Jungle Driving

Editor's note: I have been having writer's block lately and our drive today was so scenic that I thought I would practice my descriptive writing skills and express our experience in words instead of just pictures. Enjoy!

Jungle Driving
The gentle hum of the diesel engine struggles to carry its passengers up another incline. The pavement stretches before the wagon like a thin, silver snake winding through the hills of northern Thailand. Vines drip from trees. Ivy consumes everything until tree and bush alike are covered in the same leaves. Underneath, the jungle floor lays barren where sunlight and rain seldom enter.
The car coasts down the other side. Light pellets of crystal rain dot the windshield while the wipers rhythmically squeak across the glass. A dog belonging to no one strolls across a narrow bridge lined with tiny flags honoring the king and his kingdom. Ahead, a cow turns his thick head to acknowledge the approaching vehicle while others concentrate on the feast below their hooves.
The rain increases and becomes a deafening sound on the tin roofs that guard its inhabitants. Motorcyclists take refuge under a grass hut restaurant. The Coke sign out front beckons weary travelers to stop for a .50 cent meal.
Skinny hill tribe workers walk along the narrow road ignoring the cool glass stinging their arms and faces. Unfamiliar vegetables stacked high in straw baskets cover their backsides. Dark-faced men and women seem to pay little attention to the heaviness of their load. Wrinkles cover their faces from years of walking this path with the same load.
Up another steep incline and the driver downshifts. They round a sharp curve and through the rainforest trees the passengers catch a glimpse of a hidden valley.
Rice fields cover the valley floor. Squatty bamboo shelters dot the green fields with brown relief. Banana trees spring from the earth in the background. Their oblong leaves resemble helicopter wings that if spun could pull their tree from the world.
The passengers admire the scenery as quickly as the car’s engine will let them. They begin their descent into a small village. A few moments are spent perusing the shops, enjoying the local flavor and consuming their surroundings. It is time to return to the jungle.