The Giant Tree

On the way back from Mae Sot we stopped at a national park in the mountains. It was pretty ordinary, except for the famous "giant tree", a 700-year-old Krabach tree. There was a trail leading to the tree, a 400-meter walk. 400 meters- that's like a quarter of a mile! Ryan and I are both in decent shape. How hard could it be?

deep in the jungle

It turned out the walk was almost straight down a very steep and uneven path. By the time we got to the "sacred grove", my knees were really hurting, and we were both sweating pretty profusely in the tropical heat. I got concerned about ascending back to where Geoffrey was wisely waiting in the air-conditioned car.

It was cool though. The cacophony of the jungle around us was amazingly loud!

The tree itself was pretty fantastic; 16 meters in circumference and 50 meters high! Just think: when this tree sprouted from the ground, Geoffrey Chaucer was writing The Canterbury Tales!

We had to stop three times on the climb back to catch our breath, and Geoffrey seemed legitimately concerned for our health when we returned to the car red-faced and winded and collapsed in the back seat. I've got to get in shape...

Back on the road, we too our traditional stop at Khao No to see Geoffrey's favorite monkeys.

action shot

Our last stop was for lunch at the outlets in Ayutthaya. There is a B60 shop there, and I picked up several purple ties. I've been told by the head of the English department that it's very possible that we will be asked to wear purple every day next year. It's not definite. I like purple, but every day is a little much. I am hoping that the powers-at-be change their minds and shorten the time.