A Welcome Getaway

This Tuesday and Wednesday, we took a mini-vacation to get away from the constant drone of mopeds and the oppressive heat of the concrete and brick oven in which we live. According to Google Maps the trip to Namtok Samlan (Waterfall of Three Levels) National Park was about forty-five minutes. On Monday, we shopped the market for the necessary food supplies and prepared treats such as donuts and lime-sauce coleslaw to bring. On Tuesday, the children were up early and raring to go. I wanted to get a load of laundry through the washing machine and hung up before we left to lessen that burden upon our return. Finally, we loaded the back of the truck and were on our way at about 10:40.

We made good time, heading north on Highway 1, until we were nearly at the turn-off to the smaller road. An accident and then road construction slowed our progression to a crawl, taking ten minutes to travel a kilometer. Once we were able to make our exit, mere minutes allowed us to escape civilization and arrive in our jungle mountain retreat. We paid 200 baht per adult at the entrance to the National Park, the guard lady rattling in Thai a stream of words that neither Philip nor I could recognize. Then continued down the road to find the headquarter where we hoped to claim our bungalow key.

This national park is small with one paved road straight from the entrance to the Visitors' Center. As we pulled into the parking lot, a man approached our vehicle. Philip showed him our reservation slip, and within minutes, we had the key to Bungalow 4. I had reserved Bungalow 3 but didn't think it mattered enough to say anything. We had seen the four cabins in a tight square so as to be on one concrete slab as we drove in, but we wanted to know about trails, so Philip went into the Visitors' Center. He found an extremely un-detailed map and a talkative person, then stopped to talk a picture of a bit better map. We were getting impatient by the time he made it back to the truck. Finally, on to our little "home."

We tried to park in a dirt area on the side of the square nearest our bungalow, but several trees had signs saying "No parking. Fallen branches." We drove around to the other side without trees. The kids tumbled out of the truck to try to discover which was our cabin. Number 3 was occupied with a lady sitting on the floor weaving miniature baskets of various colored ribbons. She smiled broadly as the children ran around shouting. I greeted her then proceeded to open the small padlock on our assigned cabin. It contained two rooms and a bathroom as I expected. The entrance room contained an extra bed, so that we had three double beds instead of the two I had expected. No one would have to sleep on the floor. This turned out to be very fortuitous. Upon opening the bathroom door, we discovered an infestation of small black beetles covering the floor, walls, and toilet. Tiny red biting ants and mosquitoes rounded out the crowd.

I sprayed a large number of insects out the drain in the wall before our neighbor lady arrived to inspect. She brought a stiff broom and took over the task, so I could help with unloading and preparing lunch. The bungalow next to our had two tables behind it, while our little back porch had none. Philip and I moved one of the heavy wooden tables and a couple of benches. Thankfully, I had thought to bring a picnic mat, so Calla had a safe, relatively bug free place to play on the ground. Soon we were munching on ham and cheese sandwiches, potato chips, and coleslaw with blue sky overhead, bird calls in our ears, and the smell of damp earth and green in our noses. Hooray for nature!

Before we had a chance to set off on our hike, Simeon managed to get bitten or stung by some unknown insect. He was already whining that he wanted to go home. We comforted him and bolstered his courage for the hike. We clambered into the truck for the brief trip to the end of the road and the start of the trail. The first part of the hike was on a wide track, easy to navigate for all except Simeon with his short legs and woefully inadequate sandals. I had thought he had brought the ones I had recently found in the shoe bin for him, but he had worn his old ones with the plastic strap slipping off his heel. Despite his difficulties, we soon all arrived at the park's namesake. The three levels were clear, but no water flow down them. As I expected two weeks of rain hadn't been sufficient to produce a waterfall. Enough water had gathered in the pools at various levels for the kids to enjoy a cool splash before heading on.

From there the trek became much rougher. We crossed many ant trails and ant swarms, as they hurried to abandon their now flooded homes. Unfortunately the majority of the ant were of a biting variety and they were already riled up before the trailblazer stepped on them. By the time, Simeon's little feet arrived, they were aggressive. He shrieked as Philip scooped him up and flicked an ant off his toe. Philip carried him to the next waterfall which was even drier than the first. When we sat to rest, Simeon screamed with terror every time he saw an ant. It took much patient calming and explaining to calm him down. We finally got him to say, "Ant, I'm just visiting your home, please go around me," in place of screaming.

During that same phase of the hike, the entire sole came off my right sandal. I guess I should have invested in a pair of sandals when I was in the United States, but I wanted one that would last 15 years like my previous pair, and I had trouble finding something which seemed suitable. Fortunately, the insole of this sandal (given to me by a visiting friend) was strong enough to protect my foot. The sole became a nice instrument for warding off spider webs which I kept running into full in my face.

As is traditional for our hikes in Thailand, we had trouble finding the last 600 meters of trail. The helpful sign pointed slightly up and across the would-be waterfall, so we searched in that direction first. The apparent trailed quickly petered out. Philip said it looked like people had tried to forge trails in multiple directions and had failed. He searched up and down while the girls did as well. We let them explore as long as they stayed together and within shouting distance of us. Philip returned to let us know he had found a dirt track with no sign. We had decided that this would be better than traveling back through any territory when the girls shouted that they had found a sign. It was only in Thai with no arrows or distances, so Philip went to see. He said he thought it was the name of the waterfall; it was at the base of the fall and had a clear trail lead away. The sign has indicated the opposite direction; we were very thankful for our exploring girls.

A couple of meters later, a sign clearly marked directions with a "U-turn" toward the headquarter where we had begun. This trail was wide with few roots or stones for Simeon little legs to stumble over and no ant swarms. Within minutes, we were in sight of the headquarters building with only large ditch separating us. The bridge was currently non-existent with a new bridge in progress. In a few months the ditch would be a torrent of water, but since it was dry it was easy to slip down into it, cross, and scramble up the other side.

We treated ourselves with cold sodas from the headquarters snack shop and posed for pictures for the rangers. We had enough daylight left for a quick walk to the lake before supper. As we swished through the grass, two orange and black birds began swooping at us and scolding. We assumed we must be heading toward their nest, so we turned sharply to the left before continuing on to the lake. Signs posted "No Swimming," so we only waded at the edge. Three to six-inch fish came and nibbled my toes. Simeon steeled himself and manged to let them tickle his feet, too.

Back at the bungalow, Simeon was still terrified of every ant he saw. He finally calmed down enough to sit on a bench to eat his supper. As we were finishing, cool gusts of wind began sweeping through the area, pushing dark clouds. This was our signal to hurriedly clear the table. Our slow eater Hollis had a plateful of food, so we pushed a bench under the eves for her to finish. Philip went inside to take a shower. I scooped up Calla, so Eris and Meriel could get the mat into the cabin. Soon the kids were running around in the fresh rain claiming it as their shower.

Inside, it did not take long for the kids to rinse their feet, get in pajamas, and brush their teeth. We discovered that the bedroom leaked directly above one of the beds. We were able to pull the bed away from the leak and place a trash can to catch the water. Then the kids were able to get their beds ready with blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals. They were ready for bed by 7:30! They did acrobatics on their beds before calming down to read to themselves. All was silent in the bedroom, and Philip and I switched off our own light at 9:30. I was struck by the darkness. I really like to sleep in the deep dark, which we never get in the city. The bugginess of the bungalow was a bit of a bother. Philip's sleep was especially disturbed by bugs flicking on him. Soon it was cool enough for me to slip the coverlet over my legs which was pleasant and cut down on insect landings on my body.

The children were up at first light, but they were quiet enough to let me sleep a bit longer. Before too long, I was itching to get up and outside. I tried to get the children to get dressed and outside quietly to let Philip sleep a bit longer. We managed to get all the breakfast outside without disturbing him too much. We enjoyed boiled eggs, donuts, yogurt, and apples surrounding by whooping birds and fluttering butterflies. Philip was soon up and ready for his breakfast. He told me later he had been up by 7:30; Calla and I must have been up at 6:30. At home, I'm grumpy if I'm woken up that early.

With input from the children, we decided to just hike to Namtok Samlan and let the kids wade and splash in those pools. Nobody was eager to try another hike, though Eris was willing. I thought that just some relaxed playing in nature would best for all. We let the kids ride in the canopied back of the pick-up. It even has seats on each sides (like a songthaew), clearly meant to be ridden in here. The kids did indeed have fun exploring, splashing, climbing. Even Simeon joined in the fun, though he did complain about his feet getting muddy, "Now I have to wash my feet!" It rained off and on, so Calla and I mostly watched from under the branches. She even snuggled in for a little nap, only to be rudely awakened by Hollis screaming. She had slipped while hopping down the carved stone step. Saltwater sandals are great for water but terrible for traction.

When Hollis and Simeon had tired and the adults were ready to head back, Eris and Meriel got one last splash in. We took the short walk back to the truck and were thankful to be able to put the wet and muddy children in the back. Back at the cabin, the kids showered and changed clothes while Philip and I packed up. Since rain continued to threatened, we decide to eat our lunch at a picnic shelter. We cleared our belongings out of the cabin, said our good-byes to our beetles friends (we tried to leave them all behind), and locked up. Philip went to return the key while the rest of us began putting together the peanut butter and blueberry jam sandwiches. We were happy with our decision as it soon began to rain, then pour. After lunch, the kids put on a little show on the stage. (For some reason nearly all picnic shelter in Thailand have small stages, for the dignitaries in events, I guess.)

During a lull in the rain, we dashed over to the Visitors' Center for a last bathroom break. Apparently the squat toilet was not used very often; it was choked with an insect similar to caddis fly which appeared to be hatching. Simeon eyes grew wide when he saw them. We chose to take turns with the Western toilet and leave the other alone. Before long, we were all buckled back in the truck ready to leave our haven. Not too far outside of the park, we saw a macaque crossing the road. It made me realize that you don't have to get too far out of the city to experience the nature of Thailand.

The trip back went very quickly. We noted the terrible traffic going the other direction, but our side was not affected. Simeon was asleep before we reached Highway 1. We play a word game to help Meriel and Hollis with their nouns. It really seemed like hardly any time had passed when we drove by our street. We had to continue on another few kilometer before we could make the U-turn to get to our side of the street. We were home and unpacking by 2:00. Our mini-vacation had been just a little over twenty-four hours, but it was enough to refresh me and help me survive through more days and weeks in the concrete jungle. And since it's so close, maybe we'll go again, once the insects settle down in their rainy season homes.

An Evening at the Cardins'

Simeon lounges on the couch in his tank top and blue, yellow, and white striped underwear. He keeps hopping upright drop a plastic recorder into a hole of a broken CD player. Eris sits nearby typing an e-mail on the iPad. She tells Simeon that he needs to be more careful with the iPad so near. I tell Eris she can move to the table which has been cleared and wiped from supper. Now that Eris is out of the way, Simeon and Hollis jump from the back of the couch onto the seat. A black haired doll, a stuffed pig, a scattering of board books, a rattle, a large stuffed ball, and an orange and yellow folding stool provide obstacles for them to avoid as they bounce onto the woven bamboo floor mat. A blue plastic laundry basket with clean, dry but unfolded diapers reminds me of work unfinished. On a white plastic sign screwed to the wall, a colorful map of the United States, a man wearing the armor of God, a list of the first four U.S. presidents and their wives demonstrate a few of our recent school studies. 

Calla started out on the bamboo mat but has rolled and tummy scooted to the wall under the windows. At 5:52, music commemorating the former King of Thailand blares from speakers 20 feet away from our window. Calla startles at first, then quickly resumes pushing up onto her toes and elbow, practicing rocking to and fro. No one else seems to even notice the music.

Meriel works in the playroom on a surprise projects. She pops out every so often, asking, "Mommy, may I use a button?" or "Where is the glue stick?" Hollis wants to know why she can't go into the playroom. Meriel reasons that Hollis is not allowed to see what she is working on. "Besides, I have all my stuff laid out in here." Meriel's wide smile and bright eyes show the joy she is taking working on a project on her own.

Eris asks about "Balthazar's blazing hot sauce" which she thinks someone from our church ate while visiting the United States. He had asked, "Is this sauce mild?" She enjoys entertaining her e-mail friends by describing tidbit of Thai life that amaze them.

Hollis notes that Calla is "traveling" toward the speakers Simeon has been taking apart. Simeon runs over to me worriedly asking if he can move Calla. I tell him to move the speakers. Hollis and Simeon do that, then go back to their couch acrobatics. Simeon runs the obstacle course of stool, books and stuffed animals to the kitchen shouting, "If anyone gets hurt, drink some water!"

I type on the laptop at the dining room table trying to preserve a typical evening. I read a quote recently about how time proceeds with little children in the home, "The days are long but the years are short." Simeon scampers over to me, "Excuse me, Mommy, can you watch a jump?!" Well, I've got some laundry to fold, some children to attend....