Villager for a Week: Part 2

The next morning, Mey fixed fried eggs and french fries for breakfast. She placed a bottle of red sauce on the table and I asked her, "Ped?" ("Spicy?"), to which she indicated, "No." I turned the bottle and realized it was just ketchup! We met at the wat at 8:30 am to start construction on a room that the villagers could go to read newspapers. At first this struck me as an oddly specific purpose for a public building, until someone explained to me that the community doesn't typically entertain in their private homes and were in need for a place to gather and socialize that wasn't the small tables at the store fronts or the Buddhist wat.

We poured concrete under an already erected tin roof, then raised four more concrete pillars next to it. When I went to go check to see how the concrete was drying later, I noticed that the meticulously smoothed surface was now trailed with footprints from three-toed chicken feet! I doubted the community would get terribly upset over this, as the attitude in Thailand is one of calmness and oftentimes finding humor in the situation.

Our group leader P'Neung announced that in the afternoon we would received the special gift of visiting another temple up on a hill and then going to a "sticky" waterfall. I was excited to see the temple but unsure about this waterfall business, as some other friends had hiked to a waterfall that was four miles away and in the end not that spectacular, and because of the humidity "sticky" wasn't exactly an endearing term. We piled in the back of pickups yet again and began the drive across the valley and up the hill to the temple. As with all Buddhist temples, the entrance is guarded by at least one dragon.

It turned out to be a major temple complex that was absolutely gorgeous. The temple itself wasn't that big, but it was lavishly decorated and surrounded by smaller shrines honoring Buddha in a courtyard area. A novice monk offered to open up the small museum for us, where there were many interesting artifacts from Thai and Buddhist history. A girl named Fai translated for me when the monk told her about a special corded belt that when worn in battle would prevent the soldier from getting wounded.

Another great thing about the temple was a balcony area overlooking the valley. The view was absolutely stunning and we spent a long time taking group photos in front of the incredible landscape! Our village was too far away to spot from this vantage point, but we could definitely see the road we came up on down below.

Next we moved on to the waterfall, which was apparently different than the one some other people had hiked to earlier. It was located on a nature reserve, and was just a short walk from the parking lot. We were advised to leave our shoes and bags at the top of the path down to the falls with P'Neung, and to wear shorts and dark t-shirts as the climb back up to the top would certainly be wet.

Climb? Once I neared the bottom of the falls it all made sense. The water cascaded down a path of rounded limestone, which because of its sandy texture offered great traction for bare feet even with a steeper slope and water constantly running over it. It was referred to as the "sticky" waterfall because climbers seemed to stick to it without slipping off.

Being the Colorado adventurer I am and occasional rock climber, I eagerly followed my friends up the waterfall, finding the climb relatively easy and immensely enjoyable. It was the best fun I had had in Thailand so far, and as my mountain-goat like professor Ajan Gai said as he scampered up and down the falls encouraging his students, "Today, we be kids again." Here I am at the top, having conquered the waterfall climb, right before I followed Ajan Gai back down to make the ascent again.

On the truck ride back home, we couldn't help but imagine that if this attraction was back in the States, there would be a parental supervision stipulation, waivers to sign, and probably climbing guides tugging helmeted tourists up on safety ropes. Here, the only cautionary signs were against littering on the reserve and there were just a couple knotted nylon ropes anchored to trees to assist with the steeper areas. To me, this is just one example of the laid-back vibe that I get from Thailand, that no one is hyper-paranoid of lawsuits and that the real gems of the land are not crowded with tourists but rather tucked away in unlikely places and that you have to keep your eyes open and never turn down any of the countless gifts this place has to offer.