by Mark Butland | 04/01/2023 | Thailand 2023
We were up at dawn for a mist safari on Cheow Lan Lake, and saw giant hornbills and monkeys feeding in the treetops before heading back to the mainland. Several kinds of hornbill live in Khao Sok, including the great, wreathed, oriental pied and white-crowned...
by Mark Butland | 03/01/2023 | Thailand 2023
We joined a small group heading out to Cheow Lan Lake. The lake was made when the Ratchaprapha Dam was finished in 1982. A longtail boat took us between huge limestone karsts rising out of the water, and then we walked to a waterfall tucked away in the forest. That...
by Mark Butland | 02/01/2023 | Thailand 2023
We flew south to Surat Thani and transferred to the Riverside Cottages in Khao Sok. Khao Sok National Park was set up in 1980, and its rainforest is often said to be older than the Amazon. At the cottages, a thatched walkway led through the jungle greenery. In the...
by Mark Butland | 01/01/2023 | Thailand 2023
New Year’s Day took us to the Erawan Museum, with its giant three-headed elephant, and then to the huge grounds of the Ancient City. Both were created by Lek Viriyaphant, and the museum’s elephant is made of copper. It was a quiet way to start the year. The Ancient...
by Mark Butland | 31/12/2022 | Thailand 2023
We began the day at Damnoen Saduak floating market, about 100km south-west of Bangkok, finding our way through the crush of boats loaded with fruit and local crafts. The floating market is busiest early in the morning. Then it was on to Bangkok to get ready for New...
by Mark Butland | 30/12/2022 | Thailand 2023
We spent the day in the green, jungle-covered hills of Erawan National Park. It was our second visit, as we’d also been to Erawan on our 2022 trip. Climbing all seven tiers of the waterfall took some effort, with rocky paths between each level, but there was a bright...
