I don't like waking up early unless it's on my own accord, or in a gentle way, with soothing music or the like. But after I got myself ready and into the van, I was pumped for the trip! This was the nicest van I've ever been in. It had air conditioning, a DVD player, mirrors on the ceiling, and disco lights. It was also very clean, the seats were pretty comfy, and they reclined as well. The DVD player also played karaoke tracks with a wireless mic. I got really excited, but then, the 6am nature of things took over and I fell asleep.
Our first stop was at Wat A-Hong. I was still half asleep, but of course still got up and walked around to see the sights. Aside from the temples, there were huge rocks all over the place!
We lit incense and got our fortunes at one of the temples. This is what mine said:
What this number forecasts is great, wherever you may be, neither poverty nor trouble could happen to you. Seniors will patronize you and lead you to success. You'll never lack fortune, happiness and prosperity. You'll find a good spouse. If you're involved in a lawsuit, don't worry, you'll win the case. Whoever casts this number will be so happy as a baby lulled to sleep by a protective babysitter.
How could I resist believing in that? I always knew I was lucky!
There was also a huge pond with catfish in it. I swear I saw one as big as Ming, but no one else saw it... Or believed me...
Our next stop was to Wat Phutok, or "Mountain Temple." By this time, I was more awake, but had no idea of the strenuous trip we had ahead. The combination of hiking, having to dress properly to enter the temple, and not having ankle socks resulted in me wearing this un-stylish get-up that made me both laugh + shudder every time I looked down. Yikes! I'm definitely in debt to the fashion police...
We hiked up hundreds and hundreds of steps that climbed along the mountainside in order to get to the temple on the 6th level. By the time we got there, we were thirsty, out of breath, and really sweaty.
When we finally got to the top of the temple, there was a great moment of peace as we all sat and rested in front of the buddha statues. Fatigue definitely contributed to everyone's silence. But nonetheless, the aura of accomplishment and serenity in the time spent at the temple was absolutely soothing.
Next stop-- WATERFALL!!!
Since I do love getting in the water, this was the highlight of the trip for me. When we got there, we sat and rested in the shade of a huge rock for a bit. I actually fell asleep... Ming woke me up and to our delight, all other waterfall visitors had left. We had the falls all to ourselves!
Due to it being dry season, the waterfall was rather dry compared to the photos Ming had shown us in her PowerPoint presentation the night before. But I actually think it worked out better-- the falls weren't too strong, so we could sit beneath them without getting washed away.
Here's a video clip of me sliding down the rocks beneath the waterfall. Although this resulted in bruising on my left buttock/ lower back, a major wedgie, and a hole ripped in my shorts, I still had fun!
Thank you, Ming, for planning this day =) What a great trip!
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