We have a Thai family visiting us this weekend and yesterday, after lunch they wanted to go to Pala U waterfall. I thought it was too late in the day to start out on a journey like that, especially with the afternoon rains but they really wanted to go, so off we went.
I've only been there once before and I guess it was in the dryer season because the river and the falls were much faster and bigger than I recall. There were lots of Thai families there enjoying the afternoon out (as well as a few other foreigners). They've also improved the road in the park and the facilities since I was there last including a small restaurant where you can get drinks and they had bbq chicken going on a grill.
Anyway, it did start to rain so we started home around 4:30 p.m. which seemed more like 6:30 because of the dark skies. Anyone who has been there knows there is a left turn a few kilometers from the park onto the main highway that comes back to Hua Hin. I don't know the name of the village but a few more kilometers after making this turn you pass through a village that is marked by a lot of fruit vendors on the right of the road and one of those police barriers that makes you slow down and swerve between obstacles just as you leave the east end returning to Hua Hin. Then there is a 10 to 20 kilometer stretch of road that is totally unpopulated with dense jungle on both sides before you come to the next small village with another one of those same police barriers.
We were a couple of kilometers into this jungle section when we rounded a bend to see the biggest Asian elephant I've ever seen walking down the road towards us in our lane. The other occupants of the car started to cackle in Thai and my wife told me it was a wild elephant. There was no other traffic in sight so I pulled into the other lane (wrong side of the road) and stopped to take out my camera.
The elephant became very interested in us or the car and speeded up his pace and changed direction directly for us. Everyone started screaming and my wife told me to get out of there so I floored the still running car just as the animal was within a couple of meters of the passenger side. I watched in the mirror as the beast turned in the direction of our fleeing car and watched as we drove away.
I don't know what his intent was, if he was being territorial or just curious, but I wasn't sure elephant damage would be covered under my insurance so I wasn't waiting to find out!
As we continued on this deserted stretch of road I started to notice a lot of what I suppose was piles of elephant dung on both shoulders as well as in the road, some old and dried up.
Then we met two more cars flashing their headlights at us. Fearing one of those nonsensical police road blocks or an accident ahead, I slowed down and made sure everyone had their seat belts on.
It turned out to be another, much smaller elephant walking down the road, and then a couple of kilometers further on, yet another one standing by the side of the road watching us pass.
After much discussion the Thais in my car determined that this uninhabited part of that highway must be one of the remaining jungles where wild elephants still live in this country. I didn't even know there still were wild elephants here, especially not so close to Hua Hin.
So, if anyone wants to see elephants in the wild, I recommend driving this stretch of road just before sunset as the day cools and the animals come out of the jungle to forage on the sides of the road.... but watch out for a big one who seems to take an interest in wheeled steel boxes full of smaller screaming animals!
A close encounter of the very large kind...
A close encounter of the very large kind...
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
-
Randy Cornhole
- Rock Star
- Posts: 3701
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 5:01 pm
- Location: London
- Contact:
-
JimmyGreaves
- Legend
- Posts: 2913
- Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2005 5:06 am
- Location: HuaEireHin
I'm sure somebody was killed a few years ago on this stretch by an elephant as they got to curious wantingbto take photos and the elephant was having non of it. Two years ago did the drive and saw plenty of elephint dung but no elephants. Beware!
Diplomacy is the ability to tell a man to go to hell so that he looks forward to making the trip
-
bluezephyr
- Professional
- Posts: 291
- Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 1:15 am
- Location: Norwich, Norfolk, England
last year
We had the same experience last year . .of seeing wild elephants on that stretch of road to Pala U. ( although not quite the adventure of the op)
Returning at dusk, there was a small herd of them waiting to cross the road as we passed. We were of two minds in the car, stop and watch or continue on. We opted for our safety and continued on.
I remember that report of someone on a motorcycle being killed by elephants on that same stretch. It is a place to be careful though.
We might be going out there tomorrow, though I always find it not worth the interminable ride and I would expect huge crowds too as it is a holiday.
Returning at dusk, there was a small herd of them waiting to cross the road as we passed. We were of two minds in the car, stop and watch or continue on. We opted for our safety and continued on.
I remember that report of someone on a motorcycle being killed by elephants on that same stretch. It is a place to be careful though.
We might be going out there tomorrow, though I always find it not worth the interminable ride and I would expect huge crowds too as it is a holiday.
“This year, we Americans have a Fourth of July we can truly celebrate. We did it! We survived eight years of Republican rule and that idiot Bush in the White House.”