Wed 13th Dec – Khao Sok (National Park)

The advertised ‘lake tour’ today was much cooler than expected. The lake is an enormous, man made dam located in Khao Sok national park. The area used to comprise 5 different villages, which still exist 100metres under the fresh water. Limestone mountains abutt the lake and are swathed in curtains of jungle. The morning is crisp and clear as we alight the longboat and the lake stretches out in all directions. There are three activities around the lake: a small jungle walk, exploring a cave with a cute fruit bat family and a kayak along jungle side. I see no animals but the gorgeous guide Whim assures me she once saw a wild elephant and it’s baby by the lake side. I think I hear gibbons. Before today, I hadn’t appreciated the density of the jungle and I like to imagine Steve Backshall emerging through the thickets. The only disappointment is that we eat a different lunch to the tour guides, ours with a notable absence of chili – I go to bed wishing I’d had the spicy bamboo shoots and fragrant fish curry.

At dinner, our tour guide describes a frankly traumatic upbringing, where circumstances meant his only choice for education was the monk school. For 10 years of his life, he couldn’t have a relationship with a female, woke up early to study religious scripture before lunch, didn’t eat anything later than midday, studied non-religious content between lunch and 6pm and then slept in the temple every night. It’s difficult to imagine a more foreign upbringing than that of a monk. The British lady, who I already hate because she has made me ill, has exacting food requirements no Thai person could reasonably understand in English, and dubiously works in both ‘marketing’ and ‘trading’, self-confidently asserts “that your struggle is a good thing, because it makes you who you are today”. My dislike of the British grows every day and is verging on racist.

After dinner, I book a Thai foot massage at the resort. This ‘spa’ is only half enclosed by walls and I can hear water dripping from the earlier isolated thunderstorm, frogs chorusing and rowdy Dutch tourists outside. So far I’ve been reluctant to do a massage as the ladies all look sad. In the cities, more than 10 will be loitering outside the shopfront, awaiting Westerners to haggle over $4aud. It was a nice massage but as I leave similar feelings of guilt arrive when I spot a tent a bit off from view, and I imagine this is where the lady spends her time between customers. This is the second time I think about work since arriving in Thailand.