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January 13, 2007
That day we went for a half day tour to Khao Yai National Park. We walked into a cave where we saw guano, some bats and a green snake. We drove from there to the famous bat cave. We stood there for quite some time while watching the amazing sight of millions of bats leaving the cave toward their nightly hunt in the rain forests of the area.
Saturday was calm and boring. The Green Leaf is located fifteen kilometers from Pak Chong. In that area there’s a small number of guest house, mini-markets and one 7/11 store. There’s also an ATM. When I asked Chao, our guide, about attractions in the guest houses area, I was told there’s nothing to see besides a school in which there was nothing as well.
Saturday and Sunday are not working days in Thailand. Everything is closed anyways in Pak Chong. Even the local bus which was supposed to come every thirty minutes (40 baht) didn’t come because it was some sort of a holiday. It was impossible to rent a motorcycle as well, and going all those fifteen kilometers in a bus to Pak Chong only to rent there a motorbike, get back forty five kilometers until the park and then another forty five kilometers to the city and fifteen more in a bus, didn’t sound like a very good idea.
I didn’t have any choice but wait to 3:30 PM. Then the half day tours started. The Green Leaf package includes a half day tour to the bats cave, and a full day trekking in the reservation the day after (1400 baht).
Half day in Khao Yai National Park
We went as a group on a small truck and arrived at the first cave. Chao showed us plants which are used in the Thai kitchen, as well as exploding seeds that look much like exploding candy.
The cave we entered was nice but that’s it. We’ve seen three or four Wrinkled Bats and lots of guano. Chao explained about the guano (bat poop) which is used to make explosives. Therefore the government requires a permit to collect it. High fines are given to those who are picking it without permit. We also found in the cave a green snake, which is very common in Thailand. We were told it’s not poisonous.
We left the cave and visited a small temple nearby. Around 6:00 PM we stopped at a viewpoint and went to the bat cave. This cave was very high. We stood a couple of hundred meters away from it while Chao prepared his telescope.
Bats Cave
After a couple of minutes we heard noises and wing flapping from the cave. A large group of creatures showed at the opening. From the place we were standing the bats looked like butterflies or small birds. A few minutes more and a flood o bats started to get out of the cave. Like water, tens of thousands of bats went out flying. They flew in a special wave shape toward the forest in which they will have their dinner tonight. This phenomenon occurs every night. Two million bats are sleeping in the cave. They all fly out during one hour in a non-stop flood to the woods and jungles around the area. Around 7:00 PM the flood became thinner but still kept going. Overall, it’s a very special sight but after thirty minutes it’s starts to get boring. You should see it if you’re already there, but it’s not a must.
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That day I missed Kanchanaburi and the freedom I had with my motorcycle. Perhaps tomorrow will be better.
This article was originally written in Hebrew. It was translated to English at a later time.
English
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