Photographs by Richard Barrow
KHAO SOK, Thailand. I have followed Richard Barrow’s travels around Thailand for years, but his latest journey caught my attention for a simple reason: it made me want to pack a bag and go.
Barrow, one of Thailand’s best-known independent travel commentators, recently travelled overnight by train from Bangkok to Surat Thani before continuing to Lost Horizon Resort in Khao Sok.
The journey forms part of his continuing efforts to promote rail tourism and to show travellers that arriving at the railway station doesn’t have to be the end of the train story.
“As part of my ongoing work promoting rail tourism, I’m particularly interested in showing how train journeys can connect naturally with destinations around Thailand rather than ending at the railway station,” Barrow wrote.
Lost Horizon picked him up directly from Surat Thani railway station for the roughly one-hour drive into Khao Sok, where the scenery gradually gives way to forest and the extraordinary limestone cliffs that define this part of southern Thailand.
And then things slowed down.
Barrow described Lost Horizon as being in a “wonderfully secluded setting,” bordered by a towering limestone cliff on one side and the river on the other.
Its bungalows and villas are scattered through the grounds rather than arranged as a conventional hotel complex.
“At times it feels more like walking around a small village than staying in a conventional resort,” he wrote.
That description alone had me interested.
Taking It Slowly on the Khlong Sok River
Barrow’s first full day began aboard a bamboo raft on the Khlong Sok River.
Forget white-knuckle rafting. This was the opposite.
“The raft moves slowly with the current, so it wasn’t really about adventure or speed,” Barrow wrote. “It was more about sitting back and taking in the rainforest around you.”
Along the way there were monkeys, a snake and the sound of gibbons calling somewhere deeper in the forest.
“It was incredibly peaceful,” he said.
Then came perhaps my favourite detail from the trip.
The guide stopped beside the river, lit a small fire and prepared fresh coffee, served in traditional bamboo cups.
That’s my kind of coffee break.
From Bamboo Raft to Bicycle
Later, Barrow swapped the river for two wheels and cycled through the surrounding countryside and plantations.
Rubber trees, oil palms, durian and rattan became part of the experience, giving him a glimpse of everyday southern Thailand rather than simply transporting him from one attraction to another.
“I’ve seen plenty of rattan furniture over the years, but it was interesting to see the plant itself growing and learn more about how it is used,” he wrote.
His conclusion neatly summed up the appeal. “Two very different activities, but both were a good way of slowing down and getting a better feel for the landscape around Khao Sok.”
And perhaps that is the real story here. Not a race to see how much can be squeezed into a holiday, but the rare pleasure of giving a destination the time it deserves.
“What I enjoyed most was the chance to slow down. Travelling there by overnight train and then spending a few days at Lost Horizon fitted perfectly with the idea of slow travel. There was no pressure to rush from one attraction to another. Sometimes the journey and the time you spend getting to know a place are just as important as the destination itself,” Barrow said.
It is an appealing thought in a world where itineraries can feel more like to-do lists. Here, the overnight train, a quiet stretch of river and the chance to linger over coffee become part of the holiday, not just the spaces between its headline attractions.
Cheow Lan Lake, also known as the Ratchaprapha Dam Reservoir, is spectacular and not to be missed on a first visit to Khao Sok. Barrow recommends it to first-time visitors, although he did not go there on this trip, having already visited twice.
His latest trip is a reminder that there is much more to the destination: rivers, rainforest, farming communities, cycling, trekking, local food and those wonderful moments when there is absolutely no need to hurry.
Heading South This October
Richard’s dispatches have done their job.
October is still part of Khao Sok’s rainy season, so anyone visiting should expect showers and keep plans flexible. But the rain also leaves the rainforest exceptionally green, rivers and waterfalls well supplied, and mist drifting around those limestone cliffs. It also comes before the traditionally drier and busier months later in the year.
In other words, don’t automatically let a little rain scare you away.
I’m heading to Lost Horizon this week with fellow travel writer Andrew J. Wood and Pichai Visutriratana.
What began as a story about someone else’s journey has become the inspiration for my own.
Bamboo rafting, jungle coffee and a few days to explore Khao Sok at an unhurried pace. There is plenty to look forward to.
I can think of considerably worse ways to spend a few days.
Follow Richard Barrow’s Thai Train Guide
For anyone considering exploring Thailand by rail, Richard Barrow’s Thai Train Guide is well worth following.
His Facebook page now has more than 30,000 followers and features Barrow’s railway journeys, practical travel information and ideas for turning Thailand’s rail network into part of the holiday rather than simply transportation between destinations.
And if his latest journey is anything to go by, the railway station may be where some of Thailand’s best trips really begin.
Also read: Lost Horizon Resort brings quiet luxury to Thailand’s ancient rainforest of Khao Sok
