Just back from Khao Yai, where I stayed at the Greenleaf Guesthouse not far from the the park gates. They meet people from the bus stop with a songthaew. The accommodation is a bargain 200 Baht a night, ok the water is cold, the room is hot and the mattress is definitely the product of a quarry but these are minor issues.
I went with their guide, Rittichai Kengsungkoen, aka Mr Nine, who was excellent, speaks good English (like the guesthouse staff also do) and is an excellent birder and photographer. I got some excellent birds, including Great Hornbill, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Wreathed Hornbill, Siamese Fireback, Silver Pheasant, Red Junglefowl, Indian Roller, Crimson Sunbird, Richard's Pipit, and so on. I added a good 20 (maybe more if I look at my list) new species to my list. Nine and I also had great fun doing our photography, too, and I have got some super pics which I'll put on my site soon.
I also got a whole load of leeches too. I had taken all the precautions, such as leech socks, repellant and so on but overlooked one crucial small detail. I forgot to tuck my shirt in with the result that I got several leeches attached to my stomach and back and my shirt - a white one, naturally, but fortunately an old one - looked as if I'd been the victim of a stabbing. I am a confirmed bug-phobic but I was pleased with my stoicism in the face of slimy vampires.
I also saw plenty of Sambhar Deer, Barking Deer (Muntjac), Pig-tailed Macaques, a tree-lizard (not sure which species), an impressive Water Monitor and some frighteningly large orb spiders - fortunately I am not a foot taller than I am or I'd have copped a spider the size of a man's hand in my face; I can stand leeches but a gigantic spider in my face would have guaranteed a girlie show of panic and horror. I hoped to see some elephants but although there were some big piles of droppings and wrecked vegetation I didn't see so much as a flapping ear. Same with the gibbons, plenty of hooting, screeching and siren-like noises coming from the forest but nothing could be seen swinging through the branches. Next time...
Funnily I have gone from loathing Thailand to loving it in the space of a fortnight and I can't wait to come back in the near future, hopefully in January 2011. Bangkok's still bloody awful though; I got , especially the corrupt taxi drivers; I got into an argument with one bloke over the use of his meter earlier, he wanted it left off and to charge me 200 Baht, I wanted it switched on. He switched it on and I only paid 70 Baht for the journey.
Khao Yai is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited and the magical birds and other wildlife make it even more beautiful. I am definitely coming back.
