MISSION COMPLETE.

Still reeling…it seemed unlikely that we would find this ancient flower which only blooms in February and is found only in remote areas of Khao Sok National Park but… WE FOUND IT ALRIGHT!! We left “Our Jungle House” early in the morning and began our trek along the highway towards Phuket. We reached the small foot trail about 3km from our place and started up-up-upwards on the trek of our lives. Steep and winding the track lead us through dry river beds, passed massive trees and tropical life, and along challenging trail high amongst the rainforest canopy. After a grueling uphill battle…there she was-Rafflesia Kerrii Meijer, in all her glory. They don’t lie; this flower is mammoth, pristine, and BEAUTIFUL. We really felt a sense of accomplishment finding this flower. We had trudged through the forest for hours. We were, hot, sweaty, dehydrated, and beat however taking in this once-in-a-lifetime experience was much reward. We found a great little look out spot as we headed back, we took some shots, and recouped before finishing off our 12-15km exploration.

George & Jane

And we thought we were in the Jungle before!…HA! Well for starters we couldn’t ask for a better location, although one of the more costly accommodations @ about $30CAD for the 2 of us for the night, this place is AWESOME. Our stilt house bungalow is located right on the Kaoh Sok River, with huge bamboos and so many varieties of tropical plants just outside our door. Not only does our backyard have its very own river but just beyond the river is one of the many ENORMOUS limestone cliffs in the area. Our first night at dinner, we spotted several types of curious insects and lizards but most impressive is the Articus Atlas (Amazon sized moth). Not speaking in exaggerative fisherman’s terms, this thing had a wing span of at least 10 inches…it was beautiful. Almost everything in the forest comes in “Ancient” size. Sleeping in the evening is like having the most detailed and lively “Sounds of the Rainforest” meditation tape to relax to. The sounds are unreal and seeing as we only have wooden lattice walls, the creatures of the night are free to roam in and out as they please. We are both incredibly thankful for the good quality, elastic bottomed, bug netting which hangs around our bed.

The most painful of all the gigantic things we encountered today was the STUPIFYING number of staircases we climbed. I m sure being able to read Thai would have saved us this climb but I would bet we climbed about 1 km of steps along the route to a 400 metre tall tree. Photos just don’t do this mama justice. After our tough hike as we wandered out of the park we found a fresh water spring river where we waded and refreshed before cruising the exotic forest town and heading back to our jungle hut. Snakes, lizards, tree frogs, giant bugs/beetles/winged insects, and so many other creatures have been making very regular appearances lately but tonight we spotted our first giant toad. Now this wasn’t one of those oversized pot bellied toads but it was a typical looking toad roughly the size of a small baseball mit…INTENSE! Tomorrow we hope to discover the “BIG FLOWER”, as it is popularly referred to here, which may entail a bit of a mission. As for tonight we fall easily into sleep as the uninterrupted soundtrack of the Jungle plays on.

Laa Kawn & Khawp Khun Koh Tao

It's official! We are both PADI Open Water Scuba Divers! We had an amazing experience on Koh Tao learning and exploring new territory. The island and weather have been beautiful our entire stay but after a week here, it is time to move on. Next stop is Kaoh Sok National Park 646 Square km of thick native rainforest and rugged mountains. We are excited to explore the remnants of a 160 000 000 year old forest eco-system. This park is home to one of the rarest species of lotus flower with a bloom spanning 80cm-Rafflesia Kerrii Meijer. We hope to spot wild animals ranging from elephants, tigers, Malayan Sun bears, and more than 180 species of birds. Off the map for a few, but we’ll have lots of exciting updates after our trek into the woods…

Friday, February 13th, we arrive in Koh Tao. What a truly beautiful island. It was uninhabited until 1933 when it was first used as a political prison but the prime-minister received a royal pardon in 1947 and all the prisoners were moved. Shortly after that the island was slowly populated by people arriving from the island we just came from, Koh Phanang. We left on a ferry from Thong Sala, the pier town of Koh Phanang, and arrived in the late afternoon. We were warned of the rough road separating the main beach/pier from the secluded bay where we had booked in to stay for the following week. With no exaggeration, we were THROWN around the cab of the 4WD vehicle as it ascended and descended the mountainous range. The “road” was ridden with monstrous boulders and washed out trenches-we quickly learned that we weren’t going to be doing much travel from our bay unless it was on foot. Arriving at Tanote Bay, we immediately appreciated the magic this spot was filled with. We climbed high amongst the trees where we found our precious tree house bungalow, constructed of wood, stone, bamboo, and other natural materials. Our little hut is beautiful and we agreed, best described as romantically rustic. Our tree house even has a private balcony with a hammock and seating for two for all those early morning sunrises we will wake for over the next 7 days.

Bangkok, the city that NEVER sleeps. We found our guest house with ease. It was located down a rather questionable alley which was home to the various aromas of a typical Asian city (poo/food/garbage-poo hybrid). The 1st night in Bangkok was spent on Khao San Rd., the popular backpacker haven and playground. We enjoyed some local fare and watched the nightly spectacle unfold. Bangkok is a city known for its bizarre sights and sounds and we surely experienced most of these. Day 2 was a bit of a whirl-wind. We quickly found that two Westerners holding a map in front of the Grand Palace is easy prey for a swindler in Bangkok. We we’re approached by a man on the street who had a real slick scheme, build trust with tourists, put them on a Tuk Tuk (motorcycle taxi), and have the driver bring them to jewelry stores, tailors, and souvenir shops. All in all it was an interesting day and the 4 hour “city tour” cost us less than 3 dollars.

After some run-arounds our trip to Koh Phanang took quite a bit longer than forecasted. We arrived on the island by ferry at about 4 in the afternoon on the 9th. An arranged ride brought us to a pretty rough looking joint (Holiday Beach Resort)-made up of shabby huts dotted along the beach. We plunked our packs down in the blistering 37 degree weather and headed for the check-in desk. As we approached there was a noticeable unease in the air. Seeing as how the monthly Full Moon Party was taking place the following night, we assumed that rooms would be scarce…HOWEVER when we were told that the resort had 80 over bookings for that day alone we were more than shocked. One thing the Thais are excellent at is making tourists happy even when they’ve dropped the ball BIG TIME. We were told that there was vacancy at another property on a beach on the Northwestern corner of the island. We weren’t impressed at the distance we would have to travel to the party (30 min drive) but without any other options we jumped in another pick-up which took us to our new location. We arrived at Bounty Resort and to our surprise this place was far nicer than we had ever expected. With most of the comforts of home, this beautiful little resort was set away from the noise and annoyances of the over populated. We think this one worked in our favourJ

FULL MOON PARTY! When these words are uttered in any circle of travelers, a barrage of stories unfolds and conversation could run on for hours. What an AMAZING experience! We arrived in the back of a pick-up a little after 10pm. The moon was hanging brightly in the sky, thumping music echoed from the beach, and thousands of people flooded the streets of Haad Rin Nok. We joined the masses as we marched towards the beach making a pit-stop at a street vendor to buy some customary florescent body paint. Our bodies decorated and feeling no pain, we stepped onto the sand. Absolute chaos and ecstasy surrounded us in every direction and we couldn’t help but take part in the madness. Oh we danced...In fact we’re sure that there are videos out there of the two crazy Canadians cuttin’ a rug. After a couple hours of bliss we laid down in the sand to catch our breath and bask in the moonlight and just like that, we we’re out. Some time later we awoke and it was like we had never missed a beat. We decided that it would be wise to maybe get back to the resort so we found a taxi going in our direction. We chatted up a Canadian couple from Burlington on the way home and learned of some beautiful locations they had seen on the island. So after a wild party and a good night’s rest we basically just laid low for the day on the resort’s patio watching movies, eating, and nursing our hangovers-life is rough…

Planes, Toilets, and F-bombs...

After a terribly turbulent flight into Heathrow Airport we took the Tube into Piccadilly Circus. As we traveled into town the train cars filled with Londoners starting their business day. We were more than excited to have our feet planted on the ground and started out towards the popular sights of London. After taking in Buckingham Palace we experienced our first bit of misfortune...For the next several hours Danielle became alarmingly familiar with a variety of “Loos” throughout the city. Suffering from intense motion sickness in addition to very little sleep after the wretched flight our excursion to the city was cut short. There is a conveniently located Hilton on site at the airport so we hung up our cameras and crawled in for a couple hours of rest before our next flight.

After a solid 6 hours sleep, we boarded our flight onwards to Bangkok. The Qantas flight was on a spacious 744 with leg room and all the most modern amenities. Not too long into the flight our safely stowed belongings were inconsiderately ripped from the overhead compartment. As we rested comfortably, Brandon’s head was THUMPED!-first with our camera bag and second by an oversized hard plastic suitcase. We don’t know whether it was the crack of Brandon’s skull or maybe a bout of altitude related anger but most of the other passengers became aware of the 2 Canadians at the rear of the plane with a severe case of potty mouth. Unfortunately for Brandon, they do not issue hard hats upon boarding…