Tuesday, March 2- Exploring Doi Inthanon National Park

 Up at 4:30 and met at the buses at 5:15 AM. Pitch black with a setting full moon. The hotel is at about 1000’; about half a mile from it we passed through the entry gate for Doi Inthanon National Park and started climbing up a steep road. After an hour it was starting to get light and we reached the summit of the mountain we had been climbing: the high point of Thailand! 8400’ and very cold! We had been warned to bring some warm clothing and were very happy with our scarves, windbreakers and down vests! There was a chill wind which made the 50 degrees feel colder. (I know this sounds ridiculous to you east coasters, but it was chilly up there!).



Our cooks had coffee and tea ready along with donuts and when it got light enough to see a bit, we set off on a wonderful boardwalk trail though a Sphagnum boggy area. Pine trees and red and white rhododendrons festooned the walk and soon birds were flying in to get the nectar and pollen of the flowers. One spectacular bird was the Green-tailed Sunbird that several of us tried to photograph.



We spent a couple of hours on the walkway before returning to the parking lot where our cooks had yogurt, fruit and eggs ready. We drove down the mountain to 5000’ elevation, took a walk through evergreen forest and saw more species near a lovely waterfall. At one our cooks produced a delicious chicken soup, fish curry, rice and fried fish, followed by pineapple and papaya. We descended to 2000’ and stopped for ice-cream at Mr. Chen’s resort, a famous place for birds, and finished the day at a campground where Dion was able to play a tape recorder and lure out two very rare Black-tailed Crakes who hide in marshy areas.





It was four o’clock by then and a few of us wanted to get back to our hotel and clean up before dinner…we had been birding (and eating)for ten hours by then, so Bob and I and a few other slackers returned and rested before meeting with the others at six for the nightly list and dinner - more delicious curries, shrimp, and veggie dishes.