Thailand : Khao Yai National Park : Bats!

We crunched up to the loud and ornate cavern entrance. Inside were many Buddha images. Joe raced through a complete course in Theravada Buddhism, Buddhist monks and their social position in society: all Thai men are expected to become monks for at least one mont of their life. It still puzzles me why the Thai Buddhists (95% of the population) idolize Buddha and Buddha images so much when Buddhism seems to be a religion without a God.
After much slipping, sliding and squeezing through caverns, the torch beams above us dropped away to black and a humungus cavern opened above. The pink ceiling was studded with bats, which woke with our torches and started screeching around in the dark. The floor was thick with guano and the air was thick with the smell.
We next headed or a swim in a beautiful turquoise pool above a small waterfall. The bronzed Thais looked very much at home in big red rubber rings. Sebastien and I jumped from a rickety wooden bridge into the (shallow!) water below. Livs shirt went see through (eek!)
Our sawngthaew bounced and bumped right into the jungle. We rushed through humid and sticky jungle, glimpsing through the foot-square leaves the mountain of sheer rock leaning close.
We reached a cute house in a clearing surrounded by lime trees just in time. A trickle of bats soon became a black flood, zig-zagging across the sky. 2 million ats created a distant hiss above the close sawing of the cicidas.
We bounced back in the dark to a spicy dinner (Anna mistook chilli for black pepper)
The guest house had a lovely atmosphere and everyone got on really well. Anna, Supol Sebastien (Supol is Flemish for smooth), Liv and I stayed up chatting for hours about European Cinema on a swing bench!