| One of the best travel tips for people thinking of going | | | | in the lodge was involved. As night fell, the crescendo |
| on any kind of trekking or adventure vacation with | | | | of jungle sounds increased. Mum laid awake becoming |
| friends or family is to first consider whether their | | | | more and more worried about the children who were |
| personal enthusiasm for this style of holiday is shared | | | | in the next room. Very soon the jungle noises were |
| by the rest of the group.The following story of a family | | | | accompanied by the sound of the children crying. Dad |
| s holiday nightmare in Thailand provides an | | | | got up to fetch them, returning with three very |
| example. The family had enjoyed a few days of a | | | | frightened children who spent the rest of the night in |
| beach resort holiday in Thailand when the husband | | | | their parents room. It was just as well, because within |
| suggested that they go off on a jungle experience, | | | | an hour a new sound was keeping everyone from |
| organized by one of the trekking and adventure tour | | | | going to sleep. Mum and the children listened in horror |
| operators. His wife was not enthusiastic but decided to | | | | to repeated loud bangs on the roof-beams |
| go along with the proposal because she knew that this | | | | accompanied by ear splitting screeches. Dad explained |
| was something her husband had always wanted to | | | | that the source of this noise held no threat for them. It |
| do. Their seven year old son sounded as keen as his | | | | was only monkeys, he informed them but his |
| dad and their five year old daughter seemed happy | | | | explanation did little to reassure the rest of the |
| enough with the idea too. The other family member | | | | family.There was little sleep for anyone that night |
| was a two-year-old boy.They booked up with a | | | | except the two-year-old, who slept fairly soundly after |
| reliable tour guide and set off three days later, The | | | | the move to mum and dad's room. Mum found it hard |
| seven year old had become even more enthusiastic | | | | to believe that she slept at all and was relieved when |
| and promised his mum that he would deal with all the | | | | the sun finally rose and shone its light into the room. |
| nasty snakes and spiders for her.After a grueling | | | | She untangled herself from under the mosquito net |
| seven hour drive, during which time all three kids had | | | | and looked around the room that had seemed so |
| been travel sick on several occasions, the family finally | | | | menacing in the dark. But her relief was short lived and |
| arrived at their destination, a lodge in the jungle.They | | | | her scream awoke the rest of the family. There in the |
| were greeted by a number of snarling dogs who | | | | middle of the floor, only a few yards from where she |
| looked as though they desperately needed a good | | | | had been sleeping, was a large, tropical spider. It wasn't |
| meal of European children to fatten them up. Mum | | | | quite the last ordeal she would face before they left |
| was immediately panic stricken but Dad and the tour | | | | the lodge. Waiting for her in the bathroom were two |
| guide reassured her that they were in no danger and | | | | gigantic tree frogs.The long journey back to civilization |
| the family continued safely towards on to the | | | | was uneventful apart from further episodes of travel |
| lodge.This building was a large, wooden hut on high | | | | sickness. Mum refused to talk to her husband for the |
| stilts with a straw roof. Immediately below it, there was | | | | entire length of the journey. Back at the beach resort, |
| a small lake that looked as if it should provide a | | | | the relationship improved a little over the remaining few |
| perfect home for crocodiles. Inside the lodge, | | | | days of the holiday but not enough for Dad to ever |
| accommodation was about as basic as it can get.Dad | | | | forget the best travel tip he had learned for a very |
| was more than happy with everything however and | | | | long time: don't take your family on a wilderness |
| informed the rest of the family that anything more | | | | excursion unless they are genuinely as enthusiastic |
| grand would have spoilt the back-to-nature experience. | | | | about going on one as you are. |
| Mum was not amused.Luckily, only one overnight stay | | | | |