Part Two

Her eyes rolled back into her head and she moaned loudly. Suddenly everyone in the room was aware of Amelia's presence and her altered state. Eden pulled herself up off the bamboo platform and went to her just as she fainted into the dirt, her crumpled form startling us into action.

Our trek began after a lunch of fried rice and Thai vegetables. We set out in mid afternoon, under the merciless blaze of the high sun. Our heavy feet kicked up red dust on the way through the village. Passing lean-to's and bamboo pigpens we clumsily trod the uneven ground. At the end of the village we passed a school--the pupils busied themselves with work but still they stared and paused in their lessons long enough to ask, in perfect English, "What is your name?"

Oh the advent of digital cameras and instant gratification. As I snapped pictures the children grabbed for my camera, turning it toward them to inspect their reproduction. For my friends they did the same but Christina's left them puzzled, there was no picture to see, merely the back of the camera. Even this far removed there was technology too old for them.

The village faded into rice fields, and that to jungle as we crossed the rocky terrain--sweat pouring from our bodies in an attempt to cool ourselves in the damp heat. At the top of an especially arduous hill we stopped to rest. Only then did we notice that someone had disappeared from our group. Later our human nature would be revealed when we collectively griped about the Spaniard.

"Why would anyone, with known knee problems, a heavy smoker and snoring like a bear in winter join up with a group three day expedition?" one trekker would ask. He held us up and slowed us down but provided endless entertainment in his person. What could we do but laugh as he stripped down for the waterfall to but a tiny pair of speedos. He smoked ceaselessly and greedily used up massive amounts of sugar in his coffee. On there second morning there would be none left and we grumpily glared at his hairy backside. The villagers called him gorilla man.

To Be Continued....