Time can be alarming with the way in which it moves as you
travel in and about foreign countries.
In one moment it has a way of standing still. You are taking in so much at such a fast rate
it feels like time has slowed down, but as you move about a place, or try and
fit as much as you can do into a short window, time vanishes.
This is no new revelation, and being American
I am more prone to never give time a chance to even feel slow. That was definitely the shared mentality in
Japan. But Thailand offered a needed
punctuation from the crammed itinerary we had set forth.
There were times at which I was forced to just sit down and
let time catch up to me. It was those
moments that I realized how beautiful of a country I was in.
We spent a day traveling into the countryside in the
cheapest cab we could find. It was the
back of a pickup truck with benches.
Our other option was to spend more and sit in a presumably smelly van... The drive to and from the national park we visited may very well have
been the most pleasant moment of the whole trip.
The country itself was gorgeous with postcard scenic views each
direction you looked. Small shacks with
the family dog out front. Elephant
crossing signs.
Rice patties framed by
jungles and mountains. As much stuff as
I can find to do in cities, I was quickly reminded how much I prefer to get out
of them.
At the park we spent the day at there were a series of seven
waterfalls. Each of which were beautiful
on their own. Several were deep enough
to swim in.
The water was pretty chilly,
and there were an excessive amount of fish expecting to get fed by you, but how
can you pass up getting in the water in such a great place.
The park itself had quite a bit of wild life
including elephants and tigers. I listed
those cause they seem the most rare. And
well, they are. So naturally we saw no
signs of either. We did spot a five foot
long lizard we believed to be a komoto dragon.
After looking it up it’s actually called a water monitor because it’s
not on a specific island, but the prehistoric looking lizard is virtually the
same animal. There were also several
monkeys.
Overall there is not much to write about such a place that
pictures don’t do a better job explaining.
I am glad parks like it exist. I
am glad I got to see it.
The end of the visit to the park marked the end to our stay
in Thailand. However the gravity of the
country stuck with me for some time after.
There is not a single place like it.
The amount of stuff sold on mats and tarps on the side of the road.
The contrast of delicious food eaten on wobbly
plastic tables. The smiles from the
local people. The kamikaze driving of
the moped taxis. All still held my focus
as we traveled to our next destination of Hong Kong. Fortunately, China felt more like home and
helped me decompress from the experience of Bangkok.
