This time we got a manual bike, which had a bit more grunt, but took a little while to get used to, i picked it up quite quickly as the days of hooning around the farm started to come back to me, and after an initially shaky test drive around the block, I ushered Melissa to get on and we were off down the road. Before long we were on some kind of major highway (by Thai standards) and I was feeling a little out of my depth with the speeds that seemed to be expected. We considered turning back but pressed on. Since I had to concentrate on driving and keeping us from getting killed, the navigation duties fell to Melissa who let me know whenever she saw a sign directing us to our waterfall. Unfortunately there are a multitude of waterfalls in Trang, and it is very hard to tell the signs apart, since they are not in english. We drove for hours and hours into the country side following these signs getting into more and more remote teritory. I had a feeling that we were of course from the waterfall we were intending to visit, but the scenery was so amazing that I didn't really care. eventually, just as we were about to give up hope, a sign pointed down a small dirt road which we followed until it became to rugged to continue via scooter. We proceeded on foot through a rubber tree plantation as the track wove its way through the trees before heading into dense bush. As we continued the track slowly started to become less of a track and more of an imaginary indent in the undergrowth. While contemplating weather we should turn back, or just see what is around this one last corner, we heard a scurrying in front of our feet, and movement in the undergrowth. Suddenly aware of the reality of snakes, we decided to turn back, and headed home. some time in the next couple of days we met a local guy and his pet european teacher. We hung out with them and got pretty drunk. He was nice enough to drive us around in his car and show us his local digs. When we stopped for food we suggested that he order whatever he thought we should try. what came back was "purple eggs" which is basicly boiled rotten eggs. Not something I would have normally chosen. Well we tried them and they are actually bloody nice! Something like a rich egg flavor with a slight tinge of blue cheese taste. Yum.
Then, one day, Melissa left her computer sitting on the edge of the bed and it slid off. An assessment of the damaged revealed that it would no longer boot up, and since it was integral to her income stream, we decided that we would have to leave for Kuala Lumpar immediatly, while she used my laptop to keep up with work in the mean time.
And so, a week or so earlier then originally planned, we hopped on a bus and headed for Malaysia.
