Heading to Khao Sok was a bit of a last minute decision. The plan was to go to the city of Surat Thani for a few days prior to flying up north. However, after chatting to a few people and conducting a little research it was soon evident that there really was nothing worth seeing in Surat Thani. Khao Sok is about a 3 hour drive from Surat Thani and is one of Thailand's national parks. I had absolutely no idea what to expect there so when we got dropped off literally in the middle of no where we were a little perplexed at what we'd let ourselves in for. We got off the bus and were greeted by a chap who held up a sign of pictures of a hotel called "Jungle Huts". He asked where we were going and I replied with "Absolutely no idea" to which a couple of Aussies laughed and advised us to head to the Jungle Huts, so that's what we did. We jumped on the back of a pick up and drove for a few kilometres. We were offered a double room for 300 baht a night which is about £6. It was quite basic, literally a double bed and a small bathroom with running cold water. We could have had hot water for an extra £2 but were now used to showering in cold water so decided to be stingy b*****s and go with the no frills room. The scenery surrounding the huts was absolutely exquisite. It was like being surrounded by the set of Jurassic Park. Khao Sok is apparently older than the amazon and covers a really vast area of about 700km squared. The landscape is dominated by huge sandstone rocks that rise hundreds of meters above sea level, quite a spectacle. That first day we decided to get involved with a bit of tubing down the river. Again it was £6 (they like this price I've concluded) and lasted a few hours. Basically involved jumping in a big inflatable ring and bouncing down a river with a few rapids chucked in on the way. The views were unreal and we saw a few cheeky monkeys and a snake hanging in the tree. We also stopped half way and had a pop on a rope swing which was a good craic. That evening upon returning we hit the local reggae bar for a few drinks and discussed the next days plan of action. We decided we wanted to go for a trek but most people seem to hire guides before trekking. Tigers and bears both live in this neck of the woods but after a few beers we thought we would be fine alone so planned to awake early the next day, get some supplies and then go for it. George claimed that tigers are "Only big pussycats" and at the time I accepted that and looked forward to the next day.
We were good to go by about 0800 the next morning. We grabbed some supplies from the local shop which included tuna, biscuits, sweets and water. We packed our bags sufficiently to last us a few days and one night if need be. We had no map and were both wearing flip flops. I got myself a £1 poncho from the shop, just incase it rained (I've since learned that Khao Sok is one of Thailand's wettest regions!). We entered the national park which set us back £6 each (again!) and immediately joined the track that would take us to about 7 different sights and cover about 12km or so each way. At this point we realised that to be able to see 5 of the 7 sights we needed a guide with us. Our conclusion from this was that we'd just wing it and crack on anyway. Within 5 minutes of trekking the heavens opened up and it began to literally thrash it down. I got my poncho out and donned it, instantly ripping it while putting it on. Well done me. Although on reflection even the most expensive waterproofs wouldn't have helped us, it was pounding it down. We trekked about 3km to a place that had a bit of shelter and where a few people were congregating. I ditched my poncho (it wasn't doing anything for me) and drained out my vest before we decided to venture on. Upon trying to enter a path some locals stopped us and told us we could not enter without a guide. We really should have accepted the pre-warning. We argued and attempted to bargain with the chaps but they were having none of it. The reason we needed guides was for our safety apparently as landslides due to the sheer rainfall was a common occurrence out here. We threw the towel in, accepted we were both morons and headed back to the jungle huts. We were absolutely soaked through when we got back but after a shower, quick change and some good lunch, morale was high and we planned our next evolution. We decided to rent some push bikes and bike about 15km to a random path and then head up the path which was about 10km to a lake. At this point it wasn't raining at all but still I decided to travel with no possessions. George took a bag with our food and water and we cracked on. It was pretty much down hill all the way which wasn't too pleasing as I knew we'd have to cycle back up later on. We just about managed to find the track and ventured into what appeared to be the unknown. I have to reiterate now the views were literally out of this world. Unfortunately I had no means to take pictures because I didn't want to risk taking my phone or camera due to the weather, but the views are ones I'll hopefully remember for the rest of my life. George did take his phone and subsequently has no phone now... The rain got in his backpack and ruined it! We didn't make it to the lake. I've no idea how close we got because again we had no map but we were cycling for quite some time. The rain again obliterated our plans and in the end we had to call it a day and cycle the epic journey back. All in all it was a fun day but did not go to plan at all. The 6 P's were going through my head, a Military acronym I hate but still... Quite true on this occasion. "Prior preparation prevents piss poor performance". We were so unprepared and thus consequently suffered.
The next day we planned to stay for one more night at Khao Sok but again the weather looked terrible so we both decided we had had enough and that the best option would be to get to the city of Surat Thani and lay low for a night before flying up north to Chiang Mai.