Thailand- deep south to Mekhong river

So since i last wrote, i have spent two amazing nights on Tarutao island.


after riding the 60kms north of Satun town to Pakbara pier, i negotiated the touts and organised for a trip to the most quiet and natural islands of the islands in the area- Ko Tarutao. Its a huge island- bout 30kms long and 15kms wide, covered in dense jungle (v.high rainfall), exclusively a national park, full of wildlife and was a former penal colony for hardened criminals more than 10 years from before until after WW2. There is much to explore on the island, and i gladly had my bicycle along to pedal the network of roads the national parks dept has built between a few of the main sights.


The first afternoon i arrived, after setting up tent under the shade of mangrove palms beside a white sandy beach, i set off to survey the nearby vicinity. Soon i was in a state of near euphoria- stunned by close encounters with near tame rare wildlife- spectaculed langurs and hornbills- both of which i could go within metres of groups of them. I climbed up to the top of the cliff that shadowed the campground for a spectacular view of the sunset, jungle, hills and islands and some brief moments for stilling meditation on impermanance.

The next day was a full day of adventure- making the most of all the roads built on the islands and pushing a old penal road beyond its capacity. It was serene yet exciting to pedal quietly and with this near siltent method i could catch many animals by surprise- judging by their squeals and frantic dashes up into trees or into the forest when they noticed how close i was. Crusing through the deep, deep forests, towering dipterocarp above, thick undegrowth below, my ears hearing the jungle symphony while my eyes straining to their limits in this natural environment to catch a glimpse through the vines and branches of the many animals and birds that i could hear clearly. As it was langur monkeys blocked the roads a couple of times , and i was able to go close to a group of wild boar, and sea eagles swooped above the road just in front- not to mention the many other birds in this paradise. after 12kms i arrived at Talo Wow-the site of a penal colony from 1936-1946. I decided to try for a ride 12kms further south along the 'road' built by the convicts that connected the convict camp from that of the political prisoners (arrested after struggling for a democratic thailand against the military dictatorship of that period). However this orad was VERY poorly maintained- (barely suitable for trekking) and i struggled with the bike, pedalling and carrying the cycle for 5kms up the rocky and overgrown track and through forest of fallen trees b4 decding i probasbly didnt have enough water for the trip, i was happy just to have reached even further into the deep forest, and lay down to soak it in a few mins b4 turning back. The struggles werent quite over though, cause on the downhill way back though bouncing down the track dodging boar diggings and branches etc., my morale slipped when i heard the distinct whizzing sound of a puncture in my back tyre. I fixed it there in the jungle- 4 punctures all in the back tyre. Back at the penal site i toured all the old ruins- hospital, HQ, sawmill, etc and read the dramatic stories of life on the island for these folks who suffered corrupt officials, backbreaking labour, medicine and food shortages, a malaria outbreak (killing 25% of popn in one year- 1943) before turning to piracy of passing freight ships once their supplies were cut off during ww2. These raids were only stopped when the British sent 300 troops from Penang to assist the thais in subduing the rebels. Thais tend to beleive in ghosts and they probly see such a place as severly haunted (confirmed later after chatting to park staff). Toilet stains in the corner of a wooden camping shelter confirmed many visitors had been too afraid to venture into the forest at night. Next i rode back across the island to the west coast- i Hadnt seen another soul all day until i visited the beach just south of the main campground, where a couple lounged. took a leisurely swim b4 heading further south to Ao Son- another campsite, also very quiet, and then made a 6km return trek inland to Lu Phu waterfall, scrambilng over boulders and under vines along the creekbed to reach this idyllic oasis of pristine clear and deep water underneath and series of small, winding, rocky falls. Took a few leaps off 5m high rocks into the cool deep waters and revelled in the beauty and solitude. On the way there i had taken a side track to arrive at the tip-the ugly side of our human presence- being feasted upon by a HORDE of at least 2 dozen wild boar and almost as many big monitor lizards. In all this i havent mentioned half of the wildlife sightings i stumbled across- this place is surely a wildlife lovers paradise!

The next morning wandered up through the mangroves in the inlet beside our camp- (saw a large furry animal that rangers later couldnt identify for me- mysterious!) and took a last swim b4 packing up and chatting to the friendly restaurant staff one last time and taking the midday boat back to Pakbara. From Pakbara rode the 10kms to Langu on the highway and waited for a bus to take me the 100kms to Trang- from where i was then able to get a seat on the train back to Bangkok that evening. By chance the couple i had met a few days earlier on the bus to Trang were on the same train and Geoff the Brisbanian loudly hailed me on the platform. I listened to more of their dramas over the evening and started to think my helpful suggestions for creating harmony in the face of conflict were falling on deaf ears as these guys revelled in their not so subtle competition- neither was happy- but neither had the will or courage to ditch the other. Oh 'love' can be foolish!

Spent an onight in Bangkok to visit the bike shops for a few touch ups, as well as burning a CD of photos, catching up with friends, and on the 21st feb took the bus to Petchabun- about 400kms N.NE of Bangkok in a mountainous area between the central, northern and northeastern regions of the country.
On the bus to Petchabun i met a very nice lady who did humanitarian work with Hmong minority hilltribe people in Petchabun. We chatted on many topics (stretching my thai to its limits), had refreshingly similar ideas on culture and religion and she offered me many fruits. It was strange to feel the cool evening air in Petchabun- a sign of the higher altitiude and northerliness of the place-having been in the hot tropics for the past few months.
So the next morning, after checking out a couple of Petchabun sights (mostly temples), i started the journey north, gladly finding (with my special Isaan map!) a quiet backroad running parallel to the busy highway and floating past the typical northen thai style countryside, agriculture, architecture- stilted bamboo (and nowadays many more solid) houses, here a variety of crops- tobacco, corn, other fruit and vegies, tall hills rising up to my left and in the distance to the right too. The hills were brown and dry looking, covered with leafless forests, being the time of transition from the cold season to the hot (and dry) season, (the only other local season being the wet season)- but fortunately the waterfall i had planned to visit was still flowing freely. Several strong branches cascaded over rock and limestone, a large pool below perfect for a refreshing dip, getting under the showering flow and taking dives into the cool waters. A group of young construction workers from Bangkok were friendly companions for the visit, and i moved on, feeling rejuvenated and the kms of rolling hills and attractively cultivated countryside seemed to roll by effortlesly. I decided to try and push on to Dansai- but didnt really know what i was in for as my map didnt show elevations. I ended up riding 120kms for the day from Petchabun though i left after midday- and gained a few 00ms altitude too! The last 25kms were in the dark (very glad i bought a bike light in BKK!) and a huge uphill surprise waited for me right at the end- the headlights descending through the shadows far above answering my minds silent question of where this road was going as hemmed in by silhouetted mountains- but i pushed on- managing to avoid an overstraining injury- and was rewarding with a nightview of Dansai town and a plunging steep descent through the blackness at up to 70kms. Checked out Dansai the next day- 2 x temples and a folk museum- one of the temples (Wat Chedi Si Song Rak) being famous as a 450year old monument monument declaring the deep mutual love (respect, shared future) between the kingdoms of Laos and Thailand- at least partly motivated by the common threat of Burmese invasion at the time- but still a reminder of the close cultural similarities and historical connections, despite the divergent economic circumstances of the 2 countries these days. The main feature of the folk museum was to exhibit and explain the features of the areas unique and colorful 'Pii Ta Khon' annual festival, where locals parade in painted masks and costumes, perform many ceremonies and build such acessories as penis tipped weaponry, as an offering to the areas guardian spirits who can protect them from sickness and promote agricultural fertility. Such customs denote the continuing animist tradtions of the area (in parallel to buddhist practices), with male and female shamanic leaders highly respected and playing prominent roles in the festivities- and to me it typifies the mountain folk all over the region who cling more closely to the traditional beliefs of nature and spirit worship, and im sure they have their reasons- however obscured they may be now through ages of adaptation and non-literal symbolic traditions.
From Dan Sai i headed east and it was a long gradual uphill to Phu Rua- where i bypassed the now cold and dry Phu Rua national park, and continued on up, past many flower, orchid and plant gardens, seasonal resorts (for Bangkok folk wanting a taste of wintry weather) and cool weather fruit farms + other niche climate crops, before taking a nice long downhill roll to Loei provincal capital. The valley became more green, with much bamboo, as i descended and the crops graduated to tropical fuits and rice paddy- more water down here. In Loei during the evening i took a pedal out to the fringe villages of the town to watch the sunset beside the Loei river, b4 feasting on many fresh, tasty and cheap foods from the market, chatting to hotel staff and retiring.
This morning i departed Loei city heading north, stopping at a Loei cultural hall- with interesting exhibits on local lifestyle, maps, geological info (i thought of my uncle robins company exploration in this area) and at a cave temple with large networked carverns (explored with my torch), stalactites, bats amongst graceful golden buddha statues such a solid gold sukhotai style walking buddha standing above the shadows. I pushed on to reach Chiang Khan on the Mekong river- revelling in my first views of this massive and hugely significant waterway- visiting Kaeng Khu Khu -sight of rocky rapids and a dramatic twist in the rivers path as well as a couple of temples, watching the sunset. Over the next few days i will follow the river Eastwards, past some temples famous for housing meditation masters to Nong Khai and phaps beyond
see u again soon dear peoples!