Too many things were inspired just by looking at the night sky. One of such things that have engendered a lot of controversy and competition between the west and the east was the race towards the moon. Well, now we’re getting too far…

You see, if you want to get a clearer view of the sky, go to places where the sky is barren, where it is not obstructed by uprising man-made sky scrapers. Where our night vision is not polluted by glittering city lights. Go to where the sky is uncluttered and enjoyable so you may evoke memories of past and sentiments of the Wisdom that created everything that lies at your sight. Go to where it is peaceful.

The Khao Sok National park is a perfect place for this.

The park is simply vast and endless, covers 3 provinces and has a superficies of 375 square kilometers.

I decided to stay in the Khao Sok Paradise Resort, due to an article written by Shreya Shukla, a famous travel writer in India working for the Calcutta telegraph.

The Paradise Resort is a truly amazing Tree House Resort located at the door of the National park, and is specialized in organizing night safaris and elephant treks.

I decided to go for a night safari with my wife a few hours after we arrived, since we already went for elephant treks in India.

The Owner of the Lodge, Eric a Belgian gentleman and a true nature lover told us it was a perfect night to spot wildlife, indeed it was a full moon night and the stars were contributing

The night safari started at 7 Am, Yaya, our local Jungle guide told me that he wanted to start early so that we would be the first group to enter the park that night, and that it would give us better chances to spot wild life.

I often go for night hikes with by friends back in India, It doesn’t not only provide peace, but also calms the heart. It eases our troubles during the day and it washes the fatigue brought by the tiring journey we took during the daytime.

Overall this trip took be 3 hours, yaya was fantastic, he had a strong southern accent and really new the jungle; he had been living here since he was born and had a lot of nature knowledge. Together we managed to spot a slow loris, two civic cats, a green snake and an owl.

I would definitely recommend the paradise Resort, This park is a wonderful playground for all nature lovers.

By Sulfi Khan

The rooms are mostly tree house huts, and they’re actually very comfortable. Another room is designed to look like it’s hollowed out of a tree, and we stayed in this one for a couple of nights. Unlike the other rooms it had air conditioning, and to be honest, the others didn’t need it. It also suffered from damp and leaks, which the others didn’t. 

Eric was putting the finishing touches to a new bungalow when we were there and it looked really nice. 
The food is quite a limited selection, but most of the Thai favourites are there and they’re lovely. I really recommend the cookery class too, but bear in mind you make a lot of food, so don’t pig out at breakfast like we did. 

One of the best things about this place is the fact that they will organise activities for you and they’re worth what is charged for them. The lake trip is a must and you should stay overnight on the lake too.
We probably picked a bad time to visit as it chucked it down constantly, but it was still a great few days.
Thanks Eric, for being such a good host, and if we’re ever passing Khao Sok, we’ll come and stay again

Trip Advisor - anonym0us

Trip Advisor - Lucy C

we booked the package (jungle taster 2nights with all food included from the resort ) directly with them via the web site.

Our tree hut was very confortable with nice bathroom, we had one of the best sleep so far in thailand
organisation was top from begining to the end. the diferent guide provided for the tour were very profetional, always taking care that you can have the best experience.

the price can look like a bit more than average but it is for our point of view really worth the money

once more many many thx to the team and guide

Trip Advisor – jonathan_and_nadine

After our return to Denmark we must say that during our 3 week travel in Thailand (which also included a 5 star River hotel in Bangkok, a 3 star resort at Koh Mook + a luxury villa in Krabi) the Paradise Resort in Khao Sok brought us not only best value for money – the moments we experienced at this Resort and in the National Park has become valuable memories, because here surrounded by the green forest and the many sounds of insects and animals we felt so relaxed – close to reborn. What an experience. 

As to the Paradise Resort: What you see from the photos from the Paradise Resort website is also what you get! Further to this the Paradise Resort is a very nice and comfortable place to stay , because the cabins are cosy and the resort is quietly located. The sounds of the many insects and animals are intense and so is the smell of green nature. The meals prepared to us every day were delicious and the staff and family were very friendly – they really made you feel good. At the resort we also received a “Thai cooking class” taught by the very well English speaking cook Mrs. Botan. The resort is located only 5 minutes walk away from the park entrance and the small village, which offers a couple of other restaurants, resorts and a few shops.

We highly recommend everybody planning a trip to Southern Thailand to spend at least a couple of days in the Khao Sok Rainforest – even though it may rain. Purchase a guided tour package – you will not regret it. We also highly recommend the Paradise Resort. You will not regret that either. 

This photo of Khao Sok Paradise Resort is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Trip Advisor - Annette F

We arrived around 6pm after being dropped off from the full day lake tour (defo worth doing but wear proper shoes and be aware that you will be waist deep in fast flowing rivers for some of the trek!). The room was impressive from the outside with a big balcony looking over the trees (although no mountain view to my knowledge). For a hut in the forest it was extremely clean with surprisingly no creepy crawlies or mozzies. The bathroom is amazing, very modern and not what you expect in a hut! The bed was quite hard and I didnt get a good sleep, however I’m sure this was nothing to do with the room and more to do with my insomnia while in Thailand! The room is basically a bed and a bathroom, there isn’t a TV but who really goes to the jungle to watch TV! 

The food isn’t as good as “at home”. The prices are similar but there is much less choice, especially with the Thai dishes. I had a papaya salad and cheese toasted sandwich, both were ok. 

Breakfast in the morning was a bit over priced compared to what we had at “at home” . We ordered toast for 100 baht and we got two slices with juice and coffee (the coffee arrived about an hour after the toast but was very nice). “At home” gave us a plate with 8 slices and juice each for 80 baht.

Nuttanit (I think she is the manager) speaks great English and is very helpful. When I asked to change the dates that we wanted to stay, she was happy to rearrange. When it turned out that the rooms AC had broke, she quickly organised us the room at “at home” and charged us the same (cheaper) price that we would have paid at paradise resort. She organised the lake trip for us and also our transport to Bangkok. We had also left our back packs at “at home resort” when we went to the lake trip, but she organised someone to pick them up and bring them to us. Which was great as there was monsoon rain at the time!

Overall, the mountain view room is good value. If you have more money to splash out with I would say go for “at home” over paradise resort. Simply to experience the amazing views and food. However paradise resort has everything you need for a comfortable stay, and there aren’t really any negative points to our stay.

Trip Advisor - Jenna C

Trip Advisor - JAB2405

This park is well-known for its treasure chest of tropical rainforest, botanical diversity and assortment of wildlife. Visiting the park and staying in a comfy tree house at the Khao Sok Paradise Resort was my friend’s idea, and since it was my first visit to the Park, I was more than curious to find out more about this nature reserve. I was actually looking forward to an interesting yet relaxing time, which is my conception of a holiday.

“Picture of the Park”

Yaya, our jungle guide explain us that the park boasts  various species of mammals, including the notorious and very endangered white handed gibbons, Dusky langurs , pig tailed macaques, tapirs, Pangolins, wild elephants, more then185 species of birds have been recorded in the park, including, black eagles hornbills and the little spider hunter.

I ‘m hiking through the rainforest for more than two hours now,  a jumble of sky soaring trees, wildlife, insects and a myriad of environments ranging from marsh to tropical rainforest.

Magically The wreckage of the small jeep appears in front of me, Yaya explain us that the vehicle was used by communist students that were hiding in the Jungle in the late 60’s, he also shows us a bunker that was built by the same communist students to hide from the army helicopters, that were hunting them down, in a flash feel like being in a Vietnam war movie.

“The wreckage of a small jeep, which was used by the communist students, in the late 60’s”

“The ruins of a bunker, built by communist students that were hiding from the army”

After that exhausting but amazing trek, we took the afternoon easy and just enjoyed the ambience, the sound of nature, critter and all. Our tree house accommodation offers all the comfort you could expect in the west, hot water, Rain shower, wooden bath tub, rubber mattresses, beautiful wooden furniture, a nice ceiling fan and even aircon and Wi-Fi internet for those who really need it.  Even if very modern the Tree houses the Paradise Resort tree houses have a simple look and make us feel close to nature.

We checked another few accommodation options in the area but the Paradise Resort was by far the best.

The next day, we decided to trek to the Bang Hua red waterfall, with yaya.

Trekking uphill took effort and was tiring. There were times, with sweat dripping down my face and clothing, when I wondered why I was torturing myself. My leg ached and my feet hurt, mainly because I was wearing flip flops, which were not adequate for jungle hikes, especially over uneven terrain.

As we progressed through the dense jungle I could see juvenile long tailed macaques playing around me, then I could hear the sound of rushing water, splashing over moss-strewn rocks and gurgling through nooks and crannies, it was like nice music to my ears.

“A long tailed macaque hiding in a tree”

While swimming in the waterfall with my friend Yaya decided to cook some food for us my using bamboo, it apparently is an ancestral way of cooking in Thailand.

We were amazed by the result; it was a bit like a five star menu in the middle of the Jungle.

The trip back to the resort was faster, or so it seemed. I was not paying as much attention to my surrounding as we had to hurry in order to arrive before darkness.

Once back in our rooms we decided to experience a tiger balm massage

Tiger balm is a unique blend of the finest quality essential oils, when applied on the skin, the analgesic properties provide symptomatic relief from the pain and discomfort associated with the muscular aches and pains of muscle and backaches.

By Wayne Nolan

Nowadays I basically could live off Mediterranean food, but also always seem to have crush for Thai Food.

My earliest memory of adoring Thai food is with my father in Belgium. He was the one that would always take me and my sisters too trendy, entertaining and out of the ordinary places during the weekends.Here I was, just a kid thinking, wow, this is really cool!

Who else would bring me to these strange, uncommon, and good smelling restaurants?

Thai food isn’t about simplicity. It’s about mixing different ingredients to create a great finish. Like a complicated musical chord, as long as it has a smooth surface, it doesn’t matter what’s happening underneath. Simplicity isn’t the dictum here, at all.                Lots of foreigners think it’s a jumble of flavors, but to Thai people it isn’t important, it’s the complexity they delight in it

Tom Yam Goong, Tom Kha Gai, Phad Thai, Mango served with coconut milk and sticky rice or stir fried chicken with cashew nuts, are among the most appreciated Thai dishes by westerners, but not often eaten by Thais.

Most of the food served in Thai restaurants overseas, or in the big 4 and 5 stars hotels and resorts, are very different from what the Thais really eat.

I will always remember the facial expression, of my best friend who visited me in Bangkok, after my neighbor served him a portion of Goong D’ten (dancing shrimp), those shrimps are mixed with spices and herbs and served alive to the customer, we call them dancing shrimps because you can see them moving in your bowl.

Goong D’ten also known as dancing shrimps

Thai food is known as being the healthiest food in this world, some of the spices and herbs used in Thai cuisine are also used to fight cancers.

Ginger for example, is a rich source of antioxidants ,ginger derivatives has long be used as a way to treat nausea and would slow down the progression and propagation of ovarian cancer cells and  promote Apoptosis cells.

Apoptosis is body natural way for removing deteriorated cells, however this mechanism is faulty in cancer cells.

The substance that gives gingers its spicy taste, also appears to inhibit the growth of human colorectal cancer cells and may prevent from diabetic kidney damage.

Ginger concoctions are often taken by elderly people in Thailand to keep them in a good shape, personally I consume two cups of ginger tea a day as well as two capsules of garlic oil since my health has been deteriorating, and feel much better now.

You might also try with wild ginger, I get mine directly from the Khao Sok national park, but it can easley be found all over southern Thailand.

Wild ginger plant, picture taken in the Khao Sok National park, in Suratthani Thailand

As a chef and owner of the Khao Sok Paradise Resort and culinary school, and as a fervent believer in alternative medicine, I always had a particular interest in Thai herbs and spices.

Ginger also well known for having anti-virus as well as anti-inflammatory properties is a nutraceutical that may benefit ovarian cancer patients.

Ginger, red chili, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, cloves, and turmeric are among the most used spices in Thai cuisine.

Chili pepper, which is another source of antioxidants, could seriously reduce the growth of prostate cancer cells.

Capsaicin, the compound that gives red chili pepper its well-known heat, inhibited pancreatic cancer cell development.

Turmeric is another spice widely used in Thai Cuisine, and has the ability to suppress the growth of malignant tumors.

Garlic which is medicinally used in orient for the past 5000 years is known for lowering blood pressure and has strong anti-bacterial properties.

Studies concerning garlic’s anti-cancer abilities look promising. Of 37 studies done to examine garlic’s effectiveness as a cancer inhibitor, 28 were successful.

Garlic oil capsules are widely available in drug stores all over Thailand and are often used in medical treatments in South East Asia.

Cancer cells.

Cancer cells after a garlic treatment.

Preliminary studies show an increased cancer inhibiting effect on prostate cancer and stomach cancer. Researchers believe that there are many factors in garlic’s ability to fight cancer.

One of my neighbors when I was living in Bangkok had a lung cancer and couldn’t stand the drugs that were administrated by his physician anymore.

Those drugs, had very strong side effects making him ill all the time and was causing mouth canker sores.

He was on oxygen most of the time and couldn’t get out of his apartment.

The poor man was waiting for his death until a Chinese doctor brought by his daughter, recommended him to start a cayenne pepper cure to kill his lung cancer.

After a few months, he started to feel much better and was not on oxygen anymore, he was even driving is car around during the weekends

Cayenne Pepper in big doses has the ability to kill cancer cells and is often use to cure prostate cancer.

Cayenne Pepper is not only good for killing cancer cells, but it is also helping to keep your heart in a good shape; the best way to take it is orally. Mix a half-coffee spoon of cayenne in purified water and drink it. The benefits are immediate.

Of Course all those remedies are not FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved and not given as an option to their patients by doctors in the west.

 Anti-cancer drugs from Bayer

The reason behind it is that cancer is a multibillion dollar business for pharmaceutical groups such as Bayer, Roch or other big and powerful pharmaceutical companies.

A patient with cancer, will spend in average 50 000 dollars to get cured.

So believe me the last thing those guys want is to see their customers using natural remedies.

Article by Eric Limbos

The Nong Nooch gardens are also specialized in Nature education, preservation and research as well as the conservation of the world’s biggest palm tree collection and the largest variety of Orchids flowers in Asia and other tropical flora.

It is not just a massive plant collection but boasts some of the rarest plants found on the planet.

The Nong Nooch Gardens

The property covering 500 acres started as a fruit tree orchard and slowly became a botanical garden

The gardens are now looked after by Khun Kampon Tansacha, the son of the woman for who the garden was named.

The Nong Nooch gardens, have a team of more than twenty professional gatherer travelling throughout south east Asia and its dense jungle all year, round in order to discover new plants and collect the seeds of almost extinct species, so that the Nong nooch gardens could also serve as a seed bank in a near future.

the Nong Nooch gardens supports the long-term field efforts and comprehensive ex situ conservation programs worldwide.

The garden and other participating Thai and international institutions, such the “London royal botanical garden’s or the University of “La Sorbone” in Paris work together to preserve long-term genetic diversity in cultivated populations as well as propagate highly endangered species.

A lot of that Flora can be observed in the Khao Sok national park due to the region great diversity.

The Khao Sok rain forest technically a “Tropical evergreen forest” is a remnant of 160 million years old forest eco-system, and much older and richer then the Amazon forest.

Plants like Epiphytes, (Aspienuim nidus and Platycerium holttumii) plant using trees as a perch to take advantage of the full light, Pandanus (Member of Pandanaceae family ) found from the coast to deep tropical rain forest, Wild ginger (Zingiber Spectabile) commonly used in Thai cuisine, and Palm Langkow (Kerriodaxa Elegans) which is a variety that can only be found in Khao Sok and in the Phra Taew forest in Phuket, without mentioning the Rafflesai flower (Rafflesia Kerri Meijer), which is Thailand largest flower and one of the world rarest and most unusual plants, can be found all over the national park.

Rafflesia Kerri Meijer

Aspienuim nidus

In case you are planning to visit the national park, check the Khao Sok Paradise resort, half of the property is built on an ancient river and their gardens offer an intersecting aquatic eco system.

Snake and cat Fish, crabs, shells, frogs are easy to spot in the resort gardens and make it a predilection place to stay for bird watchers.

The Resort is open all year round and is a place for true nature lovers offering western standards and is located at the door of the national park.

Chinese pond Heron observed in the Khao Sok Paradise Resort Gardens

Whether you are an armchair explorer vicariously visiting Khao Sok or a rugged adventurer about to embark on a trek, you are about to enter the oldest and richest terrestrial ecosystem on Earth.

By Eric Limbos