A 3-hour bus ride north from Ao Nang brought me to Khoa Sok – a welcomed, bushy change of scenery. A different type of tourist can be found there – mostly older couples, families, and stoners. I was surrounded by shrubbery and could probably have foraged for my own food with all the flowering fruit trees!
I thought I might hire a scooter while in Khoa Sok, but the entire length of the single main road could be walked in under two hours. There were some ATROCIOUS looking ‘hotels’. The worst of the lot had a big golden gate with angry eagle statues. The place could use an artist’s touch. Then I passed an unadvertised place that would have been IDEAL for the likes of me.
A wooden and bamboo deck looked as if it’s part of the jungle, with trees penetrating through the floors, hammocks and beanbags scattered everywhere, a wood-fueled fire busy crackling away, and a little stream underfoot with fish-life. The little wooden huts looked totally weather-beaten, but if they housed a comfy mattress and mosquito net, sign me up! The owner and I vibed immediately and he was sad to tell me that they were fully booked. Seems as if he has smoked a lifetime’s worth of happy herb.
I had hoped to do a night “safari” but all the tourist activities asked for a minimum of two persons, and no one else had signed up, so I thought I would explore the big national park as my own guide the next day and see what I might stumble across. The only other thing of interest is a man-made lake. You can do a full-day lake tour via canoe or bamboo raft (minimum 2 persons though).
I loved not being offered a massage or taxi service every 45 seconds and the peacefulness and greenery in Khoa Sok was something to appreciate, but I was already missing the ocean! Two friends have highly recommended Koh Tao, and I realised that this little island to the east was not far. Smaller doses of different places seemed to be in order.
Next: Thailand #20 – Then I Was Totally Alone
Previously: Thailand #18 – Persian Dancing
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