FiddleheadTravels

Some of you may recall that I was attacked by a gibbon while doing my trailblazing for my hiking trail of Phuket last year.
I was so worried about going back into his territory that I put it off for over a year.
I wanted to bring some bear (pepper) spray back with me from the US last trip but then found out it is illegal to bring on a plane.

So, I waited and finally bought a small sprayer here in Thailand and went back out there this past week.  Twice.

I had to redo the whole section before the ape as I had accidently  erased the track from my GPS and I do need to have the track complete.   My goal of course, is to create a downloadable track or path so that anyone with a handheld GPS can go out there and hike the trail.
It is far from an easy section and starts with a bushwhack up a very steep mountain with cut bamboo at the top that is a lot like “pickup sticks”.   Very difficult just to get to where I left off from the last section.
Since I’m up in the mountains just to the east of Talang right now, this is by far the wildest portion of the island of Phuket.

So, I went out last week and redid that steep mountain with the bamboo on top and did find a few faint trails on the northern side and eventually got to about 200 meters before the spot where the monkey got me.  (I had marked the spot on the GPS last Feb)

I then found a good trail heading east and took it all the way down to a dirt road about 2 kms before the turn off for Ban Pae waterfall.

So, yesterday I parked my motorbike there (after the pack of 6 or 7 dogs guarding the rubber tree shack there tried their best to get me)  and started back up the trail.    Just before I got to the spot where I came onto this trail, I found a faint trail going right towards the monkey encounter spot.

So, I took a break, got my machete out in one hand and the pepper spray in the other and proceeded very quietly up to the spot.     Guess what?   No monkey today!    I was so glad but, that’s not to say it was uneventful.   About 200 meters past the spot, a swarm of bees seemed to come out of the ground and got me.  I ran and yelled as 2 of them stung me (only) I saw about 15 of them.

Click on any picture to enlarge.

I always see many big spiders while doing my hiking here.  I have found that they are not harmful (at least to me) and I look on them as good luck when I see them and try not to bother their webs.

So, the area is abundant with faint trails as the gibbon rehabilitation people must go in there a lot to put food out or whatever.  I did see a cage with fruit inside at one point.

Sticking with my white track on my GPS (this is my preferred route that I designed on Google Earth 4 years ago that connects all the high mountains via ridges and is my desired trail)    I did my best to use their trails when I could with only about 20% bushwhacking in this area.
A few steep climbs later (and a nice swimming hole), I finally left their area (they use red paint on trees to define paths sometimes)

I was up on top and out of the monkey area and now had to decide what to do.   If I bailed out, back down some of their paths to a road, I would have to come through there again.   I wasn’t at all fond of this area after the attack, and even though I wasn’t properly prepared  (I didn’t have much food), I decided to continue on.
I’m not always the smartest planner and should have realized that this section is the wildest part of the whole island, with no access that I could see on Google Earth but, I continued anyway.

Huge Cicada

Found some trails and one after a while that was right up there on top where I wanted to be.
Came to a junction of trails that seemed recently used that I assumed was a bailout point to the east and the one continueing straight on the ridge, where I wanted the trail to be.
This was probably my worst mistake of the day as I continued on as it was only about 12 noon or maybe 1 PM.

I did find a deep ravine that had water coming out of the rock.  Ah perfect spring and I needed one about now.   Drank the rest of my water and 2 more half-litres and continued.

Good tasting water.

The trail went for about 500 meters and then (of course) petered out.   Bushwhacking again.   What to do.  I wandered around looking for something as I knew I had to go a long way and didn’t want to go back.  (another mistake)
Finally I decided I had to bail out or risk losing daylight.  (plus I was hungry and tired)

According to my GPS, there was a road to the west exactly one km away.   You think that isn’t far until you are bushwhacking down a steep mountain that is thick with vines, sticker bushes and even mud sometimes.  (I figured this mud is made from rootings of wild pigs as I had heard they were prevalant in this area, although I have yet to see one)

Laid my handkerchief on there for scale.

At one point, after a steep slide, trying to stop but not grab thorny vines to slow down, I once again was attacked by a swarm of small bees.   The stings were like a bad jellyfish sting as it was over a square foot area or so.      Once again, I did my best to run away.

I stopped to rest a few times, eating a small portion of my food each time and eventually found a stream that was getting bigger and bigger although it really wasn’t going in the direction I wanted.  I followed it.

A few times it got so thick that I just had to walk in the water and try not to fall down the slippery rocks.  I fell in once and my camera and cell phone got a little wet but, i tried to dry them out right away.   By this point, I was so wet from sweat that the fall in the water didn’t make me any worse except perhaps my shoes were worse.     I was using up all my salt in my body and although I was drinking a lot of water (now that I was following a creek), I would pay for the salt loss later.

Finally about 5 PM, I got to a rubber tree shack and a small dirt track out of there to a road.    
I sat and waited and finally a few motorbikes came and after lots of discussion (they spoke absolutely no English and didn’t seem to understand my Thai) one of them decided to drive me back.
It ended up being about 20 kms back to where my bike was.   The dogs were crazy again but I headed out of there.
Stopped at a restaurant and ordered 2 meals, had a gatorade and ice cream for dessert.

Got home and took 2 magnesium pills and went to bed.  But I couldn’t sleep.  My body  was just cramping up all over.   My neck, hands, legs, feet, even my one finger,  just kept cramping up.    I went out and bought more Gatorade and finally 2 bags of chips for the salt.    Had a fitful night and here I am, still cramping and poor circulation in the morning writing this up.
I hope to go through my camera soon and add some pics to this post.
Thanks for listening.

As some may know from reading past posts on this blog, I have been trailblazing a hiking trail on the island of Phuket here for the past 2 1/2 years.   I have been putting a route over the high peaks of the many mountains here that when completed, will go from Prom Thep Cape (the most southernly point) to the Sarasin bridge (it’s northern terminus).

I have been out exploring for more than 50 days now over those years and started in the south and am now up north and east of the Heroine’s monument (which is the center of the island)
The mountains are much more wild up there than in the more touristy south.
Which means access is very difficult and trails, roads, rubber trees, and easily walked paths are hard to find.
So, I now take a machete with me and two days ago, I set out with my full backpack, including tent and sleeping gear, stove, fuel and a food for 2 days, one night.

I spent  the first 2 1/2 hours bushwhacking up this steep mountain to where i had left off before.

Good trail near the National Park

Not too far after that, I found a small trail that basically went in the general direction of my proposed route and followed it, lost it, followed another one, lost it, and made my way all day to this area where i had gone to see about access last week near a National Park.

Well, there’s also a monkey (gibbon) rehabilitation center nearby and they reintroduce gibbons back into the wild after they fix them up.

So, it’s about 4:00 PM and I am bushwhacking when this monkey attacks me from above. He first came down and took my hat. and made noises, then he jumped down again and grabbed my watch and broke it.   Then he jumped on my pack (which was on my back) and started pulling my hair and trying to grab my arm.   I was freakin out.    I had my machete in my hand and would have killed him if I could, but he was too fast.
He pulled my tent stakes out of my side pocket and my big water bottle out and threw it.  He was big, about 3 1/2 feet high?

There was a lot of bamboo nearby so whenever I could take my eyes off him, I would chop a big piece and then throw it at him.  He was too quick.  Even when I had a great throw, he would dodge it.  Finally after a good 10 minutes (felt like an hour) he slowly left.

So, I gathered up all my stuff and continued my journey, found another trail and got the hell out of there.

Sign on tree near swimming hole

After about another 15-20 minutes, I found a beautiful swimming hold on a good trail. There was a sign there explaining the gibbon project and telling you that they can be aggressive.
(Unfortunately, they didn’t have signs before I had this encounter)
But, then i lost the trail again (or it went the wrong way) and i found myself bushwhacking again until the light of day started fading.

I thought about setting up my tent somewhere (already had water) but then i heard a monkey again.
There’s no way I was going to camp there.
So, i bailed.
Sorry to say, I was near the park that I knew about so, found the trail that I had GPS’d last week and hiked out and hitched a ride back to my motorbike. (real dark by now)
When I told Thum (my Thai wife)  she was mad that I go out there by myself and all that.
Simon, my 4 year old son was very interested and wanted to hear all about it.
I am quite cut up from all the bushwhacking too so he was impressed.

Anyway, in all of my 20+ years of backpacking or trekking, I have never been attacked by a wild animal before and let me tell you, it is scary.
That monkey could have bitten me or done a lot too me and maybe even killed me if he wanted to.
He was that fast.

It was scary!

I posted ways to save money before here but came up with some new ones for the new decade since the recession has seemed to turn into a depression and jobs and money continue to be a challenge for us all.   So, there is more desperation which calls for MORE DESPERATE MEASURES!    Here are some ideas that will hopefully help you.  (Many of them are probably much healthier than the life you lead now also.)

Walk more or ride a bike to work

Collect soda cans you find along the road.  They are worth money.

Learn to fish.  I’m sure you heard the saying: “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day,  Teach a man to fish and you feed him for the rest of his life.  (In Thailand, they eat the guts, head, and everything except the bones which they feed to the dog).

Get rid of your tv (you don’t need tv AND  internet) get rid of the more destructive one

Get a motorcycle and a good set of long underwear, a facemask, helmet liner, warm socks and gloves.

Don’t eat snacks at night  (I’m hungry but there’s no way i am going to eat right now at 4AM)

My neighbor is cheap: she has a fire going everynight outside to cook her dinner.   She picks up every scrap of cardboard, every newspaper she finds, and saves and sells them to the scrap dealer,   she finds old thrown out, ripped up tarps and sews covers out of them to cover her junk that she is saving for the scrap man to come around.

Take up hobbies that don’t cost much: hiking, back country skiing, bicycle, jogging, swimming (lakes), volleyball, badminton, tennis, yard-sale-ing (especially selling, not necessarily buying)

Switch to instant coffee or lipton black tea

Join the library, read more (for free) learn something in the process.

Take up photography (instead of watching tv perhaps?) it’s almost a free hobby anymore  (unless you obsess with the newest cameras/software)

Learn to ebay (it’s a sellers market, especially now in the recession)

Buy all your clothes at thrift stores

Drink more water

Plant a garden (start a compost pile to give it a boost)

Plant a fruit tree for the future (it can become your breakfast)

My wife told me a new one today: When you think you finally have ALL the toothpaste out of the tube, then cut it in half and squeeze another brushing out of it.

More to come.

Since I haven’t written a blog entry on my exploring lately, I will take up from where I left off just north of the Heroine’s Monument in the middle of the island.
From there, our trail heads east and crosses the highway near the older cashew factory and store about 500 metres north of the monument.

There is a narrow rubber tree area just to the right (south) of the cashew factory.
I went through there and then had to do some ziz-zagging around some houses and residential area and then find a bridge across the small river about 1 km in.
After the bridge, there are more rubber trees and then a huge field that was just being planted.
Eventually I got to the mountains again and breathed my sigh of relief from all the development and farms.  (for some reason, i don’t consider the rubber tree farms as farms because they feel like being in the woods of jungle)

Lots of bushwhacking over on this side of the island as it is more remote.

After attempting to follow my “original white” trail on my GPS, i made it to a waypoint that I call “ravine” which had a good path leading down to a road so I roadwalked back to my motorbike rather than do all the bushwhacking to get back.   (I didn’t have a machete that day so was quite cut up and it was slow going)

The next day I went out, I parked my pickup truck near where the dirt road meets the blacktop road in the valley and walked back up to the “Ravine” point.  From there, I found some decent trail for a bit until I got into some more rubber trees.

This time, I had my machete with me and carry it in a badminton case as I don’t want the locals to feel threatened by me in any way.    Didn’t really matter as I didn’t see any locals until near the end of the day when I came across a huge road being built.   I cannot figure out where or why this road is going.    There doesn’t seem to be much of anything on either side of the mountains here and is a very remote part of the island of Phuket.   But yet, the road seems to be big enough for 4 lanes and there’s a lot of big machinery up there putting it in.
I ended my day at a house that I called “NamHouse” as I asked for and was directed to their running water supply.  They weren’t the friendliest people but were probably scared that their land was being infringed upon with the new road so close and now a farang walking right up to them.    I was somewhat tired at that point so turned around and headed back to where I had left the truck.

On my 3rd day in this part of the island, my goal of the 4th big (and highest) of the bumps of land or mountains was to be obtained.   I knew I didn’t have too far to go and by using Google Earth, could find the road and trail into the “NamHouse”  waypoint that I had made last time.
But from there, after only about 200 meters up and down through some rubber tree woods, I was bushwhacking up the steep side of this 4th mountain.

At least the jungle here seemed virgin with no chopped out areas, which always makes the bushwhacking very difficult.
Hiking through virgin jungle is always easier because the big trees (and some of these were very big) block out all the sunlight that makes the underbrush grow so fast and thick.   Without that thick stuff, my biggest problem this day was the steepness of the climb.
Near the top, I got into a lot of bamboo, some of it being very big.   This can be tough going, especially when it gets thick and the dead bamboo can pile up like pickup sticks.

Eventually I got through and made it to the top.
From my experiences so far on the 48 days of this exploring of the island of Phuket and laying out this possible, future hiking trail, I have found that usually there is some sign of man at the top of these hills or mountains and can usually expect to find a way down that is easier than the route I took up.   Not so today.   I walked around up there for about 30 minutes and it was thick and no sign of man at all.    No views because there were big trees around.
I wasn’t really looking forward to bushwhacking back down the way I had come up because it was tough going.  But I had no choice.

So, I got a bit cut up with thorns and used my machete a lot this day (this was on Jan 19, 2010) and am wondering how I can get back up to the top and the point that I had marked “Hungry” on my GPS as that was my reason for turning around at this point.  I was hungry and didn’t want to get deeper into a spot that I couldn’t find my way out of.

So my dilemma now is that when I get a full day to go back up there, since it is so far away from where i live and takes almost an hour to drive there, do I have to bushwhack all the way up that big mountain again.  It took me at least 2 hours of climbing/walking plus the hour of driving, and to do that backwards to get back is just too big a part of the day.

I believe on my next day out, I will go to the Bang Pae Waterfall and look for a possible road heading into my needed direction.  On Google Earth it looks like there might be one heading south from the waterfall.

Stay in tune for more entries for this wilder side of Phuket.

The word “Phuket” comes from a Malay word “bukit” meaning Mountain.   It is a very mountainous island approximately 30 kms long by 7 kms wide.

I live near the southern tip of Phuket, in Rawai, so many of these locations are more towards that end of the island.
I also enjoy hiking in the jungle and find some great views up there looking down as well as some beach scenes.  Phuket is a beautiful place and there are some great viewpoints throughout the island.

Many of them you can drive to.   Here are my favorites.    (all of these you can drive to)

1. Big Buddha

The Big Buddha statue is just east of Kata and north of Chalong.   It is a prominent landmark for much of the southern half of Phuket.  I have been going up there for 7 years now and remember the first few times, it was just the base of the statue.

The 45 meter high statue of Buddha took 8 years to build

(they are still putting finishing touches on it) and

the windy road  is now paved 90% of the way.

So, what’s keeping you from going up and enjoying the famous structure as well as the great views of Phuket town to the east, and Laem Prom Thep to the south, and Kata/Karon beaches to the west!

(There is a small lookout behind the small sitting Buddha to the south near the top.)  (picture on the right)

2. Khao Khad Views Tower

Cape Panwa Tower Khao Kwa

This is a new structure, having been completed 2 years ago over on Cape Panwa.
The 360 degree lookout was built on the highest point of Cape Panwa and is very spectacular.

Once you go up the 100 steps to the top of the tower, you will find maps for each compass point with descriptions of what you are looking at.

You can even see Ko Phi Phi on a clear day.

Last time i was up there, it was a beautiful sunset and there were 4 other people there (Thai couples)

So, if you like to see a nice sunrise or sunset view, that takes a bit of climbing, with peace and quiet around you, and,

you like spectacular views, this is one of the best!

There is even a restaurant near the parking area at the bottom.   Enjoy!

3. Laem PromThep

This is the southernmost point on the island of Phuket.

But just above the point (at the water’s edge) is a mountain of hill called Laem PromThep.

There is a big parking lot nearby and then steps up to a

very fine lookout and great place to catch the sunset over the Andaman sea.

There is a statue of a Thai mariner on top and a huge plaza type area that fills up every night and especially on the weekends.
There is also a great restaurant nearby with the same stunning views of the sunset.
(The owner is a bonsai expert too and the gardens are as spectacular as the view.)

4. Karon Viewpoint

Between Nai Harn and Kata beaches on the back road over the mountain, you’ll come to a great lookout called Karon Viewpoint. (Also many locals call it Kata Viewpoint)

The best views are looking north at Kata and Karon beaches. You can also spot the Phuket Beach Meridien’s private beach as well as Kata Noi from here.

A very romantic, and picturesque spot.

There’s a guy that has 2 eagles that hangs around up there and you can have your picture taken with the birds (for a fee)
This is a very scenic road in the daytime and also has 4 elephant trekking companies within 3 kms between the two beaches

5. Rang Hill in Phuket Town

This is a romantic hill with it’s great views of Phuket Town and the South China sea to the east.

To get there, go to the north part of Phuket Town and look for signs.

There is a very nice restaurant near the top and it’s very popular with Thai locals and young couples.

Also there is a fitness park nearby.

6. Windmill HIll

If you start at the top of the list with Big Buddha, you will notice a large, modern windmill in the southern view.

This is the 2nd high point coming north from Laem PromThep and a beautiful view also.

One of the highlights of this view is looking almost straight down at Ya Nui Beach, which is a small beach that has good snorkeling and kayak rentals.
Looking northwest, you can see the famous Nai Harn beach and it’s Yacht Club hotel.

Another great sunset viewing lookout.

Every evening you can usually find some people with their homeade gliders and remote control boxes flying them through the view.
Parking is limited

7. Monkee Hill in Phuket Town

This is the hill that can be seen from most of Phuket town that has all of the TV and radio towers on top.
On the way driving up (or walking) there are literally hundreds of monkeys nearby.
They often come out when people arrive to feed them.
Careful though, they do bite sometimes. Especially if you get between a mother and her baby or a fight going on between the males.

8. Lookout near the top of Mae Sip Song

Mae Sip Song is the big mountain with the golf-ball looking structure on top.
This is actually a Thai Navy radar station.

Many people think that this is actually the highest point on the island. Many publications say it is so.
It is not though.  If you read through my blog, I have an entry on how I determined there is a higher point to the west of the Kathu Waterfall.

But there is still a good lookout from the last big turn before the top on Mae Sip Song mountain.
One word of warning:  If you drive up this road, you will pass 2 signs saying “No Trespassing”  Miltary Base or something similar.
The 1st time i was ever up here, i hiked up through the jungle while planning my hiking trail (available on this blog elsewhere), and got to this beautiful lookout overlooking Patong to the west.
While i was enjoying it, about 15 4 wheelers with tourists riding them drove up and stopped and everyone was instructed to get off and enjoy the view.      I have been up about 6 times since that 1st time and never been hassled in any way.   That doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.

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This list is a small one compared to the numerous possibilities of great viewpoints throughout the island.
There are so many really good views that i find almost weekly when driving around and sightseeing.
Like heading up to windmill hill from Nai Harn Lake, there’s one spot where someone cut some trees back and there is a fantastic view of Nai Harn beach.

Or, up at the Small Sea View restaurant and sunset view spot on the back road between Kata and Nai Harn.  (head towards Kata Noi and turn sharp left and go up the steep hill about 1 km to the now 3 restaurants built to take advantage of this great view overlooking Kata Noi beach.

Another is the view up at Pub Pla restaurant which is now closed and for sale.  But this restaurant commands a spectacular 360 degree view which is between Kata and Chalong and just SE of Big Buddha.   I believe the road is now closed so you can’t drive up there.  Perhaps someone will buy it soon and open it back up.

There are also many great viewpoints that have to be hiked up to.

Adding a new one we just discovered.  We camped at this spot last week (May 2011)

And these taken from a tiny spot on the road between Nai Harn lagoon and the windmill hill 2011

As well as the unlimted beach views, from the sunrise shots on the eastern side of Phuket, to the great sunsets on our island’s more famous beaches.

Mai Kao Beach from our campsite

1st beach north of Patois

So, i just finished my 4th  ”Run Paradise” Marathon at Laguna yesterday.
I am a bit sore today of course.

I would like to say it is a professionally run venue with a lot of thought put into every aspect.
Medical teams were spaced on the course, aid stations were well stocked and plentiful with smiling, helpful staff at all of them.

The time and money put into the start/finish line is impressive.  Speakers are everywhere, free 10 minute massages after the race, food for the runners, and a big VIP area (never been inside there)

Also, this year for the 1st time, they had the registration area at the start/finish line.   It was a huge tent put up complete with air conditioning and many vendors as well as the helpful staff for all your needs.

Despite a small mixup in my pre registration, they got me sorted and one funny story comes to my mind: I went to get my “packet” of some free stuff from the sponsors and a nice singlet shirt from Nike.   I was the first one there and I asked for a size XL shirt (they are always so small).  I thought i’d better check the size and sure enough, they had given me a Medium.     So, i showed them the size and asked for an XL,  once again, with smiling faces, they gave me a Medium.    I tried to tell them i really needed an XL (I am not that big but am aware of their sizing)   and finally had to go back and show them where the XL’s were.   They showed me on my race number where it said “M” and this is why they kept giving me a Medium.    The “M” on the number is for Male.    Anyway, it was no big deal, just know to check these things.

The marathon race had 2 choices:  A 4 am start or a 5 am start.   Since i knew that i was going to be slow, i opted for the 4 AM start.
I had to work the night before and didn’t get finished until midnight.    So, i arrived at the parking area around 12:45 and slept in the back of my truck.   Although it was quiet, it was a hot night and i didn’t really get much sleep.   Oh well.   We all make our choices in life and perhaps this wasn’t the best one.   But i didn’t want to drive 45 minutes only being half awake so i chose this way.

My longest training run had been 20 kms.  That was my biggest mistake.
I did great for the first 20 kms.    Then my legs started tightening up and felt heavier and heavier as we went along.
I started switching between walking and running.
Luckily I can walk fast (many years of hiking trails makes for a fast, easy pace)
I had a few comments out there on the course that my walk was almost as fast as some people’s run as i would switch between walking and running and pass the same people many times.
You get to have a lot of friends that way and there were 3 or 4 of us who talked a bit.

Many were from Singapore and one guy must have taken 200 pictures.   Turns out there was a photo contest for the race and he was out to win it.    He had 3 sets of batteries and would take pictures with all the pretty girls at the aid stations as well as many of the runners.

Running is a lonely sport.   Training can only be done when you can make the time and in Thailand, only early morning or early evening.    Then there is pace.   It’s hard to find 2 runners that can run the same speed enjoyably, especially two who are compatible and have the same time available.    Like i said, it can be a lonely sport!

But, being in a race of 42 kms, you find your pace and then discover that there are many people with a similar pace.   So, for once, you can talk while you run.     I enjoyed this aspect of the race probably more than any.

I have a good friend from the states who comes here every year for this marathon.  He used to live in Thailand and loves coming back for these visits.    His name is “Wall”  (nickname of course) and this time, he had just summitted Mt.  McKinley in Alaska 10 days before the race.    He had frostbite on his toe, 70 mph winds, 60 deg. slopes to contend with as well as having to carry a 130 lb. pack.  He beat me by 2+ hours.   Of course he always beats me as i am not a fast runner at all.    But, to come from that extreme temps and climate and fly 12 hours to Bangkok and then another one to Phuket, arriving the day before, to this heat and humidity, well, let’s just say we are both very tired and a bit sore today.

All in all it was a good time alhough my legs haven’t hurt that bad for many years now.
Thanks to all the organizeres, staff and Laguna for a well done job on the race!

My favorite rock & roll band in Thailand played last night at the newly opened Phuket Brewery across from Tesco Lotus.

2 of my good friends and fellow rock and roll lovers, Kim and Cathy went along with me.  I had checked the website for the newest venue for hosting big groups, the Phuket Brewery but it being new, didn’t say much.   Just basically had a poster on there saying Loso, May 1st.
So, we hopped in my truck and headed over.  

Sek Loso at "Phuket Brewery" May 1,2009

We got there about 8 PM and followed a few cars heading in and followed the car park signs.   While waiting for a mini-bus to move, the best parking spot in the whole place, right in front of the entrance, opened up so we pulled right in, pretty impressed with out luck at finding it.     Walked up the steps and saw a ticket window with only one or two other people in line.    I went over and the girls followed and we got in the short line and when it was my turn to be first, 2 Thai people immedietly crowded in from both sides and started arranging for their tickets right through me as if i didn’t exist.      

The girls had just come from a Thai culture course as they were school teachers and it was required.   Apparantly one of the things they learned was to have patience, especially in lines so they told me to chill out and just wait, this was the Thai way.   So, i waited about 5 minutes and then it was my turn.   I said “three tickets for LOSO please” and she said.  ”Sorry, finished” !  Since Kim speaks good Thai, she asked if it could be possibly sold out and the lady said yes but we could wait for cancellations.    We may have looked a little bummed out because a farang man (caucasion) and his Thia girl friend asked us if we had a problem.    We explained the situation and they said they had room at their table.  
The girl went back up to the head of the line and her and Kim came back with 3 more tickets to join them.   Great!  

Looking around the place, there is what seems to be a semi-outdoor restaurant area off to the left but the big room, for the shows, is straight ahead in the back.   It is Huge!    

Best seats in the crowded house!

So, we went inside the huge arena and were escorted up to the front all the way over on the side.   There seemed to be some confusion about our tickets and their boss came over to help and showed the girl her error and proceeded to take us right up to the very middle and the very first table right next to the stage!    Could this be our seats?  With aprox 300 tables in the whole place, we had the best one? 

Sure enough, a waitress came over and we ordered a round of dark beers in pitchers and checked out the new hall.  It is really big with about a 100 foot stage complete with lights all over the ceiling and a big sound system.    Soon after, our beers showed up and the place started filling up.   4 more of the Thai girlfriend’s friends showed up and they were some beautiful Thai 20-30 year olds and we introduced ourselves all around and ordered some food to go along with the drinks.      Here i was with one other guy and 6 or 7 girls in the best seat in the house (big house) with the best parking spot outside.   What great luck!  

The beers came.  It’s rare to get a good, heavier, dark beer in Thailand.  Not that Thai beers are not good but they aren’t very heavy and if you like darker, heavier beers, check out the Brewery.    The place was filling up fast and soon enough, a magic show started on stage right in front of us.  
There were girls who twisted like a pretzel, magic, a guy spinning plates (about a dozen at a time) and a guy shooting mouth darts at a volunteer from the audience holding 4 balloons.     Then the house band played some numbers with a woman soloist and two guys soloing a few songs and then it turned into one of these comedy acts that are so famous in Thailand although not really my cup of tea, where two guys start joking and one of them is older and dressed like a woman.    Thai people laugh so hard at these things.   Of course, i had no idea what they were saying but then, they pointed at Steve (the Farang who got s the seats and is in the brown shirt above (picture) and started coming on to him (the transvestite anyway)      I was so glad it wasn’t me.    Someone told him to offer the guy a sausage from our food plate and he did and the guy started making some obscene gestures and eventually ate the sausage after playing with it for a while.    

Finally, the moment we were waiting for arrived and the curtain opened once again to find Sek Loso and his 4 piece band opening up the set to some of his great hits.   
Immedietly, people started filing past us to get in the small space between us and the stage so we knew it was time to stand up and start dancing along and partying to some great rock and roll.

Going to a live rock show in Thailand with one of the the more famous superstars can be quite a treat.    Thai people love their music and party hard.   Almost everyone sing along to almost every song and they all knew all the words.    Having been a LOSO fan for a long time, i knew the tunes but of course, didn’t know the words.     Once again, i couldn’t believe that i was standing and dancing about 10 feet away from Sek Loso and watching his every move and emotion and hearing his guitar come through so loud.  

The more he played, the more the people came up to dance and party as close to him as they could.  Which basically meant, at our table.   This was great fun as i like being close to the action and am not one to hide in the back at concerts.       After they played about 8 or 9 songs, Sed proceeded to take off his shirt and sunglasses (his trademark) and then some other musicians came out of the wings to join along.    He switched over to some western standards and played Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze as well as Cocaine by Eric Clapton and these two other guitar players took over on some fast solos while Sed sat down on the drum riser and had a drink.

He came back to join them with some showing off and playing with his teeth and running around.   I must say i think he had a few to drink which was probably one of the things the crowd around me loved about him.    

   LOSO stands for Lo-Society and he is from the poor northeast corner of Thailand known as Issan. I think he is actually from Korat.   I’ve heard he writes a song a day and has many many hits in this country.   He had toured in England and Europe and possibly the US also (not sure) and he had a Farang band for those tours.   Tonight, he had a Farang drummer but the bass player and rhythy guitar player, as well as the two solo guys that joined in, were Thai.

After those 2 or 3 western covers, they brought out his acoustic guitar and he went into some more big hits and the crowd (who had been a little quiet for the western songs) rose up in unison singing along to every word once again.

After about 1 1/2 hours, I headed for some air and realized i might not be able to come up that close very easily once leaving.

In the back, i ran into some friends who were there and was talking a bit (something that was impossible to do at our seats)   The sound was great all over the big hall.   I would estimate that there were 2-3,000 people there filling up the place.    I did take one picture from back there although it didn’t come out too good.  

I went outside for some air and Kim and Cathy kept running out to tell me the great views they are having from moving all around, including up in the balcony where they sat for a bit with the performers in the beginning of the show (magician and pretzel girl, etc) and they found free beer up there.

About 2 AM we left as they had to go to work the next day.   The band was still playing.  I was still recognizing the hits and they were going on their 3rd hour of non-stop music.    I dont’ know how long they played but I know it was longer than most any concert i remember.   We definitely got our money’s worth as the tickets for the show had only cost 299 baht each!    (about $9.00)

Thanks Mr Sek Loso.   And keep playing the Great Music! 

Ok, I’ve been thinking about this for a while and finally got it finished. I invited a few of my more experienced hiking friends to help out and we made some changes to this final rendition.

This quiz if for experienced hikers.  I say that because if you don’t have more than a few hundred miles of hiking experience, you will probably not do well.

Unfortunately, the software wouldn’t allow me to create my own ranges at the end.
An average score turns out to be around 25%     The highest score so far has been around 70%

You may not agree with all of the questions and how they relate to hiking experience.  I feel they do although will admit that I added a few questions related to mileage because the software rates each question only to a +or- 6.   So, sorry for the repeat questions near the end but it is required for a topic that i feel is most important:    EXPERIENCE!

So, please click  HERE to take the test, or quiz, or whatever you want to call it.

Feedback welcome!    Enjoy.

March 10, 2009

Well today i went out and had probaby my toughest day yet.  
I am getting further and further away from home (Rawai) and have to drive about 40 minutes now to start.
I went out for 2 days on the motorbike looking for an easier way into where i had left off above (west) of Kathu waterfall.   Didn’t have any luck so today, went back to where i parked the bike before to do the 480 meter ascent.

When i got there, there was a crowd of people, a backhoe backing up the hill, and as i looked to see why, noticed the concrete bridge that spans a small creek there was completely broken in two!

Seems the backhoe tried to cross the bridge and was too heavy for it and collapsed it.   Some rubber farmers were trying to get across and i went first and scrambled up the steep concrete ramp.   Took this picture as my battery in my camera went dead.   Looks like the start of a rough day so far.

Was glad to reach the top and the saddle where there is a house and the road turns to trail.   A lot cooler up here at 420+ meters.    Walked north for about 20 minutes to where i had left off before.   The waypoint on my GPS was Y4 and there were 4 trails at this point.  I tried all 4 of them and eventually (after a bit of rough bushwhacking) chose one heading west and down on that side for a while.   

Turned into some pretty good trail that seemed old but overgrown.   Eventually it got me to some rubber trees although they were old and not worked anymore.   The trail was good though and going almost exactly in the direction i needed so i followed it for about an hour?  

Then i got to a spot where i could see the next hill was completely logged and thick brush covering everything. From my experience, i knew this meant trouble and sure enough, i tried 3 different routes through there and it just got too thick to go.    I spent a good hour looking for a way through and finally found a little traverse cut into the east side that was somewhat doable.  (overgrown a bit but at least i could walk without getting completely tangled in vines and bushes)

Then it ended.    And i could see i had to leave the knob i was on and head east to another one that was jungle and doable for sure.   But, there was a big gully in between.  I worked my way down and saw a big dead tree that had spanned the deep gully and thought i could walk across it.    But, it has been raining lately and was slippery.   Exactly half-way across, i could tell it was too slippery to do and sure enough, i fell.    I fell about 6 feet and landed on my back.   In water.    I laid there a bit determining how hurt i was and was glad i could get up.  The nearest road at this point is probably about 3 miles away and who knows in what direction???  Lots of steep, terrain around and nothing easy.    I got up and took a good 5 minutes to reorient my thoughts and why i am doing this.

When i’m on trail, it is great and there’s no place i’d rather be.    But, when it is bushwhacking through the thick shit, it is hard.   Very hard.    I don’t know if a trail will ever be built.   If it is, it’ll be an awesome trail but will anyone want to hike the whole thing?   Or will the rubber tree farmers stay as friendly as they have been to me?   Or will anyone even want to do these steep climbs on their holiday?    I can only say that i would.   If a trail was already here, i would be on it every chance i get.   Because it is full of views, and jungle, and rubber trees, and well, this is Thailand.    The highway past Tesco, and Big C, and all the shopping and congestion and Chalong circle with it’s police only ever checking for helmets and drivers license, and the increasing road rage and traffic accidents and noise.   Is that what people come to Thailand to see?   Maybe, some of them.   Human nature baffles me sometimes.    

Anyway, back to my story.    After resting for a while, i bushwhacked a bit up the side hill and found a faint trail heading a bit east of where i wanted to go but was glad to be back on some sort of trail.   After 2 more hills, i came to a newly planted rubber plantation and knew there should then be some kind of access nearby.   Another 10 minutes brought me to a shack where i approached with my usual “Sawadee Krup” spoken loudly.    No dogs here but a man came out with sleep in his eyes.    He didn’t really speak but pointed to the trail that he comes in and out on when i asked him about “going down”.    
I followed this for a good mile before coming to another house although i could hear people working in the nearby plantations.    Then I came to another house, much bigger this time and a small road.   Following that brought me eventually to a road that a 4 wheel drive could come up.  I followed this down for a good 2 or 3 miles.

I was very tired by now as my GPS said i did 17 kms and i hadn’t turned it on until i got to the top of the 450 meter climb at the beginning of the day.     With at least 2 or 3 kms of bushwhacking in there, that is the toughest day i’ve had.     I came out on a concrete road that i had checked out before near Chong Talay.   It was a long and windy road so i just sat down in the shade and waited a good half hour before a man came along on a motorbike and i flagged him down and asked for a ride to the Heroine’s monument circle.   He shook his head and i climbed on the back.    
At the circle, i paid him 60  baht and went immedietly to a restaurant and ordered some food.   I hadn’t expected the day to be that long and it was now about 3:30 in the afternoon and i hadn’t eaten since breakfast.  

I was pretty dehydrated also even though i had filled up my half-litre water bottle at least 3 times in springs and small creeks up on the mountain.    So, i enjoyed some food and drink and then got a motorcycle taxi guy to take me the 20 kms back to where my bike was parked.    He showed me  a nice shortcut that went past the British International School or “Dulwich” as it used to be called.   That’s the 1st time i had seen it and was impressed as it looked like a college campus.    Of course at 600,000 baht tuition per student, it should looke impressive!

Getting back to my bike, i noticed a huge backhoe trying to do something with the bridge so that at least people could get across.   But i didn’t stick around as i badly needed a shower and some rest.    I was beat.  
It was one tough day.

Today, Friday March 13th, 2009   I went out to complete this section from where i left off at the windy road at my waypoint:  ”1st good road” (on my gps) 
I still had about 3 kms to go to get to the big road near the Heroine’s Monument.

So, following that concrete windy road northwest, you come to a sign saying Land for Sale, 50 rai.   Go up the hill there which is a good gravel road and then turn left at the Y at the top.   You’ll see a sign saying “nature” or something like that and “Sea view”.    Go up until you see a pile of rocks (nice, natural, formation at the highest point) This is a very nice spot and they even have a concrete table and chairs there for a nice breather before going on in a northwest direction (All my posts so far have been northbound).  

Some decent trail just to the east of the ridge and following some old rubber trees.   Not too far in and you come to a short side trail to the left and a good lookout point looking west.   I marked this with a waypoint “lookout 1″.      Then continueing on and you come to a cliff where it appears some mining was done on the east side.   You must traverse the top of this cliff and our trail goes very close to the edge here but there are good views to the east and the south China sea.

Then the trail heads down through rubber trees and i find it best to stay on the edge of their property line.   That is usually the best trail as the rubber can become like  a maze, although that’s not a problem with the GPS in hand.  
Lots of cleared land and a maze of dirt roads at the bottom where you go under a huge power line.    Then through some shacks of Myamar workers.  One guy came out and talked to me.   (somewhat as neither of us had a common language except perhaps Thai???)    He got through to me that he was a farmer in Myamar but now makes jewelry at a nearby factory with the word “Limited” in the business name.  
I followed a trail around their small village of corrugated shacks until i came to a small vegetable farm at a half finished concrete (new) bridge.    But you couldn’t cross the bridge and the lady had her lane blocked off.   I was only about 20 meters from the main road that runs from the Heroine’s monument to Surin beach here so marked the point “Bridge1″ and headed back.   

I retraced my steps all the way back and stopped for a good breather as it is very hot this time of year and it was around 1 pm now.   I stopped at the cliffs and finished off my water bottle.  

When i got back on my bike, i headed over to where i had marked the bridge and checked out a possible road that went directly to the main road and then crossed the big highway to look for something to get me to where the mountains start on the other (east) side.     Didn’t find much as it’s really built up around here but…………..that’s for another day.   I am happy that my trail has now been walked from Lam Prom Thep (southernmost point on Phuket) to the Heroine’s monument and over many of the biggest peaks on the island.    It has been almost a year now of this work and i thoroughly enjoy it.  (except perhaps for SOME of the bushwhacking that gets SO thick)    
My wife thinks i’m nuts.   I usually come back full of cuts and scratches and very dirty, hungry, and dehydrated.    But, i’m learning so much about this island and it’s people who work the rubber and farms and how humble and inviting they are.     I will upload some pics from today and then start to plan my 3-4 day  backpacking trip to retrace ALL of the route so far. (coming up soon???)

Being a Geography buff, and living in Phuket, I see as much of this beautiful island as I can.

Did a little research and saw that Mai Thao Sip Song Mountain was the highest point on the island.  It is the one just east of Patong and west of Wat Chalong with the big golf ball looking structure on top.    It is actually a radar station for the military and restricted area.

I have been doing a lot of wilderness trekking and trailblazing trying to put together a hiking trail that will eventually go the length of the island, from Lam Prom Thep to the Sarasin bridge.    I want it to go over the high peaks as much as possible and follow the ridges and string together a trail that will be full of views, wilderness, and ridge walking.

I’ve been writing blog entries as I go along and eventually will have one in guidebook format for anyone wishing to hike it as well as the track uploaded to Google  maps for you to download to your own GPS and follow it precisely.         Here is the first and second sections for those interested.

Now obviously Mae Thao Sip Song Mountain should be on the trail.   But, unfortunately that’s impossible as it’s restricted and has very steep sides so traversing is extremely difficult.    I have plotted a route around it after 7 days of trying.

Now, I am well north of that area and up closer to Kathu waterfall.

Earlier in the week, when I was planning my route using Google Earth, as I do, I discovered that according to Google Earth, there is a higher peak.     But of course, this is only computer generated from satellite images so there could be room for error.

So, today I dropped my son off at school and went to the beach to set my new altimeter on my Garmin 60 CSX GPS, at 2 metres (it was low tide this morning).    Then I drove up to the Kathu hill that takes you to Patong.  The high point on that road has a small Taoist temple where many many people blow their horns as they go by.   Must be nerve-wracking for the caretakers who live there but maybe it’s something they are used to by now.    I stand around there for 10 minutes setting my GPS and clearing memory to build a new track and profile map and the horns had me ready to move out.  Fast!

It is a beautiful trail heading north out of there and I even pictured myself back home in eastern USA on the Appalachian trail with the well kept trail.   The only difference was the species of trees.   And of course the heat!

There is a saddle about halfway up with some homes or farms around there.   I don’t know which side they come up on but it must be a good road as the houses are nice although there is no electricity.

Found a beautiful spring full of lily pads and flowers in bloom.   Dipped my water bottle into it and was surprised the water looked so clear.    I tasted it and must say it is some of the best water I’ve had since I started coming here 9 years ago.    

Continuing up, it turned into a bush-whack as the trails all ended or lead off in directions that weren’t going to work for my goal.    One section had a lot of bamboo and rubber trees that had been cut down and left to rot.  This is the kind of bush-whacking that is extremely difficult and it was on one of the steepest parts.
When things get tough like that, I often just traverse around the mountain and often find another trail somewhere.   Sure enough after about 40 minutes of very tough going through rotten brush, I found a great trail that looked like motocross bikes had kept it clear.
I followed that for a while and came to a house where 3 rubber tree men were eating.    Tried talking to them a bit although my Thai was almost as bad as their English so, I just went back to bushwhacking.   They probably thought I was a little crazy.  Many do when I go out on these excursions.

Got into some heavy vines that were next to impossible to get through without a machete so again,  I traversed until I found an old rubber tree farm and could go up along the border.    Not much further and I came to what was the high point.     Nothing there, except a property marker.   A cement post driven in that looked as though it had been there a very long time with lots of brush, weeds, bushes and vines growing up around it.

I put my GPS onto the altimeter page and took a picture.   545 meters. I checked it in feet: 1778 feet.   I was pretty excited as I knew that Mai Thao Sip Song mountain was around 500 metres.
I sat there a while enjoying the quiet.   There are good views of the Andaman sea about 50 metres east of the high point.

I then used the TracBack feature and followed my route back although I tried to make it  a little easier and followed the rubber tree border a little longer, but eventually had to bush-whack again.
I fell down pretty hard on the spot where the cut bamboo was as it was very steep here.

Stopped for another bottle of great tasting water on the way down and waved to a few of the farmers.

I was very tired when I got back to my motorcycle at the loud road crossing as it had taken me about 4 hours total of steep ascents and descents.

But there was one more thing I had to do.   With the altimeter set that morning, and having been to the new high point within 2 hours, I drove up to Mai Thao Sip Song Mountain to check the elevation.
I could tell when i was getting close (you can drive up although there are restricted area signs and guards at the top).  I probably looked like I had been out jogging and  I parked my bike and walked up the last 200-300 meters.  Now it was the hottest part of the day and it gets steep near the top.  So, probably looking very beat, i walked right up to the gate and waved at the soldiers inside.    The high point is about 10 meters away from the gate just to the right (east).     My altimeter read 482 meters!

Now, Google Earth has it at  512 meters to the west of the gate but, like I said, I don’t trust Google Earth as much as I trust my new barometric pressure altimeter.    But either way, Mai Thao Sip Song is the second highest point in Phuket and the newly discovered highest point has NO NAME!   And no access.    And no one knows.

So, I’m writing it all down here, just hours later as it is all fresh in my memory.    I will add  the screen shot of the GPS altitude page for the days hike.

Now March 3rd, 2009

Went out again today and first went and set the altimeter to sea level as we had rain yesterday and today looked like rain too so I figured the barometer had changed.   Sure enough, it was off by about 20 meters.   I then drove to Kathu waterfall where I parked the bike and headed up steeply to the gap from the east side towards the high point.
There was decent track going up as someone (I later found out who) has made cement tread going up the very steep climb.   At the top, I turned left or south to connect the point to where I last left off.

About 300 meters before the high point, I saw a man at a nice cabin who seemed friendly and said hi.  I told him what I was doing and he told me to stay to the right on the way up as it is easier track.     Sure enough, I’m glad he told me or I would’ve been bushwhacking again but got to follow track and rubber tree farms almost right to the top.

There are good views of Patong and Kamala beach from just before the high point.   When I  got to the spot that is the highest and checked the altimeter,  amazingly  it was exactly the same at 545 meters.    So, I am fairly positive that this is within a few meters of the correct altitude.       I sat down after a tough, steep climb, not having stopped since I parked back at 79 meters elevation.     470 meter climbs will tell you to stop and rest for sure.

On the way back down, I saw about a 2 meter long dark grey snake.   He squirmed away from me as fast as he could and I think we scared each other.     Back at the cabin, the man talked again and offered me water and bananas and then invited me up to his porch.   I went up and he explained that he was from the area and bought 50 rai (20 acres) about 15 years ago and planted fruit trees.   Mostly Dorian and jack fruit, but also some lemon and others.      He offered me coffee and I accepted as he was a pretty cool man with lots to add to the history of Phuket and the way it used to be.   He told me that at night, he sees and hears  people with guns shooting pigs, monkeys, chickens, and whatever they can shoot to eat.     They are mostly Burmese rubber tree farmers and construction workers.   I have seen them living off of frogs and lizards and slugs and geckos and the women collecting wild edible plants.      These people have it rough as yesterday I saw a truckload of them going down the highway in a pouring down rainstorm packed in like sardines with no cover except their bandannas.   Very sad.

So, talked with the man for about an hour I guess and then headed out and continued past the point where I came up to check out a road that was on my GPS.   Saw another cabin with no one home but another nice spot.    The road turned out to be slightly overgrown but possibly and easier way in from the Kamala side that I will try next time I come up.     Saw one side trail that I checked out and it was a pipe to a concrete water basin and most likely good water as there is not much higher  elevation around here.          I then went back down the steep trail in fast time and headed home.   Now, the further north I get on this project, the longer the drive from and to home to get to the trail where I left off.

If you want to keep following my adventures on this trail, you can see my next blog entry here.   It is the next section northbound and one of the hardest and most remote up to the Heroine’s monument.

Also, my first blog entry which explains a bit more on why I would like to see this trail exist and my first steps and ideas are on a post from August 2008 here.

Down-loadable track that can be installed in your own GPS and followed can be found at Google Maps HERE.

Brought to you by Warmstuff Distributing   www.warmstuff.com (selling thermal long johns and warm stuff to keep people warm all over the world)