The wild world outside the beaten path

These days, whenever I read that the world has been fully explored and overrun by tourism, I just peer out at the jungle-mountains sprawling along the horizon outside my south Thailand apartment. After almost two years of periodically living here, I’ve come to learn that — from the base of those mountains — I could hike 150 miles southward to Khao Sok National Park and never once cross a road or leave virgin rainforest.

Does this mean I live in the wilds of deepest Asia? Not really: Just look at a map, and you’ll see that I live on the Isthmus of Kra, which is the narrowest point along the Malay Peninsula. Certainly there are wilder, more exotic, and more isolated places all over the Asian continent. The thing is, most travelers (and I’m often guilty of this myself) don’t think to deviate from the accepted routes of the “backpacker circuit”. At this moment, I’m sure travelers at Khao Sok park are grousing about the recent boom in treehouse bungalows and jungle tours — never realizing that there is 150 miles of virgin jungle to explore just to their north. As today’s travel quote implies, leaving the beaten path is something people talk about, but rarely do.

The secret to finding the wild world beyond the beaten trail? Slow down. Stop rushing around between the hipster meccas of the backpacker circuit. Try out towns that are on your map, but not in your guidebook. Talk to locals. Rent/buy a bicycle or motorbike and go your own way. Check out the national parks and wilderness areas that don’t sport treehouse bungalows and convenience marts. You’ll miss out on a lot of cold beer, cable TV and backpacker gossip this way — but in the process you’ll discover that the rumors about the world being “discovered” and “overrun” are just a bunch of hype. You’ll also go home with some amazing and unique experiences.