Elephant trekking khao lak waterfalls Andaman sea trek

Story by YVONNE BOHWONGPRASERT from www.bangkokpost.com

Elephants deliver you at a certain point beyond which it's walk, walk and walk through pristine flora and fauna to reach the waterfalls.

While sandy beaches are a great place to meditate, I find jungle treks one of the most exhilarating ways to let off steam. Be it trekking through forests or riding elephants, being near nature lifts my spirits.

Living in pollution-infested Bangkok can drive a sane person to the brink. Cut-throat competition takes its toll on most of us and its only by going back to nature that can we recharge our batteries and get a new perspective on life.

However, pristine mangrove forests and waterfalls are getting harder to find in this age of fierce competition in the tourism sector. Always looking for a challenge, I jumped at the opportunity to experience a new trekking destination found recently in Khao Lak's Lam Ru jungle by a tourist guide who works for Blue on Green Tours run by Khao Lak Similana Resort based in Phangnga.

Organized as a day-long tour, the best part of the exercise was a chance to go elephant trekking to Sairung waterfalls and meet with rubber planters at Dok Daeng village, the starting point of our tough trek up Tansawan waterfall, formerly known as Bang-E-Sard.

Meeting up with Chaiyo Kanjanalap, a hard adventure freak and tour guide at the resort, was an educational experience as the old trekking buff filled me in about what to expect on the trip.

He recommended that I wear light walking boots, long trousers and long-sleeved shirt for the jungle trip. I looked forward to see wild gibbons, hornbills, deer and wild boars as it had been a while since I had the opportunity to witness wildlife in its natural habitat.

The next morning I met the group that would be traveling with us. Sandwiches and mineral water bottles were packed at the back of our van as we drove off to what was seemed like a memorable trekking experience. I was informed by Chaiyo, who worked as a painter in Bangkok for years before switching to the next thing he does best, trekking, that from the resort to Sairung waterfalls, the starting point for the trek, it was three kilometres and the party will be travelling another eight kilometers from there to get to Tansawan waterfall.

Upon arrival, we received a warm welcome from Surin Chaithrung, the Sairung elephant camp manager. The elephants had just come in from a feed in the jungle and cheerful happy and content.

I was assigned to ride the oldest elephant in the pack, a 35-year-old female with a will of her own. Her mahout told me that her sight was impaired, but otherwise in good physical condition. The hour-long trek up the mountain didn't seem too arduous, but what fascinated me most was not the beauty of the forest, but the rather stubborn personality of my ride.

After a rather sluggish start, she stopped every 10 mintues to pull a few strands of her favourite shrubs and munch before moving on, and that was only after the instructions of her exasperated owner came through. Even then she took her own sweet time to catch up with others in front. We did stop at one point to watch an exotic bird fly close by us, while the sounds of wild insects buzzed in our ears throughout the ride.

It was interesting to notice how relaxed the elephants were in their natural habitat. At the end of the ride, I thanked my elephant by offering her bananas. Surin, a mahout who grew up with elephants, explained that the Sairung camp was established two years ago with objective to prevent the depleting elephant stock from diminishing further. Currently, the camp has eight elephants in its stable, all of which come from Ranong. They work in shifts. The average age of these large beasts is between 35-40 years.

''The stock that we have here is in its prime. We try to look after them to the best of our ability. The larger ones are older and need more attention, otherwise they are all in good heath,'' we were told.

''Caring for elephants takes experience and years of hands-on practice,'' says Surin. ''Elephants are very much like humans in terms of mood swings. Each morning the mahouts have to determine if they are fit emotionally to take tourists on rides up the hill. It roughly takes over an hour to make the entire round, but sometimes the elephants get distracted so guests shouldn't try to hurry them through.''

Some of the factors that make elephants loose concentration is intense heat, lack of food and water, but otherwise they are pretty reliable. From Surin's observation, elephants love playing and drinking water from the stream down the hill.

The camp opens its doors to customers from 8:30 a.m. onward. The first batch of visitors come around 9:00 a.m. At peak season, the Sairung camp provides three trips a day. A lion's share of its patrons are overseas tourists who reward the elephants by buying them bananas on their way back to the camp. If a huge number of tourists come the camp stays open until 5:00 p.m. Elephants don't need much sleep, says Surin, they doze off for an hour at about 11:00 p.m. and again at about 4:00 a.m.

The mahouts wake up at the crack of dawn. Surin, dressed in a sarong and T-shirt, said that elephants recline when they sleep, often turning to their left in the first hour and then to the right in the next. By 6:00 a.m. they are taken for a wash, which is followed by breakfast in the jungle, not far from the camp, where their favourite fruits and vegetables are grown.

In the evening they are again given a bath followed by dinner after the camp closes for the day. Surin says that it's important not to overfeed them. Aging elephants are given a limited number of rounds to make sure they are not overworked.

''I can't stress enough on the importance of keeping elephants in their natural habitat,'' said the mahout. ''When I hear about elephants being taken to the city to raise money for their owners, I understand the mahout's dilemma. Depleting rainforests is a major factor that has driven them to desperation, forcing them to cities, as they try to make a living for themselves and their families. I just hope that our government will play a more active role in improving the standard of living for us mahouts. Elephant trekking is good for us and tourism as well.''

The money made from elephant trekking may not be great in the provinces but Surin is happy nonetheless, as he is able to do something good for the pachyderm Thailand's national heritage.

By the time we hit Dok-Daeng village it was noon. The scorching sun did little to help us take good photographs of the breathtaking landscape. Fifteen minutes before arriving at our destination, our van had to negotiate a stream and wild bushes.

The adventure of a lifetime started when we had to walk through a knee-deep stream to reach a rubber plantation that belonged to Suthon Weiwong, 30, a native of Dok Daeng and our guide for the day. He literally grew up playing in this pristine jungle of Bangsai in Takuapa district of Phangnga province. He told us he had done everything, every job under the sun to help conserve this particular patch of the jungle.

He stumbled across this pristine trekking route to Tansawan waterfall absolutely by chance. Suthon, a former security guard at Similana resort who currently works as a trekking guide said, ''Eighteen years ago the locals used to do mining in this area.''

The waterfall has always been a big attraction. About 50 feet high, it's exceptionally scenic and overflowing during the rainy season. Besides, one can see a large variety of wildlife and flora in this part of the jungle.

''I found this path pretty unexpectedly, and since no one else had ever been here, I thought to myself that trekking enthusiasts would enjoy walking through the untouched territory,'' he added.

If you start trekking early in the morning, there is a fair chance you will come across exotic species of monkeys and birds. It's pretty special here because humans haven't encroached this part of the jungle. Trekkers can expect to witness just about everything connected with the natural habitat of plants and animals.

We did come across a number of multi-coloured plants and insects in various shapes and sizes. Eco-tourists, in particular, will appreciate this route as basically nothing has been done to make it convenient for humans to walk through the testing conditions. The trail is rough and tough, not for the faint-hearted. Hard adventure fans will find it challenging as the trail winds though all sorts of wild shrubs and insects, not to mention steep rocks, especially at the top of Tansawan waterfall.

The most stunning scenery was a little further up the waterfall where you could enjoy a bird's eye view of the entire Dok Daeng community and the Andaman Sea.

By now everybody was hungry so we decided to take a break at a pond nearby. A few of us tried our hands at fishing with a bamboo stick using worms found in the vicinity as bait.

Chaiyo took out his miniature machine and brewed us some fresh coffee after which he told us of the times he was bitten by all sorts of reptiles and insects during his jungle excursions. Even to him, somebody who has spent half of his 38 years doing hard adventure expeditions, trekking to the Tansawan was physically taxing, but educational.

Only a few people from Suthon's village have trodden this course, and prospective visitors are advised to take the tour only if they are in good physical condition. A lot of stamina is required for the three-kilometre walk from Dok Daeng village to the waterfall. It's a good three-hour trek but if you are in peak physical condition you can get there in an hour.

I was lucky to be carrying insect repellent and cotton gloves for they helped to make my trip pleasant compared to others. What I didn't bring along was a sturdy pair of shoes for jungle walking and had to rely on my aerobic shoes, which slowed me down when it came to negotiating slippery slopes.

One of the most exotic waterfalls in Phang-nga province, the Tansawan was originally called Bang-Pisad (monster), explained Suthon with a tinge of excitement in his voice. But since the villagers didn't find the name auspicious, it was subsequently changed. The initial name was derived from folklore that referred to monsters roaming the woods.

Suthon said that years ago Dok Daeng villagers witnessed apparition in the woods and word spread that monsters had hold over the area. To exorcise the spirits, village elders resolved to change the name of the waterfall to Bang-E-Sard. In due course it was renamed Tansawan.

Suthon, a lecturer in forest and wildlife conservation, says jungle trekking is ideal for people of all ages. The main criteria is to be physically fit and aware of the need to preserve the ecological balance.

As we neared our destination, our biggest disappointment was that the Tansawan had very little water at this time of the year, but still the breathtaking scenery and fresh air made the whole trip worthwhile.

Suthon says people can only understand the importance of preserving forests if they spend time close to nature. ''I would like very much for the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to promote this part of Phang-nga,'' he said. ''It would be nice to tell travellers that there are breathtaking waterfalls in these jungles. This type of constructive tourism will also help improve the income of locals. Both ways it's a win-win situation.''

Although tired, we still looked forward to the last stop of the day, Dok Daeng village. From growing their own vegetables to running a miniature fishery farm, the rubber farmers seemed to have done well for themselves. Showing us around was Suthon himself.

Looking around one thing was clear: these villagers believed in standing on their own and being self-sufficient. As one local elder put it: ''Our community makes most of what we have here. We don't believe in handouts. We eat simple food and lead a modest life. Most of our youngsters go to work in Bangkok, but are never happy in those surroundings. What we want to show tourists is the importance of taking time off to enjoy nature.''

Coming back to Bangkok turned out to be an unsettling experience as I had to adjust my life back to its concrete walls and polluted streets. But if I had a chance to do things differently next time I would trek further up the Tansawan to capture the majestic view of the Andaman. Well, there is always a next time.

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Updated (09:12 Thai Time) August 29th 2010

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