Welcome to Nature

Very happy to be here, much more my style than Penang. The highlands are stunning – rolling hills, green forest, huge palms, massive bamboo trees, durian trees, banana trees, and vines and greenery everywhere. Nature all around. The temps are cooler here too, being about 1000 meters above sea level. I arrived here this afternoon to a misty rain, but the air is so clean here that the rain is quite refreshing. I decided to spend the afternoon resting in my room and reading my book while listening to the raindrops on the tin roof of the guesthouse. The weather here reminds me so much of the mainy rainy days I had on the Appalachian Trail…I can easily remember my feelings of wanting to get out of the chilly rain and get into my warm sleeping bag for the night.

I’m looking forward to doing some trekking tomorrow.

Funny, when I arrived at the bus station earlier there was a guy from the guesthouse picking up people to drive up the hill. I was the only one he picked up today. He gave me the’deluxe tour’ of the town, telling me there is only one road or main strip with exactly 53 shops and restaurants, and that it is impossible to get lost. I wanted to say, well what about Jim Thompson then? but decided to keep quiet.

The Americans are coming. In the past few weeks I’ve noticed more and more American backpackers and travellers around for the first time since I left last October. I’m sure there are a lot of college students out and about now for the summer holiday. My friend Maurissa in Bangkok said you can tell there are more Americans around from the increased number of Bill Bryson books in all the used bookshops. She’s so right!

Fathers Guesthouse, accomodation in old bunkers from the British Army

Picking is ok, only plucking not allowed

Add comment June 12th, 2002