Thailand Monkey School
February 23, 1999
It was our first sight of the Andaman Sea and we were lucky. We found the near-perfect resort on the beach and did not have to pay the rates of the premier tourist sites. Our bungalow had a view of the beach on two sides because the resort is located on a point of land that sticks out in the sea. For the price of 1,400 Baht (about $52), we got air conditioning, hot water shower, TV with two Thai stations, clean room with queen bed, beautiful grounds, swimming pool, and one of the most isolated and beautiful white sand beaches we have seen. The water temperature on the beach was just right Except for a growing hunger, we might still be there, enjoying that surf. With my binoculars, I scanned the coast on both sides of the resort and could see little evidence of human habitation – only coconut palms and casuarina trees. Maybe ½ mile out from the beach is a reef that protects the lagoon and beach from the big waves. I watched the sunset over the Andaman Sea and felt at peace with the world.
Dinner was served under the casuarina, coconut and rubber trees a few feet from the surf. From our table, we could hear the sound of small waves hitting the beach and soft music coming from the indoor part of the restaurant. The Thai flavored, stir-fried vegetables, chicken and cashews and steamed rice was delicious. Just as I said, “Wow, all this and no mosquitoes,” a few mosquitoes appeared. We ate a little more quickly than normal and headed back into the mosquito-free bungalow.
We had driven from the east side of the Thai Peninsula, through some of the most spectacular scenery of our two-week trip. Solid, perpendicular walls of limestone mountains rose about 2000 feet into the air. In the valleys below the mountains, were farms of rubber trees, palm orchards, coconut plantations and lots of banana trees. Everything was very green except for the rubber trees that were in the process of shedding their brown and red leaves. The tops of the mountains were covered with rainforest.
We stopped along the way at a couple of national parks and took in the amazing scenery. However, since it was the middle of the day, we saw very few birds.
We had stayed, the night before, at my favorite hotel of the whole trip. The Wang Tai Hotel is located in the city of Surat Thani on the bank of the Khlong Phum Duong River (just love those names). For only 1000 Baht ($37), we got a large room with a view of the swimming pool, rapid room service, a touch-tone phone in the room and a local access number to my brother Pete’s Internet service provider. During the early morning, I could access the ISP, but the remainder of the day it was always busy. (For some reason America On Line does not provide service in Thailand.) Because of the excellent service, outstanding restaurant food, and access to the Internet, we stayed there two nights and caught up on email.
We spent some time walking along the docks observing the ferries that take passengers to several popular offshore islands. We were not particularly impressed with the amenities on the ferries and remember hearing about overloaded ferries sinking in this part of the world -- usually with great loss of human life. We particularly enjoyed walking through the downtown market area. We tried to figure out names of the fruits, vegetables, and spices that were found there in profusion. A “barker” with a loudspeaker was trying to push jars of some ointment that smelled much like Mentholatum. He offered to rub some on my arm – I refused his generous offer. He reminded me of the “snake oil salesmen” of the Old West. Three-wheeled bike taxis and motorbikes mingled with the pedestrians in the crowded area.
One of the highlights of our stay there was a visit to the Monkey School. A local map showed the precise location of the school. Supposedly, wild monkeys captured in the forest require about two months to learn how to pick coconuts at this school. To make it easier for us to find the school, there was a large sign on the edge of town in large English letters – “Monkey School 7 kilometers.” We set the odometer – at seven kilometers there was no road or monkey school. We drove around the area for almost an hour and never found the monkey school. We decided that maybe “monkey school” in Thailand is the same as “April Fools” in the USA. Henceforth, instead of admitting that we are lost, we can claim that we are searching for a “monkey school.”
We expect to search for several more “monkey schools” before we leave Thailand.
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