Khao Sok National Park Day 2
By Lauren Gerzina & Justin Hayes
Spectacled Langur Monkeys, Kayaking, and Elephant Hunting
We planned to get up at about 5:30am for a 6:30am boat ride next to the Khao Sok jungle to try to see some monkeys and other animals. We both got up earlier because the beds were not the most comfortable in the world, and Justin’s back was already kind of bothering him. What did he do to it? Moved the wrong way back in Pai. Being in your thirties, am I right?
Anyway, after we watched the gorgeous sunrise, we got on the boat on time with a few other guests who arrived at the same time we did and one of the guides at the resort. As we headed out, we heard loud yelping sounds. Our guide told us that these were gibbons (a type of monkey common in the area). We stopped at a few inlets staring up at the trees to try to see something.
Finally, movement. We saw a small black thing moving up one of the trees. Soon we were seeing black monkeys jumping from branch to branch and tree to tree. Unfortunately, they were a little too far for phone cameras, but it was cool to see in person. These were spectacled langur monkeys, a.k.a. dusky leaf monkeys. They look like this and their babies are like a golden orange color:
It was a fun boat ride through the national park. When we got back to shore, it was time to eat breakfast. They had a buffet with some Thai food and regular American breakfast items like eggs. Justin could eat most of it besides a noodle dish. They also had really good cappuccinos with soy milk.
After breakfast, we chilled up in the dining area for a bit, worked on the blog, and talked with some friends. Once it heated up a bit, it was time for another dip in the water. We jumped in and cooled off, and again, the water felt great.
Next, we grabbed a kayak and some paddles and headed out along the shore to see if we could spot some more monkeys. Unfortunately, we didn’t really see much except for some birds and butterflies, but it was still gorgeous.
When we got back, it was pretty close to lunch time, so we headed back to the dining room and ate (the highlight was some chicken wings with chili sauce).
Normally, at around 1pm, the guides take people on a trek/hike through the jungle and to some caves. The day before, we had heard from other guests that it was extremely muddy. So we talked to the guides and two other ladies that were scheduled to be on the tour (who also didn’t really want to hike) about instead taking the boat to see if we could go spot some elephants.
So at about 1:30pm, we took a long tail out with the two other guests and a guide to try to see if we could find some wild elephant herds. Unfortunately, all we saw were remnants (broken bamboo, footprints, and elephant poop). We could also smell that they were recently in the area (the guide told us that the smell they give off at the elephant camps is the same as they smell in the wild, and we frequently got that familiar whiff as we scoped out the shore).
We got back to the resort and chilled for a bit in our room and on our deck, reading and listening to podcasts.
We headed up to dinner at 6:30pm. This time it was green curry, fried sea bass, and some rice. We each ordered some delicious/interesting teas. Lauren got a butterfly pea tea and Justin got a lychee soda and rose tea drink. Overall, Justin enjoyed the food at the resort, although Lauren was a little less than impressed. However, we both thought the drinks they had were really great.
We headed back to the room, watched the sun set, and hit the hay.
We wouldn’t call Panvaree the Greenery a “luxury” resort given the uncomfortable beds, showers that went from either freezing cold to burning hot with no in-between, and (in Lauren’s opinion) mediocre food, but neither one of us regretted staying there for the beautiful views, relaxing boat rides, delicious drinks, and refreshing swims. It’s definitely worth seeing Khao Sok National Park in a similar fashion.
