Awoken by cock-a-doodle-dooing at 4 am we try and get some more z's - no luck as the cockerels crow every 10 seconds for the next 2 hours!!!!! Untangling ourselves from the many blankets and mosquito net we get up off the floor and have a good stretch. It is so cold up in the mountains that we wear our trousers and fleeces to bed.
After a huge breakfast of 3 eggs per-person, a whole loaf of bread (between two as Yunn is not back yet), butter and jam not to mention the gallons of coffee, we pack up and say our goodbyes to our hosts.
Yunn was in surprisingly good spirits and non the worse for his night of drinking as we set off bamboo canes in hand for a long hard mornings trek. Today we are visiting a tiny Karen village of just 3 inhabitants and 3 homes. It is set very high up in the mountains and we are told has spectacular views. I am a little anxious about today's trek as I found yesterday tough and had to have a helping hand from Pordee getting up the steep slopes and rocks. Pordee, a rather large chap is as nimble as a mountain goat and skips over rocks with ease. This is especially surprising as he is wearing flip-flops with the right one having no back section at all!!!!!

While walking Pordee points out tree types, huge spiders, bees nests and poisonous plants - he really is our Bear Grills.
Stopping for lunch of fried rice and chicken wrapped in banana leaves we rest our weary bones. Onward and upward we climb higher and higher and higher, me with a little help from all three. Finally dripping with sweat we arrive at the top of the world - the Karen village and are greeted by a herd of buffalo, two friendly dogs, three cats and our hosts husband and wife Nudi and Movan. Movan is 80 and has a bad stoop but this doesn't stop her from working the paddy fields and cooking. Nudi is 67, wiry and smokes pipes and homemade cigars constantly. They are both very welcoming and interact with us immediately. We didn't get to meet the third inhabitant.
Having checked out the en-suite on our arrival we are pleased to note that it's on the level and therefore usable. Our prayers have been answered so far, so fingers crossed for the remainder of this trip.
After a welcome break we head off into the forest with Nudi to visit a bat cave. The climb is really tough and I nearly give up, but spurred on by David I make it over the slippery rocks into the mouth of the cave. After crawling Spiderman like through the entrance it opens up and although mainly grey rock it also has the odd glistening formation which we light-up with our head lamps. The odd bat checks us out and we see the bat cave's inhabitants sleeping above. The journey back is much easier and we arrive with some time to enjoy the views and camp fire.
On returning from the bat cave we were surprised to see the buffalo have disappeared; Pordee explains that the animals roam free and go off on their own accord to feed in the forest early evening, returning in the morning for water which they can't get in the forest. Buffalo are rarely eaten by the Karen people but sold on.

Another gargantuan dinner of soup, chicken and chillies, mountain vegetables and brown rice grown by Movan is served by Pordee. We are beginning to think that Pordee might be a feeder. There is only one problem (for Yunn), there is only 1 bottle of rice wine.