Ready for a Safari

07 Oct Ready for a Safari

Khao Lak Safari Tour – let me share my experiences with you!

Last night was waaaay too hot to sleep – but anyway, my alarm rang at 7 am. Despite I had only a couple of hours of sleep I was not tired at all because I was sooo excited for the trip today!

When we got the office, I firstly met the Thai guide called Saksith (his nickname is Nueng and it is common to call people by there nicknames in Thailand). The tour driver is called Dham. After we picked up the two guests that had booked the tour for the day, we did the adventurous bamboo rafting.

… start your day right with bamboo rafting!

Although the raft was built out of bamboo ist was stabile. Only the act to take a seat on the raft was a bit shaky but as soon as we sat down, we relaxed and fully enjoyed the nature ride along the river. A local guy who led us through the river had a big knowledge about the surroundings and a good eye for animals. He showed us some specials like a snake right above our heads, hidden in a tree – so cool! That was a great start in the day!

First stop: Sea Turtle Conservation Centre!

Injured sea turtle in the conservation centre.

After a couple of minutes in the minivan we stopped at the Sea Turtle Conservation Centre which is a breeding department for baby turtles. Moreover, you can find injured turtels there. People keep them in the centre to help them in terms of recovery. After they are fully recovered, they get back to the ocean.

Ton Pling waterfall? Let’s go!

The next highlight was the refreshment in the Ton Pling waterfall. Surrounded by awesome, green nature we got to the waterfall and luckily we were the only people there! Let me give you an advise: In case you enter the water make sure that you take care of the flow of the water that can be quite strong.

Getting an insight in the Buddhism at Khuek Khak Temple

After this nice refreshment we changed our clothes to enter the Khuek Khak Temple. In Buddhism it is a matter of respect to enter a temple only with hidden shoulders and hidden knees. Short pants are not welcomed.

When in the temple, the Thai tour guide Nueng told us a lot about the Buddhism and its history. In front of the temple we saw a statue of a monk with a burning fire. The represented monk never took a shower in his life but just cleaned himself with the spirit and the smoke of the fire next to him. The statue and the constantly burning fire are placed next to the temple as a memory of him and his strict believes.

Never show your feed to the Buddha…

Location of today’s lunch: Directly in the river

Moreover, in a temple is not allowed to show the feet to the Buddha when you pray. During a praying ceremony the Buddhism people always take care that none of their foot leads to the Buddha. For me it was very interesting to find out more about the Buddhism religion. I am catholic and grew up in a family that does not focus that much on religion. We usually only go to church on Christmas and on Easter. In contrast to that, the Buddhism people really see their religion of a part of their life. Praying and getting a good karma is very important for them.

Ready for a jungle lunch…

When visiting the glamorous temple we got hungry and were ready for a Thai lunch. Our driver took us to a hidden restaurant next to a river. As a surprise of our tour the guests and I ate directly in the water. The restaurant staff just moved the prepared table and chairs in the river so we enjoyed the pure nature while having lunch! Such a unique experience. For lunch we had typical Thai food: Rice, chicken and fresh spring rolls – hmmm we said thank you and “Aroi mak kaa” (Thai for “it was very delicious”).

Elephant bathing was today’s highlight!

Elephant bathing in Khao Lak.

After lunch we were off to the last activity on the program, the elephant station! I have some friends that already did elephant riding and bathing and always made me feel jealous with showing their pictures. I was very happy that I finally got the chance to experience this by myself. Firstly, we bought some bananas to feed the elephants – so cool to see how they eat the hole banana with the use of their trunk! After that we took a bath with the elephants while brushing their hart leather skin. It was an amazing experience to get so close to such big and impressive animals. Tomorrow I will be on the next tour – I will share my experiences with you, I promise – I keep you updated!