Welcome to the rainforest, the driver smiled at us when we arrived in the pouring rain. Quite strange, warm rain does not really bother, it is the humidity which gets in to your bones and clothes. Literally everything absorbs moisture. Already in Bangkok we observed this phenomenon, but there the main discomfort was the spongy bread and croissants.

The lodge however was a fair compensation for the rain: a little wooden house on pillars in the middle of the forest with a view on the river and the mountains. In the annex a bathroom in the open air was installed, with of course only cold or let's call it in an euphemistic way 'ambient' water.

Steven looked very frightened facing a cold shower. August did not realize yet the danger, but also he would have to undergo the experience of a cold shower which would require his both parents to keep him from running away before all soap was rinsed away.

No fridge, no television, just 2 beds with mosquito nets to separate us from any creature, and more important the next shop with cold beer a walk of at least 20 minutes through the jungle and the mud away. (Note for the C-family: I could do with a bucket here, please send me one per express filled with ice and a six pack)

As we would realise specially at night, the forest is never quite. Don't forget that I am travelling together with 2 city die-hards who yell at the slightest notice of something creeping around. So it took some time to catch sleep.

In the afternoon we discovered the very laid back village of Khao Sok, with a combination of hippie bars, massage salons, little restaurants serving herb juices and back packer lodges. The whole atmosphere was quite relax. We had a drink in 'Camp Freedom', a bar installed in a tree, where a stoned would be Bob Marley served us a cold beer while we sank away in the pillows on the terrace overlooking the river and the mountains while it was pouring down. We watched some Thai washing themselves in the river (with clothes), apparently this is quite common.