Packed most of our stuff last night, so got up about 6 and went to breakfast, then we were picked up at 8. The traffic was pretty light as it was a national holiday. This time we flew from Don Meung airport which is not as nice as the international terminal. Once you go through security there's nowhere to buy snacks or drinks. We flew with Thai airlines, who were very good, for just over an hour to Phuket, and were met by our driver who then drove us to the Elephant Hills camp at the speed of light. It took just over 2 hours and 15 mins. He was almost like the Schumacher of Peru, but not quite, and it wasn't as exciting because there wasn't the possibility of falling off a mountain.
The campsite is really nice. We met our guide, who works there, who's name is Series (pronounced See Ree). Then we were introduced to our tent which is really nice - there's a main room with a bed, a few small tables, and a hanging rack for clothes, then a separate brick built bathroom that is also inside the tent with a shower, toilet, and sink. Not sure aboaut the loo - it's right next to a window and we can see next door's tent and the footpath from the window, so people can probably see us too!
At 7pm we went up to the communal area where we watched a short film about elephants, then had a Thai cooking demonstration where we were shown how to make a Papaya salad. Justin tried it, and even though they only put one chilli in it, it was very hot. Apparently Thai people would normally use 10 or more chillis!!! Dinner was a buffet of Thai dishes and french fries, and was very nice. Justin tried the Chang Beer which in Thai means "elephant". It was good so he tested a few more. We ended up speaking to some Germans and Swedish and then went to bed at about 10pm. The noise of the jungle is nice and calming, and lulled us to sleep. |
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