The original plan was for a photo trip to Kaeng Krachan National Park with neighbour Nik. A couple of days of hardcore insect hunting, free from distractions.
Then she who must be obeyed discovered she had a three day holiday and decided she wanted to come. Then Nik’s girlfriend decided she wanted to come too, and that she had a friend living nearby that she and Nik could visit after the park.
The upshot was two cars, four people, and a nagging concern that the ladies would find a day stuck in a national park to be a bore (which turned out to be unfounded, they had a great time).
So off to Kaeng Krachan National Park with my wife, and all goes well until we turn off the Bangkok bypass and head south down the coast on the opposite side of the Gulf. The traffic slows to a stop; which always seems to be the time when she who must be obeyed decides she needs to pee.
I need a pee.
We are in the outside lane of a three lane jam, with a further two lanes, also jammed, in the adjoining road. So that is five lanes to battle through before we have a hope of getting to a petrol station.
I need a pee.
Sigh.
So I forced my way through the traffic until finally we made it to the roadside lane, and then finally made it to a garage where she who must be obeyed left the car in a hurry making squeaking noises.
Back on the road and nobody is going anywhere, thanks to roadworks in the left two lanes. It is some time before we regain anything that could be regarded as flowing traffic.
We passed the salt fields where flooded salt water is allowed to dry and then the salt is extracted. A much relieved she who must be obeyed was in a pensive mood.
I have a good idea for a photograph. Take a model and cover her in salt, and then take her photo.
Yes, the would look unusual.
(Thinks for a while) Then afterwards you could deep fry her and eat her!
My wife’s brain works in mysterious ways sometimes.
Of course, thoughts about food, however strange, led to the inevitable “I need a pee, and food”; so we stopped for lunch.
Reached the park late afternoon and were pleased to discover that our resort was just a kilometre from the park gates. Rather than check-in, we decided to check out the park. Entry was 200 baht for a farang and 30 baht for a Thai; but as I can actually see the point of double charging in these places, I happily paid up and we made out way up the hill into the park.
After a few kilometres we came across a couple of ponds with butterflies along the edge doing their mud-puddling thing. In our previous macro outings we have been lucky to see a single butterfly, but here were hundreds sitting on the ground and sucking up the mud.
It was a dizzying sight and for a while I just enjoyed being next to them, before grabbing my camera and trying to get some shots. I was so absorbed that it was a while before I noticed my wife had returned to the car and was standing on the running board nervously looking around.
What’s wrong?
I’m scared.
Of what?
I can’t say. I’m scared, I want to leave here.
Sigh.
I then launched into a diatribe about we had hardly penetrated the park, how there was nothing here to be scared of, how visitors often set off for long treks into the forest and they were OK; while thinking that this was going to be a difficult trip.
In the event, she seemed perfectly comfortable for the rest of our time in the park and I could not understand why she had been so jumpy at that particular location.
And then on the way home on our second day we were sat in the back of a pick-up with the owner of the resort. As we passed the ponds we had visited on the first day he announced:
You see a lot of tigers here.
Pardon?
Yes, they come here to drink. I have seen them myself.
Were you scared?
Of course. But the tiger was scared too, and I was mainly scared that I wouldn’t get a photo.
She who must be obeyed gave me one of her “I told you so” looks.
I asked her later how she had known.
How did you know that there might be tigers there?
I saw the tracks coming out of the woods to the ponds, looked like tiger paws.
Why didn’t you say.
In my culture we believe that if you say the word “tiger”, then one will show up. Best not to say anything.
So if a tiger had come out of the woods, then you could have shouted “tiger” just before I was torn to shreds?
Yes. Well, that’s a comfort.
Back at the resort after our unknowing visit to the tiger ponds, we found Nik and his lady already arrived, but no sign of the reservations for us that I had made by email and confirmed by phone. Luckily they still had rooms and we were soon tucking into some excellent food before settling down for a good night’s sleep before a full day in the park starting at 0500 the following morning. But that’s another post.