Day 45 - Bangkok to Khao Yai National Park - Tues 9 Apr

Day 45 - Bangkok to Khao Yai National Park - Tues 9 Apr
Farewelled our cottage (Golf is obviously a rich man’s sport in Thailand, all courses are associated with country clubs/resorts. Lights for night golf are bigger than for any other place/event).GirlRob  figured out how to put in coordinates to Pocket Earth and label the pin to find GnC’s campsite. Felt very clever! Happy New Year signs are everywhere; guess we’ll get to celebrate twice in 2013. First in Vancouver in freezing cold with snow on mountains, then again in the steamy tropics of SEA! Drove past a "likka bar", reminds us we have been able to fit the Chandon in the little fridge ready for tonight! The guy on national park entrance gate said "wow" when we drove up... don't think he knew how to classify us to charge. Gave way to the monitor lizard on the road, found where the Prime Minister stays in the park (has its own sentry tower and workers camp for year round maintenance). 

OMG - just when you think you can't cap off THE one outstanding event (like wide-berthing the working elephant breaking through the jungle onto your piece of road), along comes another - a wild elephant at a salt lick/ clay pan on side of jungle road!! We'd been following a dung trail for some time, and noted places where big animals had obviously crashed through, but didn't think we'd be lucky enough to see one. It was a female and she certainly didn't like BoyRob walking near to take a picture – she started rocking back and forth and shaking her head from side to side. We backtracked and left her in peace.

Saw deer and macaque monkeys (supposedly wild but wandering around ignoring people completely) as we came upon campground where GnC were parked. Cheryl had soaked their clothes in insect repellent and was drying them in readiness for upcoming countries with malaria-carrying mosquitoes.How very pleasant it is here. Green, cool, water, toilets, showers, no pesky insects, no litter. Shame we need to move closer to border tomorrow. 


Had our welcome champers to celebrate Cheryl's formal retirement from work – one of the deer came to help. GirlRob bemoaned having to leave 20x Lumix behind (already missing its flexibility and ability to capture images in low light compared to the more cumbersome SLR) 
Sat outside reading and writing until 9.30pm in the pleasant conditions - a record for the trip. Just as we went to bed an announcement came over a loudspeaker, and everything went dark - lights out campers!