(Try and) Join the Club...

So right now, I'm beach-tired.
You know, when you spend the whole day at the beach...
saltwater, lotion, sand, waves, sun...
The best part is coming home to eat, take a shower to wash everything off but the sun-tan, and sleep - which is welcomed and easy.
That's how I feel.
'Cept there were no waves, no lotion, and no tan because we were in a rainforest.

This is a run-down of our overnight to the sungai with the Sungai-sungai.
For those that didn't read my last post because it had no pictures, this will hopefully make up for that.
So when we (Abang, Kakak, and kids, along with a couple more local families, the Kings, and Us) first got there, it was raining.
Everyone's spirits were a little low because of it...

gosh that picture is funny...I love it...
but we changed campsites and things improved. We were all excited to be camping and were determined to make the most of it, rain or shine.
Like this guy and his 4x4...fun.

How rainforest-y does this picture look? Its really that cool...but better in person because you can hear the river and the jungle creatures.
So within an hour of setting up camp, Adik (the 3 year old) was the first to get a leech.
Leeches...the area was wet and that meant more were out. People say leechs are opportunistic, but as the weekend evolved, I formed a theory that they're actually very discriminatory and must have secret criteria for who's blood they select...
After the rain finally stopped, Justin, Anthony, and I set out to make a fire. By this point, Justin, Daniela, Abang, and Kakak's daughters all found leeches on themselves... maybe their ankles have a certain smell that meets leech criteria...
The sun went down so we didn't take any pictures...but we ate and watched "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" on our sweet Mac computer.
In the morning I woke early (7:30 or so) and made pancakes. After explaining to the locals that its best to eat pancakes with a fork (which I brought for them) because the syrup makes your hands too sticky, we dug in... and I think the local ladies were glad to see the American girl could 'cook.'
After breakfast we all enjoyed the sungai...the kids played in the water all day, the adults did a little. Here's me and Kakak washing dishes. Nothing like sitting in the 'sink' while you wash the dishes...
Abang - like myself and others - caught a nap... (I love this picture too)While I was napping over in our tent, Anthony joined the Leech Club ...lucky for all of you, he got a picture of the 2nd one...the aftermath of the 1st is on the right. (I thought one of the leech club criteria might be the height of the arch of your foot...but since Anthony was wearing boots, thats out.)The afternoon brought more adventures in the river. Isn't that waterfall great? I neglected to take a picture of this very same waterfall back in August on our first trip here. I just knew walking to the waterfall through the jungle or swimming in the river would have resulted in a leech on my leg...but alas, I was leechless. I'm sure the club dues are too expensive and you have to sign in blood (da, da, ch...I know it was a bad joke...but I'm beach tired so it's all I could think of).
It's not that I don't think they're gross. I do. They're disgusting. But there's just something about confronting a fear or an anxiety (not a huge one or anything) that makes me anticipate it until it happens. I left as the only one who was leechless. The anticipation continues.
But to help rid you (and myself as I type this) of the leechless blues, here's a picture of a guy sliding down the waterfall...
Fun huh?
Now we're gonna complete the "beach tired" day and watch an episode of LOST and sleep soundly afterwards.
What a great weekend!