Gibbon spotting at Bangpae waterfalls in Phuket

One is writing this from one’s sea facing room at the boutique hotel named Mom Tri’s Boat
House, a stone’s throw away from the silvery sands of Kata Beach at Phuket in Thailand. Having
returned from a close encounter with Mother Nature, one gets up at the break of dawn and after
enjoying the sun-rise and a leisurely dip in the blue waters of the sea, gets ready to walk a
kilometre to Kata Bus Stop.

Here a big blue bus awaits departure at 9:00 a.m. The bus is blue in colour and locals and
tourists alike call it the blue bus. Its an antique army truck modified into a bus by putting two long
wooden planks on the sides and a small canopy to protect against the rain!

One hops into the empty bus which ambles alongside Phuket’s Marine drive. The bus is open
and one can get a panoramic view of the ocean. The bus cannot go faster than 20 km. per hour
or the laid back driver is too lazy to not press his foot on the accelerator any harder. But its for the
good as one gets the feel of a toy train ride, alongside the Karon beach which is by far one of
Phuket’s best beaches. It’s a drive that looks endless as more and more of the golden sands are
uncovered with every passing minute. After about fifteen minutes, the bus starts making belching
sounds as it attempts to climb a steep cliff! One makes progress like a snail climbing Mount
Everest and the amused passengers smile slyly at each other, in jest. The view from the top of
the hill is majestic. Uninhabited islands, hills and limestone formations are seen scattered along
the wide expanse of the translucent ocean.

Suddenly, we are moving downhill and in a matter of a few minutes are in the middle of
civilization besides a crowded beach. Patong beach is the most popular beach at Phuket and is a
hub for tourists from all over the world not unlike the tourist districts at Thamel in Kathmandu or
Calangute at Goa. We leave Patong behind and head into thick tropical rainforests with hills
surrounding both sides of the road. A few isolated rubber plantations can be seen in-between
long stretches of wilderness. Phuket town, has all the features of a small city in South East Asia
and looks no different than Alor Star, Langkavi or any of the smaller towns of Malaysia!

One alights at the town bus stand and hires a motorcycle taxi to take one to Bangpae waterfall
near the Airport. As the distance is 35 km. one grudgingly haggles and settles for a one way
transfer for 250 Baht. The motorcycle ride is over a smooth highway and one passes several
golden roofed pagodas and Budhist monasteries along the way.

One has to trek on foot from the entrance after paying a conservation fee of 200 Baht to the forest
department officials. One can see several elephants, resting under the shade of mammoth trees,
as one is about to enter the wildlife sanctuary. One begins the trek alongside innumerable rubber
trees lined on both sides of the hill in geometric precision. After about 2 kilometres, one can see a
board saying “Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre” Here gibbons who are rescued from poachers or
saved from illegal export to Hong Kong restaurants or injured are bred in captivity before nursing
them back to health and releasing them into the wild.

The Gibbon rehabilitation project is totally self funded and the shop outside the centre sells
souvenirs including “Save the gibbon” buttons, T-shirts, magnets, photographs and other
memorabilia. One continues one’s trek through the gibbon rehabilitation centre, watching a group
of gibbons, exercise and play in wide cages. The most striking feature of gibbons is their almost
human like appearance and intelligence.

They can bee seen merrily swinging away on their swings inside the cages. Some of the smaller
ones seem to be having a good time, playing pranks and creating a nuisance for their parents.
One continues to climb uphill after spending a short time watching the gibbons awaiting
rehabilitation. As one climbs along the bridle path, one notices a mountain stream to ones left.
The rest of the climb is trekking to the waterfall which is the source of the mountain stream. Now
the jungle cover begins to thicken and several giant rainforest trees can be seen on both sides of
one’s path. Its semi-dark here at noon, with a few streams of sunlight filtering through the tiny
crevices among the trees. As one looks up, one can see that almost all the trees are several
metres in height, though they have fewer branches and leaves as the shorter ones.

The climb becomes tougher as one gets higher and the sound of the cascading water becomes
louder. It takes about 60 minute of slow trekking to get to Bangpae waterfall. The sight of the
snow-white water cascading down to hit the rocks at the bottom is every nature lover’s delight.
The fine spray of water is in the air everywhere and gently wets your cheeks as you sit under the
shade of a giant tree and watch time go by as you relax to the tune of the flowing water. The
sound of nature inside a tropical rainforest is truly incredible. Crickets sing their song throughout
the day, simulating midnight. A few frogs, croak aloud mistaking the darkness as the onset of
dusk.

The playful sounds of gibbons wildly swinging from one branch to another rent the air. The rustle
among the trees indicate gibbon movement in the air. After one crosses Bangpae waterfall the
climb becomes steeper and the tree cover becomes thicker and soon one finds oneself in the
middle of a thick tropical rainforest. Leeches cling to one’s feet as one treks uphill trying to spot a
gibbon in the wild.

The wait for a gibbon is exciting. One hears the trees shake and expectantly waits for the gibbon
to appear. But he unexpectedly disappears within a fleeting moment and all one has of the
gibbon’s special appearance are faint memories. One must be prepared to wait for long hours
with single minded determination to get closer to these gentle and almost humanlike creatures.
Their rotund faces, playful laughter and emotions that are portrayed over their sensitive faces are
a delight to watch and leave indelible imprints on our unconscious.

How to get there?

The nearest international airport to reach Phuket is the Suvarnabhoomi International Airport at
Bangkok. There are several options for Indian tourists to get to Phuket from Bangkok.

By bus: The easiest and most popular way to get to Phuket from Bangkok is by bus. This 900
km. trip takes 12 hours. There are three bus terminals at Bangkok, namely Northern, Southern
and Eastern. All buses are first class air-conditioned with pushback seats. The bus fare from
Bangkok to Phuket costs 450 Baht for ordinary buses to 900 Baht for super-deluxe buses. Buses
to Phuket leave Bangkok’s Southern bus terminal.

The first bus leaves at 6:00 a.m. and the last bus leaves at 6:00 p.m. The one-way ticket is priced
at 600 Baht. Buses leave at two hourly intervals.

By air: Several airlines operate direct flights from Bangkok to Phuket. Phuket international airport
is also connected by direct flights from Penang, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. But
the cheapest option for budget conscious Indian tourists is to take the 10:50 a.m. Air Asia flight
from Bangkok to Phuket. If booked two weeks in advance, the flight fare should not exceed 2800
Baht one way. The flight duration is approximately 90 minutes. Air Asia is a budget airline whose
fares are extremely affordable even if booked at last minute. However, Indian tourists who are
sure about their itinery in Thailand can book Air Asia tickets using an international credit card at
India and get early bird promotional fares starting at 900 Baht!
Air Asia’s schedule is as follows:

From Bangkok to Phuket

Departure Arrival

10:50 12:15

16:30 17:50

19:40 21:00

21:10 22:30

From Phuket to Bangkok

Departure Arrival

12:50 14:05

18:15 19:35

21:25 22:45

23:50 00:25

Where to stay?

Mom Tri’s Boathouse at Kata beach is a value for money proposition which offers four star
comforts at three star rates and is extremely affordable by Indian standards during May-October
which is a low season. A standard double room costs approximately . 3000/- Baht inclusive of
American breakfast. Budget conscious Europeans, Pakistanis and Arabs frequent this eco-
friendly property at this time of the year. It is important to mention that Mom Tri’s is a boutique
hotel which has 35 individually designed rooms.

Where to eat?

Many small restaurants serving Thai cuisine dot Phuket. Freshly steamed vegetables in red curry,
served with steamed white rice is a local dish which is colourful and decorated with carved
tomatoes and coriander leaves. This dish as delicious to eat and pleasing to the eyes. The food
at the high profile hotels is only for the gastronomically adventurous who like greasy food. Fresh
tropical fruits including durians, mangosteens, pineapples, tender coconuts and jack-fruits are
available at the local market. Mom Tri’s boathouse’s American breakfast has a selection of fresh
fruits, raisins, water-melon juice, orange juice, fresh vegetable salad and black tea for vegans
who don’t consume any product of animal origin or products which contain minute traces of any
product of animal origin. Murli Menon, is a travel writer and ZeNLP meditation teacher based in
India. He is author of "ZeNLP-the power to relax" and "ZeNLP-the power to succeed" available on
amazon.com. He can be contacted at ceo@tips4ceos.com
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At Bangpae waterfall in Phuket