The drive there, out of the metropolis and into more rural Thailand, was an experience in itself. We saw a few several story high golden Buddha shrines rising out of the countryside, Addi had her picture taken not fewer than 5 times at a woodworking stall (and another 5 or so at the park), and we stumbled across a huge shrine with hundreds of plastic roosters. We don't know the significance of the rooster (yet), but it was quite a scene and fairly representative of the topic-specific shrines we have seen scattered all over.
We arrived at the park and hiked to the 150 m 3-tiered Heo Narok Waterfall. We walked across a should-have-been-condemned wood plank bridge then made a steep steep steep hike down (it wasn't quite steep enough to be called a ladder, but it wasn't quite not a ladder) to see this magnificent fall...in the dry season. It wasn't quite low enough to call a trickle, but it wasn't not a trickle! Let's put it this way- after that crazy hike down, Addi was the main photographic attraction! With this said, in the wet season the falls will be spectacular. We were glad to have Too Greg along as he carried her back up.
We continued on to the Pho Diao Dai cliff where the hike and overlook gave beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, valley and 3 layers of rain forest. Then on to the salt licks and Hong Pak Chi Observation tower to watch sunset and look for elephants. This was my favorite part of the park. We were the only ones there, with the rustling long grasses making the only sound as the sky turned pink. I think Addi felt the same as she whispered "I think this is a secret place" in my ear. We didn't see any elephants, but we did see several elephant paths and footprints- so we know they were there. As Addi told me on the hike back to the car "its ok Mommy, we'll see them next time"
Perhaps in reward for understanding the unpredictability of nature at the tender age of three, we saw dozens of Macaw monkeys all over the street on the ride home. The highlight was a tiny little guy (about the size of a newborn kitten). They didn't seem to be afraid of cars, so we could get a good look at their freakishly human ears and blue eyes. Addi is convinced one of the bigger ones looked right at her to say "hi". .....and I think so too.
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I love reading your tales of Thailand. It sounds like a magical place - with the combination of old world tradition and the bustling city. It looks like you've seen some amazing things. (I could do without the lizards in the sewage system, but... I guess that's part of the "charm" - along with the hookers, right?) Very cool and special to be exploring and sharing this part of your trip with Greg and Bonnye. It sounds like Addi is loving it... Her commentary and quotes are the sweetest. Love you. Miss you. xo
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