Erawan National Park

by Sarah Ann
for Monday, July 15th

After waking up at 5:30, we got in a van for a 2.5 hour drive to Erawan National Park. Erawan National Park is known for its seven levels of waterfalls. You can hike up, and stop at any of the waterfalls to swim. We wanted to leave early that way we could hike all the way up before it got too hot, and then swim on the way down. We also wanted to avoid all the tourists that come.

Aside from getting a bit motion sick, the drive went pretty smoothly. We began hiking almost immediately. The path to the first few waterfalls were paved, but after that we were hiking through the jungle - climbing over boulders, trekking through water, and swinging from vines. Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it was adventurous. It was also warm and humid, and very steep so we got quite hot and sweaty. It was beautiful the whole way, and we could see the different waterfalls as we passed them. Each waterfall was unique and gorgeous.

This wasn't one of the official seven levels - it's just a small waterfall along the way

When we finally got to the top, the seventh waterfall, we were ready for a swim. However, there were also fish in the water. If you stuck your feet in the water, the fish would come and nibble at your dead skin. It was funny to watch people walk in the water, and then scream when a fish nibbled at their feet. Some people love the feeling though; there was one guy just sticking his feet in the water and a whole swarm of fish were eating his feet. Actually, some people in Thailand pay to have feet messages where they stick their feet in tanks with these fish - on purpose. I think that's disgusting. I stuck in my feet to let the fish nibble just for the experience, but no one in my family liked the feeling. We waded where it was shallow to avoid the fish, but we knew the fish were in every waterfall and to swim we would have to brave the fish at some point.

at the top level - level 7 - of the waterfalls

another view of the 7th level

We hiked down to swim at some more waterfalls. By then, more people were starting to arrive, and I was glad we had left early. We took a quick swim at waterfall five, but we were hungry, so we headed back down to waterfall two since eating was prohibited above that. The only food nearby was fertilized eggs, scorpions on a stick, or gross hamburgers, so we went with the hamburgers that were indeed gross. We then headed up to waterfall four which was the best one for swimming. They also had a rock slide. Rachel figured out if you kept moving, the fish won't eat you, so we all decided to brave the slides and swim.

going down the rock waterslide on the 4th level of the waterfalls

We headed back down the path, ate some Thai food at a real vendor (not just gross hamburgers) and headed back. This drive took longer since there was a lot of Bangkok traffic. However in all the stop and start of the traffic, I got quite motion sick. When we got there, I felt to sick to look down and pack up my stuff. I asked if anyone had grabbed my phone, but no one heard me. The driver drove off, and we soon realized my phone was still in the van. Luckily we managed to message the driver, get my phone back, and all was well.

When we got back home, Rachel and I walked down the street to get one of the famous Thai massages. It was amazing! It was a back and shoulder massage. A traditional Thai massage has lots of assisted yoga poses and there were several in our massage also. 

I will be sad to leave Thailand. Since this is our last day, I want to mention a few things that have never been significant enough to mention in a post but are part of all the little things that have made up Thailand. Pictures of the King and 7-elevens are both everywhere, and there are quite a few stray cats and dogs. We have had to drink bottled water due to unsafe tap water, as will be the case with most countries we are going to. There have been a million tourists here, from all over speaking many different languages, although most everyone can speak at least a little English. I will miss Thailand, but I am excited for more adventures in Cambodia.

one of hundreds of shrines throughout Bangkok to their king