Today we awoke to paradise. Our hut overlooks a valley that was full of mist. The kids woke early, with the chickens of course, and wanted to explore. We wandered up the dirt road past the villa to see
the jungle and rice paddys and banana fields below. It was gorgeous to watch the mist burn off and expose a little village below. The sun quickly got warm and we returned to the villa kitchen to find breakfast!
Yummy Thai curry and egg mixed with veggies and rice. We ALL loved it. The kids seem to really be enjoying the food and especially the cooking on the fire. Avi especially likes to help Nooki, the cook, pound spices with the mortar.
Later we got hiking directions to a waterfall and enjoyed the heat as we found it. Zoe was complaining about being hot but then reminding her about freezing at the bus stop yesterday made her stop. We got a little mixed up going to the waterfall but it was well worth it when we found it. Zoe quickly stripped and got wet with Bryan while I found a soft spot in the sand and shade for a sleeping Avi. He fell asleep in the kid carrier en route.
The water was chilly at first but then felt great. Zoe busied herself in a sandy spot building dams and pools. Avi woke and had fun running off a rock into the water. Even Bryan stripped down and did a for-real swim in the super deep water in the cave under the waterfall.
We snacked and swam and wandered lower on the river to a spot where we could slide down a long rock into the pool below. It was fun until I realized the tiny black things stuck to Zoe weren’t bits of seaweed, but instead baby leaches or larvae. Gross! Ugh. We booked it back to the clean pool below the waterfall and cleaned off. Snacks. Then wandering back to the villa via a different route.
We missed lunch but the leftovers were still delicious reheated. Bryan had fun cooking it over the fire. While at the villa the kids have been having a great time with Marta and Lucia. The other family that is here has kids the same ages as our two!!! They all run around in a gaggle exploring the garden and chasing the chickens and cats. It’s adorable. They are from Belgium and speak Dutch, but kids don’t notice that kind of thing. Zoe even found an uprooted plant and dug a hole to save it. It’s now her garden.
In the late afternoon we took the trail down to the village below to wander around, get some cold medicine for Bryan’s nose, and toilet paper. The local people are so nice and love to play with the kids.
In the evening dinner was again amazing and Avi again helped pound stuff. We got to bed early tonight – Zoe fell asleep during dinner! We eat on a mat on the floor and she just laid down. Had a little trouble with the lights not working in our hut. The solar battery had run out since we left them on over dinner. Looking forward to seeing elephants tomorrow.
