The last two English camps were hot but successful - a heat wave hit Hat Yai just in time for Dylan's arrival. After two days of fun with the kids, we were all droopy but happy. Our going away party with the Smart English crew was also a very good time. We all went to one of our favorite Thai restaurants, ate yummy food (some of which P Toi, our manager, cooked for us) and sang bad karaoke. A lot of people had some commendable things to say about us, and we were given some very nice Thai clothes that we look forward to wearing on special occasions at home. We'll miss all of our friends from Smart English!

With school officially wrapped up, we hit the road to show Dylan a bit of South Thailand. We headed first for the Trang coast to Haad Yao Nature Resort, where we had a fantastic self-guided paddle through the mangroves to a HUGE cave. After exploring the cave, we headed back only to hear from Khalil (the resort founders' son, and a great cook) that we'd actually missed the "main" cave, which was up a ladder to the side. Dylan and Trevor couldn't resist heading back, and braved the turning tide and setting sun to do the real thing. I settled in on the deck to read a book. We also had the good fortune to make it over to the "secret beach", which can only be accessed at low tide. With tons of small caves and rock arches, it might be the prettiest little beach we've seen so far. For a small beach, it also offered a lot of prime nature-viewing, with langurs (leaf-eating monkeys), brahminy kites, a white-bellied sea eagle, and the tracks of a small monitor lizard, which we followed in and out of the rocks.

Anxious to get out to the island, we headed for HYNR's sister operation on Koh Libong, where one has the opportunity to boat or kayak into dugong habitat for a chance to see the rare animals. This trip was not possible at the time, and after enjoying the beach and extremely friendly village for a couple days, we decided to head for Khao Sok National Park a bit early.

We checked into the Rainforest Resort, a quiet establishment along the Sok river, and picked two bungalows up on the hillside. We saw a flying lizard on one and a beautiful green tree frog on another, so we decided this must be the lucky place! Our big jungle hike the next day was outstanding. We saw lots of hornbills, langurs, macaques, lizards with horns, and countless other amazing examples of tropical forest life. We swam in a beautiful little gorge on the Sok river.

The next day we decided to go up to Cheow Lan Lake to stay in a floating bungalow. The boat ride to the bungalows alone makes the trip worthwhile: huge limestone cliffs and pillars shoot straight up out of the lake, with thick forest growing on seemingly impossible slopes. We took a lot of pictures. Arriving at Ton Teuy, we enjoyed some fantastic food, and found the staff very friendly, and very encouraging of our Thai!

Unfortunately this beautiful place was struck by tragedy on our first day there. A group of 9 people (2 Thai guides and 7 tourists) was caught in a flash flood through a popular cave near our bungalows. In the evening hours we watched a large-scale search and rescue operation unfold. A single tourist was the sole survivor. The caring, diligence, and effort of all involved was touching and impressive, even if the end result was extremely sad. As the search stretched into the second day, we made plans to leave early, and were an hour away from boating off the lake when the operation concluded with the celebration of finding the survivor. With our concerns of being in the way allayed, and the bungalow staff insisting that we stay on, we opted to stay one more night. We had a fantastic connection with the staff that night, talking about the park, what happened, and their friends who were gone. None of us will forget this experience any time soon.
Back at the Rainforest Resort, Dylan had one last lunch with us before catching a bus for his "One Night in Bangkok" (and one day, too) before flying home. He was there for my 100th Thai bird (the ruby-cheeked sunbird across the river, not the mystery sea eagle on the lake - sorry Dylan)! We were very glad to have him here with us, and think a good time was had by all.

Initially it looked like only the lake portion of the park would be closed, but then it was announced that all parks in south Thailand would be closed for at least a week for a safety assessment. After sneaking in one more short hike, we decided it was a firm sign to head for the beach, and that we should treat ourselves to the fancy snorkel trip we've been contemplating. Our boat leaves the day after tomorrow, and we firmly resolve to sip fruit shakes on the beach until then!

Labels: birds, Hat Yai, hiking, teaching, Thailand

Our last couple weeks have focussed on finishing classes with our students, enjoying ourselves exploring Ton Nga Chang waterfall, and hosting Em's school's English camp at another waterfall.

We both finish teaching class this coming Wednesday and our last camp is this Friday. The program we work for (Smart English Hat Yai) holds English camps for each of the three schools where we have western teachers. Em's camp (last Friday) was the first of the three. Pictures from Jiraporn's camp and school are here.

A couple weeks ago Em began teaching a "Thai animals" section that would be covered again in a couple of her camp activities. The topic looked so fun I piggybacked some of her materials (often the case this term). Teaching a topic that excited me gave me another glimpse at the beauty of educating. I have been more focussed on trying to get the students to learn English in a fun manner and still enjoy this principle challenge. But taking this opportunity to research and teach a topic I'm interested in yielded additional rewards of this work.

At the camp, Em conducted a Scavenger Hunt where teams had to find cut-outs of different animals amongst a forested creek bed. Each animal had a secret code written on it, and the first team to return with all the correct codes won. I held a hornbill relay where students raced to see who could carry the most food to their respective nests. They first had to collect one peanut with long tongs and then run to their nest and drop it in a small hole in future board (similar to the small opening mudded together in a typical hornbill nest). If this activity didn't wear them out, I then conducted a "Mother Monkey, Mean Tiger" activity which replicated a survival of the fittest game in an exerting fashion. The day did have some spoken English, some fun games such as tug of war, balloon relays, and of course some song singing.

Em and I have spent the last couple weekends exploring around Ton Nga Chang Falls. This area boasts seven tiers of falls, and they are all quite impressive. While this area is a popular tourist spot, almost nobody hikes beyond the first couple falls (.5 km from the trailhead) so it is an easy place to get intimate with the jungle.

On our first voyage we spent more time in the middle tiers exploring the rocky creek beds, inspecting a large toad, and swimming in a pool where we found a 6-foot-long dead rat snake. On the second trip we blazed a trail to the last of the waterfall (#7) where we saw a long millipede, admired more types of orchids, enjoyed more swimming, and heard gibbons. Whether it's gibbon calls, cicada chirps, or the gurgle of the stream, the natural noises of nature are a great reprise from the horns of the city.

We are excited to spend time soon with our friend Silky (also known as Dylan). He lands in Hat Yai on Thursday and will sing songs at observe my school's camp on Friday before we head out for some fun beach time and jungle exploration.

Labels: Hat Yai, hiking, teaching, Thailand

For our third long weekend out of the last four, we loaded the motorbike and headed to Thale Ban National Park. Yes, this is pronounced like the terrorist trained posse from the Mid-East. No, we did not need to create an improvised explosive device to enter the park gates.

This park sits on the southwest portion of Thailand bordering Malaysia and hosts wet ecosystems ranging from tropical rainforest to mangroves. The park headquarters and bungalows we stayed in are located next to a small lake tucked between steep forested hillsides. This valley is a huge migratory path for birds and one can see many different species throughout the year, including multiple types of hornbills.

The hornbills are most prevalent after their nesting periods (springtime) and we never saw one of these bulky-billed beauties. But we were treated to many types of swallows and swifts darting around the swamp salas and boardwalks at all times of daylight. Never seen but always heard were the rare barking tree frogs.

One morning we headed to the Wangpra Meadows for wildlife and bird viewing. The directions on all park & internet resources were correct but they neglected to mention that the final 10 km after the last left turn was a bumpy dirt trail well suited for a motor cross race. We took our time scooting in while enjoying the calls from two different families of gibbon monkeys. Play the video below to hear the sounds of these majestic mammal callings.



While the meadows were a little too wet to trek great distances, we were lucky to see a couple falconettes, banded woodpeckers, leaf birds, and crested bulbuls. That afternoon we took a nap after lunch hoping the rain would stop. Hours later and no sign of the precipitation relenting, we threw on the ponchos and headed out into leach territory.

Park headquarters has a group of nature trails that places one immediately into the lush diversity of this jungle. While the trails are longer than we might have expected, we never completed either of the two loops. Throughout the weekend, we started out on three of the four different legs and each time were forced to do some difficult trail finding before wisely returning. We learned later that the park strongly recommends a guide and this time of year there are no guides. Thinking of myself as an experienced mountain traveler, I continue to be humbled by the difficulty of navigating dense jungle climes.

On our bigger nature trail walk while hearing another family of gibbons, Em spotted a flying lizard. I only saw it resting on the tree, but she saw it fly (twice). Right after this, we heard some rustling in the upper canopy and looked up to see a gibbon swinging elegantly through the trees. Not only smooth, but this creature also traveled through branches making hardly any sound at all. He stopped a couple times to give us a good look and it was quite memorable. We see macaques (long tailed monkeys) around Thailand all the time and admire their swift mobility. But after seeing the gibbon in action, we have a whole new appreciation for acrobatic agility.

Click here to see more photos of our Thale Ban trip.

The Friday night before we left for Thale Ban, we had a dinner party at a nearby favorite restaurant for Em's birthday. We frequent this place regularly because of the ambiance on the outdoor deck. Sure enough, it rained this particular evening so we sat inside where I sadly realized there was a karaoke machine in action. True to eastern entertainment, this karaoke machine was the hit of the evening as the ladies couldn't put the mic down. Pitt dominated one microphone for a couple hours while Em, Gi, Win Win (Gi's 5 year old daughter), Toi, and May sang a few back-up rolls.

Teaching is going well and I continue to learn the importance of "mixing it up." While I am strongly encouraged to follow the school's syllabus, I really wanted to throw some environmental education into the loop. I figured since my 5th graders were working on recreation activities and a very smart group of kids, I would try to introduce the "Leave No Trace" concept. The first challenge was working on translating with Jean, my assistant. I then headed into the classroom with various pieces of garbage for the kids to guess their decomposition times. Not expecting them to really be able to have an English conversation about the topic, I think it went well and some of them learned the importance of packing it out. I think I also gained some false respect from some of the tougher boys since one of the articles was a cigarette butt.

Labels: birds, Hat Yai, hiking, teaching, Thailand

Final Visa Run





There is a new hot spot in town we visited last Saturday night with Pitt, P Nutt, and P Nutt's clan. We had appetizers and drinks outside before entering the swanky flavored interior. Due to P Nutt's local respect, we were treated well all evening and had a nice stretch of tables near the band. It was my kind of dance atmosphere as there was no dance floor but rather the move your shoulders around a bit while holding a drink standing by your table dance scene. I got a little loose and soon enough was throwing around my famous "surfer" dance.

Towards the end of the night some expensive talent entered exposing more skin than cloth. While we are pretty certain they were all born men, they still successfully won repeated looks from all genders. Most likely out of the clientèle's league, or simply too intimidating, there weren't many folks approaching them. One began venturing around and soon enough was over dancing between Em and Pitt (likely because Em was one of very few present who could really dance). To my blind regret, I learned later from Em that the first few seconds she was dancing with us, she had both breasts fully exposed.

Next...

Tomorrow morning we're heading for Railay Beach in Krabi to enjoy a little vacation over the four day weekend.

Labels: Hat Yai, Thailand, visa

Yes, this is Thailand, but the Thais have never met a festival they didn't like, and there are a lot of ethnic Chinese living here, so they do it up pretty well here in Hat Yai. Chinese New Year was actually last weekend, but here it stretches into a week-long celebration, culminating today (pictures). We kicked off the day at dawn with a dragon- and shrine-filled parade, followed by a yummy dim-sum breakfast, and some crazy firecracker dancing at P Noot's Car Care business (video 1 - above, and video 2). The teams of shrine carriers from the parade spend the day going from place to place around the city blessing homes and businesses by dancing madly around under a super-long string of exploding firecrackers. Noisy and smoky, but fun to watch. Mid-day we all retreated from the heat, then regrouped for an evening at the festival. Many of the men who hauled shrines around all day turned up for fire walking (video). A bed of hot coals was prepared in front of the Chinese temple, and participants raced across singly or in groups with their shrines. Most ran at a dead sprint (can't say I blame them) but those that went at a more deliberate pace got bigger cheers from the crowd. Afterward, we saw a lot of men and boys limping around very gingerly, and one being carried by his friends. Welcome, year of the fire pig.

Labels: Chinese New Year, Hat Yai, Thailand