We just spent the week-end at KhaoYai, the only national park in Thailand and about two hours from Bangkok. In many ways, it is similar to Algonquin in that it is huge
(takes up four provinces) and is full of wildlife, interesting flora and fauna and lots of waterfalls. I guess that is where the comparison ends though, since the wildlife is not quite what one would see in Ontario.
Instead of the wolf howl, you get monkey howls and gibbons. The forest, which has different elevations is very attractive to Bangkok dwellers who are used to living among canals at sea level,.It is cool, has lots of waterfalls to frolic in and tons of accommodations from tents to fancy resorts. Frankly, I am freezing, but Sylvia seems to being enjoying the cool temperatures. We even have the door to the balcony open, unheard of in Bangkok because of the heat. Sunday morning I spent reading the paper outside which was a real treat. Usually, it is much too hot with no shade to read outside. Now that we are on the bus going back to Bangkok I can see the land flattens out and the temperature is rising..
As you can see from the pictures, we saw lots of monkeys, gaur, deer and a tiger or two. Thankfully, the tiger was in the visitor centre and stuffed! We really wanted to see wild elephants, but the closest we came to seeing them was where they had trampled the grass and left their scat.
We could go out to see the bats when they do their night thing, but I think the leeches might be too much for us. I suppose a lot of the animals also come out at night to forage for food, but I don’t want to be the’ foragee’. Khai Yai actually provided a welcome relief out of the city and I will return during the rainy season when the water I am sure flows like Niagara…sort of.
Ricky has now come and gone. The week he was here we did all kinds of grown up things like have dinner on the Chao Prayo river at the Sheraton hotel, take my Thai teacher out for her birthday, go shopping at fancy malls a few shirts made at my local tailor. I think he enjoyed it and said Bangkok had become ‘Manhattanized,’ since the last time he was here. I guess he was referring to the skyscrapers which he did not remember from the last time ,I guess. He said he loved the vibrancy of Bangkok which goes 24/7
He also got quite a kick, I think, with my futile efforts to speak Thai. At one point, my Thai teacher asked me if I was speaking English as I was making my best efforts to speak eloquent Thai. To-night in the restaurant I asked in colloquial Thai how our waitress was feeling. “Pen Yung ngai bang krup” She smiled dutifully and brought out spring rolls( which we did not order!) I might even be using the correct words, but the tones are killing me or more specifically the people I try speak with.
Sometimes, I feel really good about how I speak and other times cannot even make myself understood. I feel it was probably better when I was using sign language when I first came. Anyway, back to school tomorrow and then plan during the week for where we will go next week-end.
(takes up four provinces) and is full of wildlife, interesting flora and fauna and lots of waterfalls. I guess that is where the comparison ends though, since the wildlife is not quite what one would see in Ontario.
Instead of the wolf howl, you get monkey howls and gibbons. The forest, which has different elevations is very attractive to Bangkok dwellers who are used to living among canals at sea level,.It is cool, has lots of waterfalls to frolic in and tons of accommodations from tents to fancy resorts. Frankly, I am freezing, but Sylvia seems to being enjoying the cool temperatures. We even have the door to the balcony open, unheard of in Bangkok because of the heat. Sunday morning I spent reading the paper outside which was a real treat. Usually, it is much too hot with no shade to read outside. Now that we are on the bus going back to Bangkok I can see the land flattens out and the temperature is rising..
As you can see from the pictures, we saw lots of monkeys, gaur, deer and a tiger or two. Thankfully, the tiger was in the visitor centre and stuffed! We really wanted to see wild elephants, but the closest we came to seeing them was where they had trampled the grass and left their scat.We could go out to see the bats when they do their night thing, but I think the leeches might be too much for us. I suppose a lot of the animals also come out at night to forage for food, but I don’t want to be the’ foragee’. Khai Yai actually provided a welcome relief out of the city and I will return during the rainy season when the water I am sure flows like Niagara…sort of.
Ricky has now come and gone. The week he was here we did all kinds of grown up things like have dinner on the Chao Prayo river at the Sheraton hotel, take my Thai teacher out for her birthday, go shopping at fancy malls a few shirts made at my local tailor. I think he enjoyed it and said Bangkok had become ‘Manhattanized,’ since the last time he was here. I guess he was referring to the skyscrapers which he did not remember from the last time ,I guess. He said he loved the vibrancy of Bangkok which goes 24/7
He also got quite a kick, I think, with my futile efforts to speak Thai. At one point, my Thai teacher asked me if I was speaking English as I was making my best efforts to speak eloquent Thai. To-night in the restaurant I asked in colloquial Thai how our waitress was feeling. “Pen Yung ngai bang krup” She smiled dutifully and brought out spring rolls( which we did not order!) I might even be using the correct words, but the tones are killing me or more specifically the people I try speak with.
Sometimes, I feel really good about how I speak and other times cannot even make myself understood. I feel it was probably better when I was using sign language when I first came. Anyway, back to school tomorrow and then plan during the week for where we will go next week-end.
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