April 4th 2002

We are up and out early today, breakfasted, hired a bike and are off to the waterfall by 9am. Not such a bad ride as the road is fairly level for most of the journey. We park the bike, buy tickets {this is a tourist attraction so have to pay to enter beauty spot} After a pretty steep and winding climb for 25 minutes or so, seeing lots of little brown lizards on the way, we arrive at the waterfall. It's not in full flow, as the monsoon season is due, but it's flowing and it's tranquil up here, the surrounding scenery is lovely.

We sit on a rock paddling our feet in the water. Little almost transparent fishes come up close to inspect us. I feel something and realise that one has nibbled my toe! Soon there are lots of them nibbling our feet, it really tickles, but I'm really pleased that they have no fear of us. I try to keep my feet still and film them for a while. An extra brave one tugs some loose skin off of a mozzie bite on my heel, I thought fish were veggies? There are beautiful large butterflies here too, we watch them dance past us but can't catch them on film. Within an hour or so the place is getting packed with people. As men jump into the water howling, we decide it's time to go. I am glad we came early.

We zoom off to White Sands for brunch. We park up and go to Mac's Bungalow a weird name, but there are strange names here Easy Pub, Comfortable Bar and No Name for instance. Mac's is on the beach and is a very pretty restaurant. A rottweiller patrols the restaurant and comes to check us out, he is big but friendly. We watch people scour the beach with metal detectors while we eat. We stroll around the stalls and buy me 2 lovely new sarongs, both patterned with gecko's! Checked mail and sent replies plus a mail to my boys. Stopped at a pretty place on the way back which has carved elephants and a lovely white canvas temple in the garden. Took another break at the Elephant Trail and some film of the elephants you can hire for a ride on the beach. One of the keepers was giving an elephant a drink from a hose pipe.

We returned the bike and stayed for a coconut shake, while I wrote some postcards. Back to S1 for a hose down. Our air con is registering over 30C and it feels cool in here! We doze off for a while then shower and go to find food. Decide to try the vegetarian restaurant, it's called Piggy's Delight. Perusing the menu is great fun, we have come to really enjoy this as English is not a strong suit here. Today we can choose "Fired Pineyapples" or some "Mixed Farits Chacks" or even "Piskled green onion soup". We order corn patties, a mushroom and ginger soup, and sour and spicy cabbage and coconut soup with bitter gourds, both are excellent and we end up sharing. We settle for some Chang "beet" then decide to round off the evening with a cocktail at Porn, as usual we can see it lit up as we pass our chalet.

A nightcap becomes 3, the ambiance here makes it difficult to leave. I am hooked on Blue Bave cocktails and we decide to try a Porn Special which is a shooter and is amazing - they set light to it and you down it through a straw before the flame goes out, then you feel the top of your head explode. Pete, Jon and Glenn would have enjoyed these, I'll have to have another one to see how they make it. Maybe we can feed the lads these when we meet up? Must also feed these to Lucy and Simon. It was quieter here tonight, but really good all 3 barmen are dancing as they mix the drinks and singing along to the music. They are great fun, we leave at 12am and stroll down the beach walking through the waves.