Tempus fugit

If you're planning a trip the first thing to do is find your travel companion. We went with my old friend's family to Thailand this summer.

One of the highlights of our Thailand trip is the visit of Kaeng Krachan National Park. Eleven of us, as young as four years and up to ten times the youngest one’s age, trekked to Pala-U, one of the highest waterfalls in Thailand. Step by step, we plodded next to a stream, surrounded by forest over 1000 years old and stunning number of butterflies. The route is tough but the destination is great for families. The stream itself, teeming with carps, makes for the perfect site for feeding fish and swimming.

Trekking with my good old friend brought to mind our school days. By the time we are in Thailand, we've known each other for more than thirty years. You read that right. We were in the same primary school, secondary school and university. Then we became roommates in the student hostel.

One of our favorite activities was stream trekking. That means a narrow, and sometimes slippery, path parallel to a stream. We didn’t have smartphones at that time, and would not bother if there is signal coverage along the trail. We used compass. Instead of photo sharing by Instagram, we had to wait till the films were developed. We didn’t have waterproof backpacks but still went ahead during rainy days. That’s silly, I know. An even dopier mistake was bringing along a medicine textbook when it was raining cats and dogs. Who did it? Not me. Not my old friend. My future wife.

Do you know what happened to the physiology textbook?

It turned cat-eared and dog-eared, I'd say.