There is a frog living in the bathroom of our bungalow. I have named him Mr. Froggy after the parable of the Frog and the Scorpion. Most fortunately there are no scorpions living in our bathroom. Mr. Froggy likes to hang out near the base of the porcelain throne. It is my job to relocate Mr. Froggy when bathroom space is needed. In the photo above, Mr. Froggy is a bit miffed at yet another impending relocation, so he is showing me the butt. "Talk to the Butt, Mr. Farrang!!"
If I am not needed to relocate Mr. Froggy, my main duty is to watch the flow of the Mekong River. It is imperative that someone watch the river at all times to ensure that the current flows towards Vietnam and not the opposite. That would confuse everyone. I have found that the best place to observe the proper flow is from the hammock, but I must yield the hammock to My One as it is her favorite spot.
The other bungalows are empty. There are no other guests here. The flower vines, the rain, and gravity are all joining forces to pull the little buildings back into the earth.
Today was a scooter day, an exploration day, a hot and sunny day on the Mekong. It would also prove to be our last full day on the mighty river of my dreams. Our steed for the day was a macho biker's ideal, complete with Hello Kitty floor mats.
I confess, I am not a big fan of the title automatic scooters. A motorcyclist for most of my life, I need a clutch to feel comfortable. The last step-through Moto I owned was a Vespa P200E, which was my very first scoot. Lovely thing, but it had a clutch. So, let the scooter games begin.
First, we needed fuel. This is a very small town and there is no proper gas station. The options for fuel are bottled fuel or the little pre-pay pumps at the local shop. In retrospect, the bottles would have been a better idea. The little scooter is on reserve. They are alwasy on reserve. I swear to you that the the Thais keep their scooters barely above empty in the hope that some stupid Farrang will come along and fill them up. And... Here I am to oblige. At 32 baht per liter, a 100 baht pre-pay did not seem like too much. It was. And the pre-pay pump doesn't want to stop until it dispenses the set amount. The little scooter has about a three liter tank. Bingo, too much fuel. So the shop woman is freaking out, manages to stop the pump, then puts the remainder of the fuel into a plastic bag (everything goes in plastic bags) and tries to hand it to me. Like I'm going to ride down the road in 90+ degree heat in shorts with a plastic bag of 95 octane fuel between my knees. "Oh no, please give it to anyone who needs it." All is well and everyone is happy. Except me. Stupid little scooters.
Scooters, however, will get a traveler to waterfalls.
It was a glorious day. The road out of town became a lovely little twisty serpent through a verdant landscape. The Mekong was on our right and the green hills rose sharply on our left. In the stream of the Mekong, the grassy islands, rocks, and tufts of sunken vegetation are raising their heads above the water. The river level is dropping quickly. The banana palms climbed the hills, interspersed with rubber tree plantations, rice paddies and pineapple patches.
After one false turn that had us motocrossing the scooter up a rutted two-track, we found the proper road to our first waterfall. Thai families were cavorting in the cool water and the bugs were cavorting on everyone. The first folks we met offered us a place to sit and food to eat, but we politiley declined and continued climbing up the trail.
Looking down on the frolicking Thai kids from the upper falls.
We have a waterfall, food and drink. What else does a family need on a hot day?
The rest of the afternoon was spent tracking a wide loop back to Sangkhom. WIth the sketchiest of maps gleaned from a placard at the waterfall, we got the notion that we could loop back around the little mountains and end up in Sangkhom. What is amazing is that it actually worked. Eighty kilometers later, ass-sore and happy, we found ourselves popping out onto 211, the Main Street in town. We had passed through villages, beautiful fields, and incredibly green hills. Several ways led us up tiny dirt and gravel paths which we explored as far as we could. People in the villages were surprised to see us, but were very gracious. Directions consisted of lots of Thai and the ever-important hand gestures.
Motoring along at about 40 kph is a great way to soak up the scenery along the back roads of Thailand. That's really all we did, motor and enjoy. Silly little scooter. In truth, if I was on a bigger moto, I would be going faster and paying more attention to the riding and less to the scenery. So I suppose, as little as I like the damn things, the scooters are a fine lesson for me. Slower, Bucko, slower. It's okay to just putt along.
Buttsore and in need of a coffee. The tiny helmet perched on the back of my head feels like a painful yarmulke. When the wind whips it back, the strap starts choking me. Perched atop my head, the tiny helmet looks like some bizarre outfit from a Shriner parade.
One last stop before we returned the Hello Kitty scooter. Egg noodles with BBQ pork!!
The sun was nearing the horizon as we eased the scooter back into the guesthouse lot. My ass was not sorry to see it go. Across the rickety bridge to the bungalow and the gloaming of the day. It was time for some relaxing and a good cigar. Mr. Froggy was there to greet us, as well as the Gecko Gang and the building swarms of bug food.
Just as we were settling in, the sound of rhythmic chanting rolled up the river. The dragon boats were out on the Mekong as the evening cooled. The teams were practicing for the big races coming up this weekend. This evening there were three boats moving up and down the course. It was a great sight to finish off the day and we had riverside seats without having to move. When the boats turn downstream, they seem to fly down the surface of the water. Twenty-six rowers and the current propel the craft along at magical speeds.
The gloaming of the day over the Mighty Mekong.
Having done enough and seen enough, we whiled away the evening doing nothing. Bugs hunted us and geckos hunted bugs. In the midst of our reverie, the moon was blocked and things became very dark. The wind whipped up suddenly and moments later a monsoon cloud unleashed a barrage of rain and wind gusts. We had to scramble off of the deck and into the bungalow as the wind swept the rain across the deck. The overhanging thatch roof was no shelter against a completely sideways rain. Retreat!! Retreat to the bungalow. We heard Mr. Froggy chuckling in the bathroom. "See? That's why I live in here."
Twenty mintutes later the wind stopped and the moon peered back down on the river. So it goes during the rainy season, even at the end. We sat away the evening until it was night. Tired and happy, it was time to take shelter under the mozzie net. It would be our last sunset on the Mekong for this trip. For the future, who knows.
Goodnight Friends and Neighbors, and Ciao for Now!
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