Nakhon Nayok
We pay the foreigner fee at a ticket booth to a park ranger in military uniform—common practice throughout the country. Then we follow the winding road deep into Khao Yai National Park. Behind every bend, we eagerly scan the road for elephants; we’ve heard that they often cross the main roads. The tourist part of the park is mainly located in Nakhon Nayok province, although its total area is much larger and extends over three other provinces. As Thailand’s oldest national park, it is probably also the best known – just a few hours from Bangkok, it is a popular destination for tourists looking to escape the urban jungle for the rainforest.
We stop at a hiking car park. A group of Dutch people are putting gaiters over their feet and ankles to protect themselves from leeches. We smile at them, but soon learn better. A well-trodden path leads through the tranquil panorama of a vast bush landscape, bordered only by towering tropical trees on the horizon.
After a while, we reach the observation tower. Opposite it lies a small pond with a sand pit, a popular meeting place for elephants. Today, however, there are none to be seen. As we later learn from a ranger, the elephant herds have been spotted in the eastern part of the park.
Suddenly, the clouds above us turn black. The light fades. Thunder rumbles nearby. We are standing in the middle of the jungle, right by the river. Then the heavens open. The dense canopy above us keeps the rain at bay for now. Instead, we see millions of drops splashing on the surface of the river. The patter is deafening. Then the downpour penetrates the treetops and pours down on us. Within seconds, we are soaked to the skin. We decide to return to the car. We are very concerned that the rain cover on the camera backpack will not stay waterproof for much longer. It’s a shame, because we were sure we were on the right track to find the herd of elephants. Fresh dung piles on the path and the pungent smell of urine gave us hope that we would encounter wild elephants.
Our search for elephants remains unsuccessful. Instead, we encounter a family of monkeys and a deer seeking shelter from the rain. When Chris approaches it to take a photo, it glances at him briefly, then calmly looks back at the rain. Vany has an unpleasant encounter in the rain while tying her shoes: a leech has sucked itself onto her ankle. We quickly get rid of the parasite with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol.
It’s easier to find colorful flowers, though. Again and again, they stretch their colorful blossoms out of the mossy forest floor. Pink, red, and orange splashes of color in the otherwise green thicket. Lianas, thick as men’s legs, hang dozens of meters long between the trees. Ferns the size of children and armies of mushrooms populate the shady areas in the undergrowth.
The midday downpour has turned into sporadic drizzle. The sky is still covered with clouds. As we leave Khao Yai National Park heading south towards Bangkok, rays of sunshine break through once more – shortly afterwards, the sun sets and covers the jungle in deep darkness. We had actually wanted to camp at one of the campsites in the park and enjoy a night safari, but the weather had thwarted our plans. However, there is so much to discover and see here that we will definitely come back again.
