Our alarm went off at 5.30am! I thought there must have been a fire. People that know me would say "what did you s*** the bed" but even if I did I would still have gone back to sleep - I'm not really a morning person - just ask anyone that worked with me on an open at Costa or any customers that dared come in before 8am for that matter.
We met Sam and his friend Kevin down the stairs and hopped on the back of their mopeds. Everything looked different at this time of the day. The biggest difference was the absence of thousands of tourists. The casts were shrouded in a mist and the air was much cooler, the only sound, the put put of our moped and the odd cockerel. Eventually we arrived at the Yulong river. We parked up walked across the moored boats and left our things under a bridge. I jumped in and braced myself for the water. But it was like jumping into a bath. The water was clear and warm, this had to be the prettiest swimming pool ever. Swimming is so much better in the wild surrounded by nature and beautiful scenery. So far we have swam in every country we have been in, and I love it, but I'm not sure how it will pan out as we get closer to crocodile country. Sam and Kevin swam off they said they do over a kilometre a day I did a few meters then have up. I was happy just to splash around and did my usual doggy paddle. I couldn't have looked more ungracious if I tried. Proven by the fact that Sam kept asking me if I was ok or needed help. I tried to explain this is how I always swim but everyone was too busy laughing at my attempts to tread water which looks like Im being attacked by a shark. After our swim we went back to Sam's and his mum had made us all breakfast of noodle soup. It was delicious. I felt like a real local.