As the adventurous ride continued, I held onto the back of the truck and took shots of the passing buildings and people in the small "towns" that we rode through. The sky was still grey, but it added to the tropical feel of this place. There were motorbikes that came up close to the back of the truck, so they became victim to my camera (albeit a blurry and tilted attempt). I have to admit, those of us in the back of the truck were slightly skeptical as to what we had gotten ourselves into. Where was this man in an old pickup going to take us?
Our two Australian friends were characters, the man, described as the closest thing to a Frat brother in the truck and the wife being the adventurous and beautiful mate. Our Hong Kong friends mainly sat quiet as the man pointed his video camera at both the nature out the back and the occupants inside. "Mom" with the tattoos and short grey hair, from Canada (who's husband was in the front of the truck, navigating and negotiating) was every bit as energetic and interesting as you would want in a tour companion. We all laughed and talked about the possibility of being sold into slavery or perhaps being robbed of every last dime before we were allowed to go home. However, deep down when knew it was fine and that the journey would be fun.
A quick turn off of the main road began taking us up a hill into the jungle area. Green trees dripping with moisture wizzed past us. I heard the familiar sound of the walkie-Talky buzzing as Canadian husband told us that our first negotiated stop was to take us to the waterfall. THAT sounded like fun and an ideal first thing to do on an island. After ridding along for a short bit, we began driving up the somewhat steep hill. The truck puttered and sputtered as it shifted into low gear and worked extra hard to climb. We all stared in silence as we watched the hill behind us grown longer with each struggling foot.
Walking to the waterfall in Koh Samui, Thailand
Finally, we pulled into a small clearing. It was beautiful. There were puddles of water, a little mud and only one other vehicle there. We jumped out of the back of the truck and that's when I saw the Elephant standing off to the side. There was a riding seat strapped over it's back and a handler next to it. I love elephants and wanted to run over there, but my fellow travelers were headed off on the jungle path.
I ran after them and was instantly surprised at the thick mist and moisture that hung in the in. Jungle trees hung over the path and little light got through. There were a few booths set up for refreshments, etc...but we blazed right past.
It didn't take long before we heard the sound of falling water. A few more paces and there it was. My first waterfall since the beginning of this trip. Granted, it wasn't huge or spectacular, but I was happy. It seemed the rest of our group was to.
The waterfall on Koh Samui in Thailand. Use the high resolution option so that it won't be so blurry.
One by one, we cautiously climbed down on the rocks and stared up at the falling water. You could feel drop after drop hitting your skin.
I was so glad that I had worn swimming trunks and an old T-Shirt. Getting wet and dirty became a non-issue for me, so I just enjoyed the experience.
At the waterfall on Koh Samui, Thailand
We each took turns taking photos and laughing at the constant threat of sliding off a rock and hitting our heads. I suppose we all just wanted to live a little. I later learned that it is nearly impossible to capture a proper photo of this waterfall. It was simply too hard to do it justice. You will have to trust me that it was wonderful. I saw a man and his wife on an elephant down the stream. I tried to capture them, but the photo came out a bit blurry.
Koh Samui,Thailand
Even though the intense humidity in a place like this can be overwhelming, I must say that your breathing is so wonderful due to all the moisture in the lungs. It makes you feel so healthy and alive.
After getting our fill of the falling waters, we walked back through the short jungle path and to the small truck. I was surprised that our driver (who knew very little english) did not bother us at all about the time. I was a little impressed and I can say that as a group, we began to loose our trepidation about this experience. We all jumped back into the bed of the truck and exclaimed our happiness for this stop. I wiped my hand through my now wet and jungle-kissed hair and flung the excess water out the back of the truck. We began to drive rapidly back down the hill and onto a paved road, while headed to our next stop.
Just a short clip of us riding out of the waterfall area. Use the higher resolution option.
There are more photos of Koh Samui, Thailand that you can access HERE.
Too Be Continued....
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