Charlotte's Web: Khao Yai National Park

After our school trip to the ancient capitals most of the group parted ways and either went to Bangkok or back to Chiang Mai. Jack, Andrew, Emily, Tammy and I took a train to Khao Yai National Park, which is the third largest and most visited National Park in Thailand. The park is home to 3,000 plant species, over 300 bird species, and plenty of mammals as well including wild elephants and monkeys. We camped out Friday and Saturday night, staying in tents we rented from the park. Saturday we hired a park ranger and went on a 5 km hike where we walked through the thick forest. We saw many different plants, insects, and a few monkeys. Along the trail in a few spots we saw elephant dung and some footprints, but unfortunately didn't see an elephant. We ended the hike at a watch tower overlooking grassland and a salt lick that attracts elephants and other mammals, but didn't see anything there either. After our guided hike we did a smaller walk through the woods and ended at a pretty dried up waterfall were we all relaxed and took afternoon naps. Later that night we went on a night safari where we sat in a truck bed and our guide used a spotlight to look for animals. We saw plenty of deer and a few wild cats that we think are called Siri cats, but we had a hard time understanding our guide. Sunday morning Jack, Andrew and I woke up early for a morning hike to two waterfalls. On the trail alongside a slow-moving river we encountered a wild crocodile. I was terrified to say the least. We rounded a corner and it was in the water about 10 feet away from us. It wasn't until after seeing the crocodile that we began to see signs warning us about the crocodiles and not to swim. I was very much on edge for the rest of the hike.