by offering their guests refillable water bottles from two 5 gallon hot/cold dispensers. This practice saves thousands of plastic bottles seasonally from entering the National Park, recycling centers and inevitably landfills. Fruit, tea and coffee, juice, yogurt, electrolytes, are on the boat and offered freely. After the last dive and dinner the open-air area ultimately turns into a game center where people can buy assorted sodas or beers and enjoy the evening. The lower deck is state rooms and dive deck.

If only the Wicked Diving attitude could be shared and incorporated into all dive boats around the world offering the same commitment to awareness and policies to protect the environment in which they we all work and live. All of this leads to leaving a smaller footprint so we could all enjoy it and watch it flourish before our eyes and in front of our cameras. Touching coral leaves oils that are detrimental eventually growing a mold that will inhibit or kill it. Touching a turtle shell will do the same thing so the hands-off policy is a good one for everybody to follow.

The Surin Islands are out there and the wind has carved and molded the plant life with strong winds. There are monkeys, pigeons, sea eagles, among others living in the trees and calling the islands home. The islands are a product of tectonic plate activity. The islands are, for the most part, either limestone or granite. We went ashore for an afternoon of Frisbee and have a swim in the blue-blue shallows. There is camping available.

Below the surface the tsunami’s power is apparent and yet life goes on. Whale Sharks and Manta rays, Dolphin, Marlin, Sailfish, Sharks and Whales and flying fish among many others inhabit these waters. Snorkeling is a favorite past time between dives just make sure the boat isn’t leaving anytime soon.

I was lucky to have chosen Wicked Diving having not been on a live-aboard before and not knowing one from another. It was my birthday on board and I felt immediately like-minded and knew I was in good hands. This blog is about our trip to the Surin Islands. The next blog is about the Similan Islands. 

A special thanks to the Captain of the Mariner and his wife, the boat crew who refilled my tanks everyday, and the Wicked Diving staff for putting a memory in the bank that I will not forget easily.

www.davidcdagley.com