Leaving Kao Tao was surprisingly more pleasant than our steerage-bound voyage to the island. We managed seats on the deck (we were well shaded, I assure you). On this voyage, the " preferred " seating was inside and steerage passengers were relegated to the outside decks. We were not, however, spared the proximity of other tourists and thus had endless entertainment for the ride. The two men to our left were sweating out last night's booze and sucking down meaty sandwiches saturated with some barbecue sauce lookalike. Behind us, a young man (I think I went to college with him) passed out shirtless on the deck. A careless act in my fathers presence but, by some act of god, he was spared a lecture about skin care and UV awareness . A grim looking couple (German? Russian?) perched themselves and a six pack next to the trash can up front near the door to the VIP section. When a Chinese passenger carelessly disposed of his still-lit cigarette in the bin, she nonchalantly splashed her beer on it and went back to smoking her own. thanks Fräulein or Comrade...
The land stretch of the trip south was much longer than we'd expected. Our incredibly sweet but totally non-English speaking taxi driver met us (we were finally one of those groups who has someone waiting for them with a sign!) and we headed off for our mountain "resort" . The scenery was fantastic..giant rain forests running up hills, roads running along streams, much less trash then one might expect. The drive took an additional turn for the better when, after planning how to mime the need for a bathroom for several miles (as I have said before, the Thais are a decorous people) a blue travel sign miraculously appeared just in time for me to gesticulate wildly and we got our much needed break.
TCDF is situated on a hill, just above the tiny village (two stores that sell everything and a gas station) of Pak Song in the southern part of Thailand. All around us, the sounds (and inhabitants) of the rain forest creep in through our windows while we doze under out mosquito nets. Every morning we awake to the crunch-crunch of some jungle creature trying to eat his way into our rooms. It's insanely hot here and the sun is more relentless than that on the beaches. Luckily, nothing much Is asked of us so we cope by moving only to eat and take outdoor showers.
The TCDF organization is a school for handicapped children and a place for local children to learn english. We aren't entirely sure how much is actually happening here, but we've all agreed its not our problem and nod along to descriptions of their work. The rooms we are staying and the restaurant we eat in are separate from the org, but all profits go to their work with the kids. The rooms are funky/charming and the food, prepared by locals, was absolutely delicious. W have grown to like Thai breakfasts which are really dinner eaten in the morning. Volunteers from all over the world come to stay here for a few weeks to help with the gardens and work hard in the jungle. They are all incredibly sweet and while we can't figure out what they do all day besides water plants, we appreciate their company....even everybody the dreaded "Nathan who we started off not liking and grew to appreciate with time. "
An Aussie, Nathan is the "host," a term he sometimes defines as " overseer." His job is to greet guests ( in his definition " Aborigine slaves ") and keep the volunteers organized as far as accommodations and meals etc. Apparently there was no interview for this job, because it's quite obvious at first glance that Nathan has absolutely none of the required interpersonal skills. He spends most of his time on the computer doing nothing, interspersed with insulting the guests and turning volunteers against him.
The first night we were here he asked (demanded) my mom to do the dishes (group meals here include shared chores and clean up)...bad move. My mom will do just about anything, but you have to ask her the right way (trust me, I've honed this skill) and he did not ask her the right way. Before the evening was over the battle was on. She suggested he was more like a camp counselor than a host, and told him to get his insurance company on the phone when he said he has no flashlight to help her get back to our room (down the steep stairs in the pitch black rainforest night). I'm not kidding.
The tide turned the next morning when we realized everybody hated him, not just the three Americans. We loved watching him have a hissy fit about people signing up for breakfast too late and the next morning get turned down when he offers to acompany the cute French girl on a hike to the waterfall. We relish in these small satisfying victories and choose to enjoy his faults rather than abhor them. It isn't often that one encounters a human being totally devoid of a sense of humor. This crippling handicap prompts pity and amusement rather than active hate. Even the German volunteer i joke with as we wait interminably for coffee replies to my crack " Well, at least we know it's not instant coffee." by adding In a low growl "You make a funny joke."
In truth, it's an interesting group here, particularly the volunteers. They are a mixed bag of Europeans, Chinese, Scandinavians, and Australians Most are here for humanitarian reasons, except for Nathan who probably has been asked to leave every country he visits. Most are cute and well-meaning and believe that what these poor Thais need is the help of white Europeans to improve their lot. This is not as bad as the motivations of many of the tourists who just want to sleep with them . What they don't seem to recognize is what the Thai culture can tell us about how we should live.
End of sermon , we should describe the only real occasion for strenuous activity in our days here...the aforementioned walk to the waterfall. Armed with a former guest's directions, we ourselves (no offer from Nathan, hmmm) started off on this two hour up, two hour down journey carrying water, towels, books, and an adorable pinto lunch prepared by the Thai staff. And, of course sunscreen. Stupidly we had waited till the fog had burned off for maximum sweating and possibility of crippling sun damage. The journey began with 45 minutes up the sleepy country road of the town. The most notable site, besides the amazing Palm forest we passed through, was a old man with a chicken on a leash...just one of his many chickens . Why this one chicken? The mind speculates...then shakes the thoughts away.
The next step in the directions took us off the road and into the woods. The directions said turn right at the blue sign with pictures and Thai writing. This move involved something of an act of faith since all signs in thailand are blue and have pictures (mostly of the king and queen at varying ages) and are in Thai. The hunch proved correct and we started the hike up and soon saw the second marker, a stream with rocks (again, hardly a novel sight here but they were right where the directions said they would be so we felt confident.)
After about twenty minutes, we met up with the next marker, barking dogs. (See "Night of the Baying Dogs.." to evaluate the usefulness of this guidepost ). Luckily the trail also bent through a yard at that time and the woman who owned the dogs came running out to point to the correct trail and to announce we had "three kilos" more to go. I tried to make a joke about how one of the dogs was missing a leg. Joke fell flat. Like Nathan, she seems to lack a sense of humor although unlike him, she was very friendly.
After several more obvious signposts, the road ends and we complete our journey on a steep winding staircase ( this whole country should be flatter!) to the spectacular waterfall and swimming hole. We have the place to ourselves for most of the time because this isn't a big tourist area. It was the perfect place to do what?....nothing. Happy to oblige. We swim, shower, eat our lunch, swim again, and read books for a couple of hours while we wait for the sun to lower enough to create shade for the trip down. That turns out to be a good move as the trip back was much more pleasant especially with a nice breeze that picked up.
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