Sunday, July 19, 2009

A night in the jungle



High in the mountains of the lush green Thai jungle, is a small primative bamboo hut built by Mahout Joe. Way in the distance ... you'll see the brown hut.




No eletricity .... a stream flowing down off the mountain provides cold water for bathing in the simple bamboo outhouse type bathroom.



The day before I left the Thai Elephant Home, I trekked via elephant, up to the bamboo hut to spend the night.



First order of business was for the mahout to bring the elephants out to an area where the elephants could spend the night eating grass.



Pak Boon in the jungle ... with this being the rainy season, the jungle is so, so green. A type of very intense green that almost hurts the eyes.



Upon arrival at the hut, one of the mahout got busy immediately cutting up spices (mainly chili peppers!) to place with the fresh fish, which was then wrapped in banana leaves and placed in the outdoor fire to cook.



Fresh pork belly was hung over the fire as well to cook for our dinner.



I bought four bottles of Thai white moonshine type whiskey which the mahouts and I pretty much polished off before dinner! Mahout Joe told me Thai Whiskey kept the mosquitos from biting you... I think the Thai Whiskey kept me from knowing the mosquitos were biting me!



Some of the mahout in Thailand sure seem young!






Spicy hot fish, grilled pig fat and rice never tasted so good!




Before 6 a.m. Dar, one of the mahouts, already had boiled water in bamboo over the fire so I could make my cup of coffee.



Dar even carved out a bamboo stick so that I could stir my coffee (I brought along some of the Balinese coffee ....)



Nothing like a good cup of strong coffee, cooked over a wood fire, drunk in the jungle, all the while watching the sunrise over the mountain.



Early morning clouds hovering low in the mountains as the sun just begins its day.



An early morning view of the mist covered mountains as the trek into the jungle came to and end.

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