Out of Bangkok in the 3rd class

January 4, 2018

After 4 days in Bangkok, it was time for us to get some fresh air. In the morning, we went to the train station and got train tickets - 15 baht per person for a 3-hour train ride, equivalent to 38 cents. The ride in the 3rd class was uncomfortable, but as soon as the train started moving, I couldn't take my eyes off the window.

As soon as we left the station, we saw countless little houses with tin roofs just a meter away from the tracks. People were sitting in front of them, dogs were running on the tracks, life was going on as usual.

After 3 hours, we arrived in Ayutthaya, a small city known for its temple ruins. We rented bicycles and visited two of the temple complexes. Despite the midday heat, we had fun and had lunch at the end. Pad Thai + 1.5 liters of water = 70 baht (1.80€).

Then we continued our journey by train to Pak Chong, the gateway to Khao Yai National Park.

At the ticket counter, we were given the option to either travel without seats immediately or with seats in three hours. Honestly, we just wanted to get to our destination. So we went to our compartment in the third class. The train was packed and we struggled with our backpacks to the end of the train, where there was at least one empty seat on one of the wooden benches. The compartment was hot and stuffy, only the fans on the ceiling and a few open windows provided some oxygen. It was easy to see that we were both playing in a completely different league than the rest of the people. Nevertheless, the people smiled at us, helped us to secure our backpacks when suddenly a yellow liquid flowed towards us (No, we don't know what it was.), and gave me a pack of tablets when I couldn't stop coughing with my cold.

After an hour of delay, the train brought us to our destination. During our journey, darkness fell and we traveled through the forests in complete darkness, interrupted by illuminated statues and monuments. The branches hit against the window, and the only sound left was the sound of the train. Spooky.

January 5, 2018

The next morning, we had to get up early: Khao Yai National Park, the oldest national park in Thailand, awaited us.

We had booked our tour with Greenleaves, highly recommended. We were picked up in a songthaew, one of the many converted taxis in Thailand.

Exploring the national park as part of a tour was the best thing we could do. Our guide spotted birds, snakes, spiders, and more, which I often couldn't even see through the telephoto lens. Unbelievable.

As we cruised up the winding road to the first viewpoint, the first monkeys appeared on the side of the road, enjoying the first rays of sun. Our drive turned into a slalom for a moment, and I would have loved to jump off the truck, I was so eager to take the first photos.

Highlight number 2 was a small stream, where a turtle posed for us while deer were having breakfast on the bank.

Highlight number 3 jumped from a tree above me onto the table where I had just spread out my bag. Our guide had brought a package of cakes, and before anyone could react, there was a monkey sitting at the other end of the table, holding the package of cakes that was intended for us.

In the end, it was a good deal: the monkey got our disgusting cake and I got the first close-up photos.

After everyone had processed the endorphins of watching a monkey eat cake, we continued to trek, or so we thought.

Later we found out that one of the few remaining wild elephants in Thailand had been spotted on one of the roads, so we unknowingly drove along that road.

Out of nowhere, our driver made an emergency stop: Wild Elephant!

That was the moment when I regretted watching YouTube videos about the elephants of Khao Yai National Park beforehand. Don't do it if you plan to visit the park!

The first few minutes of our encounter were magical. The bull was slowly marching towards us from a distance. While the cars were piling up behind us, the elephant showed no signs of retreating. It kept changing sides of the road and coming closer. The excitement was building.

Suddenly, the mood changed. Hazard lights were turned on, reverse gears were engaged, and our driver was frantically trying to avoid the approaching elephant.

The minutes felt like an eternity. The situation was so exciting and unpredictable that I still feel the goosebumps now just thinking about it.

Why?

The animal was a male elephant in musth, which means they get such a surge of testosterone that once a year they attack everything and everyone. (By the way, this is recognizable by the black liquid on the elephant's temples.)

In hindsight, that explained the increasing nervousness.

At some point, the elephant seemed to turn into the woods, and our driver stepped on the gas and ran past the bull at a crazy speed. The relief fell off me as if the elephant had been sitting on my shoulders. How crazy was that?

The subsequent trek took 3 hours through the forests of the national park. A crocodile basked in the sun next to the river, a venomous green bush viper in the undergrowth, and buffalo spiders above us.

While everyone else was eating and Lisa next to me was suffering from a migraine, I followed the monkeys to a small pit behind a building where the adjacent restaurant had left its leftovers for the animals.

This hour, in which I could watch the many monkeys from a safe distance, was the well-deserved second coolest moment of the day. The memory card also filled up accordingly.

On the way back, another stop was made for those who had hardly seen any monkeys that day (meaning me). As soon as the bus stopped, one of the monkeys jumped into the bus and stole a lunchbox with dinner for our driver. After a few seconds, the individual pieces flew back from the branches above us, empty, of course.

It was a paradise for the many babies who played and jumped from tree to tree. As dusk approached, we made our way back, amazed by the impressions of one of the best days of my life: monkeys, wild elephants, and the jungle.