KANCHANABURI, Thailand -- The night before, we were each issued a backpack. Inside was a bottle of water, a packet of electrolyte drink mix, some first-aid stuff, a rain poncho, a pair of leech socks and a field notebook. But instead of studying up on the local ecology and generally preparing ourselves for the planned five-hour trek through the southern tip of Erawan National Park, we chose to drink at our floating hotel's "jungle bar" and indulge in full-body massages by candlelight.
It was all right, this eco-tourism business.
Sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the trip so far had been one of ease: canoeing on the River Kwai with genuinely warm, funny guides; a visit to a Royal Forestry Department breeding station, where sightings of sambar deer and gaur (the world's largest wild cattle species) were guaranteed; and a night on The River Kwai Jungle Rafts.