Thailand: Pure Serenity

Top right: Half of the travel group from JIS on a longboat along Khao Sok National Park. Photo credit to Amyra Uno Middle: Sunset outside Pak Meng Beach Resort in the Tang Province. Photo credit to Harrison Soegiarto Top left: A line of tourists line up outside of Koh Muk Cave in the Tang Province.

Thailand: Pure Serenity
Written by Kyra Thompson December–2013
On the Chiaw Lan Lake in southern Thailand I sat in the longboat in awe, listening to the calls of numerous species living amongst the Limestone Karst. A sound much like puppies whining can be heard from miles away, Gibbons. They call out to each other and claim their territory, protecting their babies from any harm. Amongst the calls of the Gibbons are the duck-like sounding Hornbills squawking away at each other in the enormous emergent trees which towered over our heads. They say that just by being in nature makes you feel calmer and puts you in a better mood. Surrounded by the peacefulness and quiet of nature, I let my mind to sink deep into relaxation. Without a doubt, traveling to the many different provinces throughout Thailand (such as the southern provinces Trang, Phatthalung, and Khao Sok National Park) with the freshmen of Jakarta International School was an enlightening experience and offered amazing opportunities to connect with nature and the surrounding environment. Swimming through the pitch black cave of Koh Kradan, hiking through lush rainforests to swim at the base of a waterfall, getting up at 6am to go on a dawn safari, and kayaking around the karst on a man made lake are only a few of breath-taking activities that strengthened my bond with nature.
! 1 Left: Some of the karst that can be seen at Khao Sok National Park

The two above photos and the photo in the middle on the right side show the cave, karst, and rainforest of Koh Muk cave.

With life jackets strapped on at the ready, jumping off the double decker boat into the lukewarm ocean water was the perfect start to an...