Still bobbing and weaving | Bangkok Post: feature

ON THE WILD SIDE

As the sun starts its daily ascent from the eastern horizon, the early morning air is crisp and cool. It's November and not a single cloud is to be seen in the clear blue sky. Heavy dew blankets everything in Mae Lao-Mae Sae, a wildlife sanctuary situated in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Mist rises from the forest as the morning heat builds. The scent from pine trees, some hundreds of years old, is refreshing. A sea of fog covers the lowland valleys and the view from the mountaintop is truly breathtaking.

Muntjac male in Khao Yai National Park.

Birds begin their incessant chirping and a single gibbon calls from the interior. Butterflies cling to tree branches waiting for their wings to dry out and other creatures begin their daily rituals. Life in this northern wilderness is as pure as it has been for millions of years.