LittleSandyBeach

We decided to go on a bamboo raft down the Sok river. As there had been a huge thunderstorm the night before the water was very cloudy but at least the rain had stopped! After getting our balance on the raft it was surprisingly stable!

It was very peaceful with only the sound of the water and wildlife. Our guide was great and pointing things out to us while making sure we didn’t crash!

After about 30 minutes floating down the river we stopped at a small camp where our guide made us a coffee the traditional way, by boiling the hot water inside a bamboo trunk.

After about 10 minutes the water was boiling and then he poured it into handmade bamboo cups which he had just made even with a bamboo stirring spoon!

In Khao Sok village there are many places to eat but the best place as always was a small stall which sold just three different types of soup; Chicken, Pork and Duck.

After the third time of trying the soup we decided to research what kind of dark coloured ‘mushrooms’ were in the soup as they tasted slightly… different. Congealed chicken blood is surprisingly nice!

The next day we wanted to go check out a temple nearby called Wat Tham Phanthurat. After a very hot 40 minute walk we arrived and were greeted by security…

After peering inside the grounds and seeing many many more monkeys we decided to admire the temple from the safety of the road!

In the evening at 7pm we met our guide for a two hour night safari inside Khao Sok National Park. Covered head to toe in insect repellent and a torch in hand we entered the wilderness… Literally after a minute our guide had already found the biggest spider we’ve seen, the web is two metres wide!

Our guide had a sixth sense for finding animals and after just a few more minutes the UV light came out and a scorpion appeared in front of us.

Next we saw a Huntsman spider but we were reassured that they aren’t very dangerous to humans.

The spiders were definitely the most abundant animals we saw but there was also a lot of lizards.

After asking our guide what was the biggest snake she’s seen and her showing us a video she took of a giant King Cobra we waited for our first encounter with a snake…. Luckily it was only a baby!

Our guide somehow even spotted a Spectacled Langur high up in the canopy of the trees!

Before the night safari we were quite apprehensive but it was fantastic and surprisingly relaxing with all the sounds of the wilderness. The difference in how much you see compared to the day is huge. Definitely would recommend!

The next evening we decided to try a spot of camping in a tent… mainly because it was £2.44 a night!

We had booked a small tent but got upgraded to a large one double the size! It even had a fan inside. Not too much sleep because of dogs howling but a good experience!

Yesterday we left Khao Sok at 9am in a minivan to get a ferry to Koh Phangan Island. We arrived last night at 4.30pm.

Of course Koh Phangan is famous around the world for its full moon party and that happens to be tonight… let’s see if it lives up to the hype! Body paint at the ready!