Is That It?

Dreamland Resort, my new bungalow!
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I'm excited! Today was moving day!  Bid farewell to Patina and her boyfriend, and thanked them for their friendship. After my porridge breakfast, Dreamland driver came over and picked me up! Settled into my new digs, and felt so good! Turned on the A/C and just laid on my bed for a bit!  That was nice! I even flushed the toilet a few times, just cuz I had one!

I wanted to be a little adventurous, so I went to look for a waterfall. Again, it's suppose to be a short hike, according to the locals. We'll see. The shitty thing about this place (besides the crappy roads) is that there are not enough signs, nor are they in English. Some, but not enough!  So best of luck if you are looking for particular places!  I wandered into the woods, and followed a trail. I ended up at a house/farm with a HOG, blocking the path!  I was so startled!  Was it going to come after me??? I started talking to it in English, but that was useless. Saw some chickens, and thought, oh no, Bird Flu!!!  Run!!! Eventually, I got past the farm, and walked by a Rasta House!!  Yeah, they looked like they've been smokin'.  Got a little creepy, but I was determined to find this waterfall. As I edged closer to the top, another hiker was ahead of me.  Her name was Ninka, and she's from Netherland. We ended up helping each other to the top, and both our reactions...."Is That It?" It wasn't the cascading waterfall we both had hoped, where we could stand beneath the falls, and simply get drenched in it! So, we simply sat atop and shared some stories.  She just graduated from university, and is taking a 1-year travel journey!! So exciting!

Hike to Than Sadet Waterfalls
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We had lunch together at a local stand, quite delicious, and half the price of the establishments at the beach! We ended up talking to a Klaus, a German guy, whom is a frequent flyer to these parts. He recommended a hike to Thaan Sadet Waterfalls. Ninka sounded excited about it, and suggested we go together. According to her, she's not much of a beach person, and she's bored of it. I'm thinking, you came to the wrong place, lady! Alright, so I went along, off to the next exciting waterfall. This one would be about 45 minutes hiking!

Final morning at Thong Nai Pan Noi
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IT was torture! The trail was beat up! We climbed and climbed, and saw no signs! We listened for the waterfall, but must have been suffering from delirium from the humidity and heat! She was wearing Teva sandals, but proved to be useless as she kept sliding on the rocky ground. My Salomon trail shoes were awesome!  I recommend a pair for all, as they are also adaptable for the waters as well!  We had to climb into holes, slide on our butt, climb up from the sunken earth. After close to 2 hours, we finally found it! We made it to a main road, and seeked out other tourists. Again, the waterfall was disappointing, and another Is That It moment. Sure, it was bigger, but there were more people too!  So, even if you wanted to take a swim, it would be pretty crowded! We opted to climb higher, and dip our hot and tired feet into the cool waters.

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It was getting late in the afternoon, and probably a bad idea to hike back to camp! We asked for a ride to the nearest taxi.  Of course, the locals took advantage of our predicament. They charged us $400 baht!  Outrageous! But what could we do, and Ninka was adamant about not hiking back, nor was she too happy about forking out so much $$. She's on some crazy $400 baht/day budget!  Give me a break, what do you want to do?

I was glad to be back to our beach, and take a little break from my new friend. She's sweet enough, but such a worry wort, and too repetitive! She repeated everything 3-4 times, maybe she's just trying to reassure herself.  Who knows. I know I've got few more years on her, so maybe I just needed to decompress. We would meet up again for dinner later.  Meanwhile, I went for an late afternoon swim, and it was simply heaven!  I did see the European Thong, again!  Hahaha, I needed that!

Ninka and I met up at the same food stand for dinner. She totally loves the food, and it's so cheap!  She didn't want to try anything else.  That was fine with me since there was not much other choices. Called it an early night, but I did get on the internet for a little bit back at the hotel.  I had a Scooby Doo moment with the staff.

So, I get on the internet, which is also in the conveniece store. As I pay for my time, I ask the cashier about arranging for a taxi to the pier, and also a ferry ticket since I would be leaving in a day.  She points me to the reception desk, on the other side of the window.  Fair enough, so I walk out a few steps and get to the reception desk.  Same cashier chick is there! How did she do that? She looks up, and without a blink, asks me..."Can I help You?"  Oh goodness, I just had to laugh!! These people are nuts!  Too much smoke going around these parts!