Jade had listened thoughtfully to Louis’s poignant revelations and Paul had likewise not said a word. Jacques had remained dumbfounded by his friend’s unexpected frankness with what amounted to complete strangers. However, he admitted that the pleasant mixture of Megong whiskey, smooth ganja and convivial atmosphere would have relaxed almost anyone to the brink of confession. Paul had only nodded encouragement here and there, his knowing smile deepening on his creased face, as the tale grew darker. He had often looked up at Jade during Louis’s story and read the approval in her eyes. Louis, who had, at first, shamelessly flirted with her, could no longer sustain her understanding gaze, looking instead over his host’s shoulders and into the darkness, shadows crossing his face and obscuring his eyes. When silence fell upon the small party, Jade was first to break it. Brightly, she proposed her services as a guide for the next day, if the young men would accept. She would take them on the other side of the river and visit with them the snake farm if she must. Enthusiastically, the spell broken, Louis and Jacques agreed and they made plans. A short time later, Paul called his chauffeur and the two men bid good night to their host, kissed Jade timidly on the cheeks and agreed on the pickup time for the next day, sometime in the very late morning.
The Queen Saavapha Memorial Institute is located at the intersection of Henri Dunant Street and Rama IV Boulevard. A couple decades earlier, the Thai Red Cross Society had established a snake farm to keep a variety of poisonous snakes for the express aim of venom collection, in order to produce the anti-venom sera necessary for the treatment of snake poisoning. The centre is visited not only by tourists in search of a thrill but also by scientists and educational bodies, who came from all over the world. While the milking of the snakes and the display of dancing cobras are mostly aimed at the tourist trade, the sophisticated labs built behind the pens were reserved for professionals’ inquiries. The snake catchers, usually farmers by profession, brought specimen in weekly, the rewards adding to their meagre income. The financial incentive depended largely on the snake’s size and the danger it represented, and so there was a great deal of pride associated with bringing in the largest and most venomous species around.
Jade had picked up Jacques and Louis around noon, arguably not the most propitious time either in terms of traffic congestion or temperature, but there had been little choice considering their late parting. Fatigue showed on the boys’ faces, unused to the heat combined with the very late night, but they could hardly have justified skipping their scheduled visit to the Red Cross Center, since it would mark their first real encounter with the subject of their film. Jade expertly manoeuvred them through the gate and past the tourist queue and Louis noticed that she handed out barely 60 baht for all three of them, whereas the official price listed requested 70 baht per person. Immediately, he asked the young woman whether a dual pricing was in vigour all through Thailand or in touristy sites only. With a regretful smile, Jade conceded it was the way of her people. However, she insisted no one meant any harm by it. It was not overt exploitation of the tourist trade but a simple reality: for the majority of people, life was hard in Thailand and really, in the grand scheme of things, what was 70 baht for most civilised nations of the world? It was barely the cost of a bowl of rice. Confronted by Louis’s question, she hid her people’s treachery behind the sweetest smile and he soon forgave her.
In no time, Jade requested an expert guide, explaining rapidly that her two friends were in Thailand for the express purposes of making a documentary for foreign television on the mighty snakes. She also added that a crash course in anti-venom injection applications would not be a waste of time, as the two filmmakers intended to go into the jungle to film their subject in their natural habitat, therefore automatically exposing them to danger. The guide, a man of small stature, not unlike many of his compatriots, was about 40 years old, with intelligent eyes, an open face and a candid smile. His English was surprisingly good and he extended his hand in welcome, in a very westernised manner.
“I hope you won’t mind if I first give you a crash course so that you familiarise yourself with the type of creatures you may encounter in your travels?”
As the three all nodded in agreement, he took them alongside the wide cages where many snakes could be seen lounging around, almost immobile, coiled on rocks and branches and under boulder formations. The enclaves were very realistic and tried to reproduce the animals’ natural environment as much as possible. Plain cement trails separated the cages from each other. They began walking around as the guide explained the centre’s activities.
“The cages are monitored all year long so that they remain at constant temperature. The cages are also artificially humidified to reproduce conditions similar to those in which the snakes would prosper in the wild. It allows us to monitor their habits and study them. Snakes see much better at night,” he continued. “This is why we are only open to the public during the day, to avoid any possible problem, even though most of the times, a snake will only attack when provoked and hungry. The rest of the time, they perceive footsteps through the vibrations of the ground, something substantially altered in an environment where the slab is mostly cement, therefore making them slightly edgy. Snakes only feed on live preys. If it is not moving, if the blood is not running through its veins, it doesn’t attack and it won’t eat it, even when starving. Yet, once fed, most snakes don’t need to eat again for a few days. When they reach their teenage size, they don’t need to eat more than once a month. Look at this one,” he said, pointing at a snake of about two metres in length, with vivid colours similar to a tiger-eye stone. The snake, wrapped around a branch, lifted his head at their approach. Behind the snake, an almost translucent shape hung in the grass as if the edge of the rock had just caught it.
“This one here is the mighty King Cobra. It has just molted; that is why its colour is so vibrant and why it’s so active in spite of the daylight hour. It’s probably the most venomous and feared of all Thai snakes.”
“Is he looking for food, with his tongue darting in and out like that? It makes me quite nervous,” observed Louis, an unexpected chill running down his back.
“The forked tongue is a snake’s sense of smell. It’s very acute as snakes are almost blind; this is how they find their way around. The venom is located in the fangs of the teeth, which are grooved so that, when a snake bites, a clear, viscous liquid with a slightly yellowish tinge is excreted into the fangs’ wounds. With the King Cobra, the victim usually dies within an hour of being struck. Sometimes the agony can be prolonged for another five hours. It’s quite obvious when a King Cobra is about to attack as it literally stands up and stares at his victim in the eyes, his hood fully extended before he strikes. Some measure almost four metres, so that when they stand up they appear much bigger than their opponents,” added the expert. Once again Louis shivered: a snake twice the size of the one currently staring at him would be most threatening indeed.
Turning to another enclosure, the guide pointed to another snake, which he called a banded krait, identifying him as another large and most venomous snake. He also showed them the reticulated python, known as a man-eater snake, which Jacques had mentioned was of particular interest. After a couple of hours or so, they were able to distinguish between the light-green pit vipers and the apple-green and yellow-bellied bamboo viper, which were allegedly quite common. They were also able to differentiate the brown snake from the coral snake, an important distinction when one is considered lethal and the other merely dangerous. In addition, the guide showed them mangroves and other water snakes, which they would undoubtedly encounter at some point or another. All the while, Louis, slightly repulsed by the slithery creatures, kept wondering whether his participation on this film was such a good idea. They stayed for another hour to watch the making of several anti-sera, a process they agreed was quite fascinating. Their tour guide, on departure, gifted them an easy guide to regional snakes, a thick pamphlet which also indicated the precise anti-venom needed in c
ase of a bite by a particular snake, accompanied by thorough descriptions of its physiological effects and their probable duration. The pocket book disappeared into Louis’s backpack. They thanked their guide profusely but nonetheless refused the gift of T-shirts showing a large reticulated python swallowing a cartoon character with the mention “I survived the Red Cross snake farm” which had graciously been offered to them but they had thought ludicrous.
They left the Centre around 4 pm, armed with a better understanding of what to expect in their travels and, after thanking their guide once more for his hospitality, crossed Rama IV at the end of Silom Road, stopped for a juice in Lumpini Park and decided to go back to the hotel to begin planning the next day’s excursions. Jade proposed they drive to the Khao Yai National Park the following day so they could commence filming. Surprised by the spontaneous offer, Louis looked at her in wonder and asked if she really intended to tag along.
“What about your job? It could be dangerous. What does Paul think about this? I can’t imagine he would let you put yourself in harm’s way,” he said, shaking his head.
“Ayek Paul was the one who suggested I propose it to you. In a way he thought that you might be safer with someone who knows the language and our people’s ways. He also thought you might like the company,” she added shyly, blushing slightly and looking pointedly at Louis from under her long lashes.
Slightly taken off guard by the innuendo, Louis wondered why he was feeling suddenly awkward around the woman, why she was constantly catching him off guard, putting him on the back foot. She was certainly neither brash nor confronting, so why did he feel like a high school boy, unable to exchange more than three words without stuttering or losing his train of thought? On the one hand, he was not so sure that her presence was a good idea due to the dangers they might face, but on the other hand, he was already certain that her comforting, utterly feminine, beguiling presence would definitely make any trip worthwhile, with or without snakes. Always the businessman, Jacques accepted the proposal without hesitation; travelling with their own translator was invaluable indeed.
“We’ll make arrangements with the hotel tonight to keep some of the unwanted gear and we’ll pack our bags. This is monsoon season so we need to be prepared. Perhaps, after this morning’s informative lesson, we’d be wise to add a few essentials to our trekking gear. I had planned on spending about two weeks in Khao Yai, walking north towards the Cambodian border. According to my research, the rainforest habitat allows for the development of over 2500 plant species, providing fertile grounds for a wide range of ecosystems where over 65 reptile species had been recorded. This is definitely where we’ll start.”
“Paul has offered to lend us his jeep to reach the National Park. We can leave the car with the Office of National Parks and Wildlife, so that it doesn’t get stolen. Anyway, it’s a good idea to let the authorities know that we will be trekking through the Park and to give them a basic idea of our itinerary, so that they can come looking for us if we don’t return after a number of specified days.”
“Why wouldn’t we return?” said Louis again cursing himself for his naivety and lack of knowledge of the region.
“Well,” admitted Jade, “since the civil unrest with Cambodia in the early 1980s, the region has suffered a number of incursions along the border. Most of them didn’t meet with peaceful ends. Moreover, illegal sport hunting and poaching is rife in the park and many of these so-called ‘tour organisers’ don’t appreciate farangs nosing into their business.”
His interest piqued, Jacques started questioning her on the type of fauna which was hunted down. Once more Jade showed her vast knowledge and replied not without a hint of pride.
“The Park plays host to 800 species of fauna, a few of which are globally threatened. The poachers hunt the Asia elephant, the swamp tiger, the pigtailed macaque and the black bear to name only a few. They show a particular fondness, it seems, for the clouded leopards and other marbled wild cats, but they will also butcher indiscriminately the Asiatic wild dogs and the giant hairy squirrels, if they cross their paths.”
“This excursion begins to sound like a bad horror movie,” said Louis slightly worried. “You mean to tell me that besides the poisonous snakes we are after, we may have to deal with armed rebels, angry bears, leopards and tigers and the people who hunt them? Absolutely charming!”
“We do,” replied Jade non-plussed. “Don’t worry; I’ll bring along the necessary guns and hunting rifles. Sayek Paul will clear it ahead of time with the Office of National Parks and Wildlife. If you have never hunted before, I’ll show you how to use them,” she added winking at him teasingly.
There was no doubt about it: the young woman was utterly fascinating and obviously possessed multi-faceted skills besides. Disturbingly, it only increased her attractiveness. Louis could not help but show his admiration and she read it on his face, responding by a beaming smile, below her down-cast eyes. They had finally arrived back at the hotel and Jade bade them good night. She left reminding them that she would pick them up at 6 am the next morning so that they could cover as much of the 160 kilometres separating them from the Park as possible, in the early morning hours, prior to the heat transforming their open car into an insufferable oven.
Jacques made a list of everything they needed for the next few days and inventoried once more what they had brought with them. He added the general anti-venoms given to him that morning and realised that if Jade was to bring guns, he better go and fetch a hunting knife, batteries for the all-weather torch lights, ropes and nets, just in case. He had also wanted to stop by a pharmacy and get another first aid kit, tropical strength anti-mosquitoes spray, a couple of bottles of the Lipovitan they had tasted a couple of nights before, water purification tablets and more water-proof containers for the film, their clothes and their equipment. On the way, he would purchase cigarettes as well. Louis indicated though that he was too tired to go anywhere and that he would simply wait for Jacques’ return to order room service and have an early night for a change. He picked up the map from the coffee table and looked at the rugged landscape with its steep south-facing scarps. The map showed many rivers and waterfalls with deep gorges and sheer cliffs. He shook his head; the trek would be challenging for sure. Carrying equipment and tents was only bound to add to the physical strain and he hoped he would be up to the task. He closed his eyes and decided to lay down while waiting for Jacques.
He dreamt of rebels armed to the teeth, of majestic tigers sniffing around poorly pitched tents – he had never been one for camping outdoors – of Jade swimming nude in scenic waterfalls, her hair cascading behind her, her skin glistening in the afternoon rain, her eyes clouded by the smoke of the ganja. His desire for her ran side by side with his renewed desire for another blissfully forgetful day, a day without pain, without want, and a day in ecstatically suspended animation. In his dreams, he approached Jade, who blew smoke into his mouth but before he could put his arms around her, encircling her small waist, lifting her effortlessly to his thighs, his hands cradling her small behind, his mouth tasting the skin along her neck, a familiar voice dissipated the vividness of his dream.
“Louis? Louis? You can’t possibly be asleep already! Come on or you won’t be able to sleep all night! Look at what I got! Don’t you think it’s a brilliant idea?” said Jacques laying his treasures on the table. “I also met with the hotel management. They’ll happily keep our luggage and superfluous equipment until we return. I told them I’d call with a precise return date and to contact Paul directly if they have any problems.”
Louis opened his eyes and took a couple of minutes to comprehend where he was. He looked over Jacques’ purchases and slowly rose to pack his bag, leaving behind the linen suit and freshly ironed shirts in favour of jeans, board shorts, T-shirts, comfortable hiking boots, a casual pair of tennis shoes, a raincoat and a quick drying polar-fleece-lined sleeping bag. He added a couple of swimsuits and considered that it would only take a minute for his toiletrie
s to be added to the lot. He laid out a pair of jeans, his trekking shoes, underwear and a lightweight long-sleeve t-shirt, keeping in mind that he would need to protect himself against the sun and hovering, undesirable insects. Once their packing was done, they ordered room service, only too happy to dive into a club sandwich and a cold Singha beer. They turned on CNN but barely a quarter of an hour later, their snores could be heard in the completely darkened room. They had requested a wake call for 5: 00 am and coffee to be served a couple minutes later. They would stop and eat a proper breakfast on the road somewhere.
Jade was there early. The boys were still checking out when she drove up in a late model open-roof jeep. The back was already packed with long, low metal cases, each sporting a hefty lock. Louis, flinging his duffel bag in the back, shot her an inquisitive glance.
“Good morning, Louis! How did you sleep? Oh, that? Basics, such as sleeping bags, mosquito nets, cooking pots, rice bowls and spoons, a first aid kit, anti-venom sera, fishing nets, a couple rifles and a handgun. And of course,” she added quickly, smiling at his unspoken inquiry, “plenty of ammunition, cigarettes, water, toiletries and that sort of thing.”
“So, are we ready?” inquired Jacques, looking at them both. “Good morning, Jade, how are you?” he repeated, walking to the back of the car to add his bag to the rest.
“Fine, Khun Jacques,” answered Jade, “should we go then?”
“Who’s driving?” demanded Louis.
“I don’t have to,” replied Jade smiling once again. “However, if you wish to set up camp before night fall, it might be easier if you let me negotiate the city’s streets. Once we have reached the highway though, I’d be more than happy if you took the wheel. I don’t particularly like driving. The open road isn’t exactly my idea of fun. I’d rather sit and enjoy the sights of the countryside. Besides,” she added with a crystalline laugh, “along the highway there is rarely a question of life and death at every corner and that becomes rather boring.”
The Samui Conspiracy Page 9