The morning dip in the pool was refreshing then the bikes were packed and ready to go before heading for breakfast. Without ordering, we were treated to eggs, toast, assorted MRM's along with a grated carrot and salad cream combo on the side, the closest equivalent to a western breakfast in these parts.
We left the surf crashing in on Dolphin Bay and headed south. Today we were aiming towards Kui Buri National Park but riding through Khao Sam Roi Yod National Park along the way. It was here we spotted the first monkeys of the trip and continued on counting all the dead stock squished on the road that included snakes, birds and an unknown furry mammal.
Kui Buri park is a 1000 square miles and claims to have up to 240 wild elephants and a 100+ gaurs.
By mid afternoon it was very hot and we were still 16km from the park so we blagged a lift in a pickup from a local family, getting us up to the ranger station just in time for the 4pm safari.
We ditched the bikes and climbed on to the back of a pickup with the Chief Ranger and a stern looking bloke in uniform with an elephant stopping weapon. Soon we were bumping along the dusty tracks and into the jungle for a couple of hours of wildlife spotting. Our Chief Ranger had little rangers all over the vast jungle and by communicating with radios we were able to find a place where we found some nelly's to watch. Not a massive marauding herd but a select few, giving the occasional trumpeting call through the trees.
It would have to do.
Before dark we were shown to our accommodation for the night- a spacious hillside bungalow retreat right next door to the Chief Park Ranger who would also end up providing us with a meal and transport back into town with the bikes if we were to make the 0600 hrs start?
The track today from the 'Talking Heads'.
