HOT Magazine June 15, 2015 | Page 54

Five percent of the world’s species are found in the area, including the white handed, gibbon, the pig tailed macaque, the Malayan tapir, the muntjak, the Asian elephant, tigers a variety of deer and reptiles, such as the notorious King Cobra and the Reticulated Python as well as the more curious flying lizard. An incredibly large variety of fish can be found too, especially across its stunning coral reef, which is an impressive five times larger than Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. If you rent a kayak or small boat to go through it, you can be assured that beauty will take a new meaning for you. This takes us to talk about the flora, in an incredibly rich soil grow plenty of vines and plants, as well as exotic fruits such as the mangosteen, the 54 June 15 - July 15 , 2015 jackfruit, the jujube, rambutan and the infamous durian. However, if we talk about something that stimulates the senses, Ratchaprapha’s most famous plant is the Rafflesia Kerrii. Known as Bua Phut in Thai, it has two unique qualities: First of all, it is the largest flower in the world, at times measuring almost a metre in diameter. Secondly and more notoriously, the Rafflesia is probably the plant with the most terrible and nauseating smell in the world, as it exudes a stench of rotten flesh in order to attract flies that pollinate it. Worth a visit, go near it only if you dare! We then turn out attention to the landscape. Taking your time to gaze at the stunning scenery that Ratchaprapha has to offer is nothing short of a gift and a privilege. The multitude of limestone rocks eroded throughout the years, even centuries, bear testimony to what is a marvel to the spectator and a gold mine to the geologist. The vast quantity of Karst Topography is something that has brought many to study the vicinities of the reservoir. The limestone formations tower to commanding heights and are perfect to snap pictures of from below. The temperature in Ratchaprapha is tropical, much like in most of Thailand. The hot season is between January and June where temperatures go from between twenty five all the way up to thirty six degrees. This peaks in the months of March and April during which we see temperatures reaching thirty seven or at times even thirty eight degrees. During the wet season however beginning in May and ending