We ordered lunch and ate hungrily. After we had finished, we walked over to the Visitor Centre to ask for information on the site. They told us that it would take around four to five hours to hike up the hill to the stones that I was so oddly eager to see. If we decided to go today, we would not make it back down before sunset, and that would require us to bring along our camping gear to encamp on the mountain for the night.

“So, now what?” Sun asked.

“The Quaternary Stones are quite hidden in the middle of the forest on the top of the hill, and you will need a guide to lead you there,” one of the staff members at the front desk told us. “Since this place is not well known, not many tourists go there. It’s mostly the local villagers who perform their ritual ceremony there, paying respects to their ancestors every three years. The route also changes a bit after every rainy season. New bushes and trees grow and cover the tracks, so it’s hard to differentiate the new route from the old,” he told us.

“You will need to bring enough drinking water and food, ideally for two days, just in case. We’ll have a bite once we reach the Quaternary Stones, and carry enough food in case we get lost,” the guide added. I wasn’t sure if he intended his remarks as a helpful advice or a friendly warning. We all laughed, except the guide who gave us a puzzled look instead.

“If you ask me, I suggest that you prepare everything that you need for the hike and explore the area around here today. Get as much rest as much as you can and we will set off early tomorrow morning,” the young staff member advised.

“Wait a minute! If it’s that gruelling, should we go at all?” Orin replied, sounding a bit irritated. “Judging from the picture, those four stones aren’t that beautiful, and I think it might not even be worth our time going.”

Orin and I always liked to travel, and we had travelled together since we first met at work. Our preferences, however, were quite different. Orin preferred going to popular tourist spots and would always proudly take pictures of the same fashionable places that bloggers or celebrities had promoted. Posting those photos on Facebook and Instagram was another thing that he somehow had to accomplish. Orin enjoyed me accompanying him since I could take pictures of him. As for my own travelling choice, I could not say exactly what I liked most, but I must confess that I wasn’t that adventurous.

Reflecting on that thought, I realised that I preferred historical places which I could then do further research on, and I liked places that were unusual, like the one on this trip. I still didn’t really understand why I had this strong desire to go there. Maybe it was because I loved reading comic books about mysteries, like the ones on ancient Egypt with the pharaohs or the Lost Horizon.

“Alright, please give us a moment to discuss this,” Orin told the staff member. “Guys, if we proceed with the suggested plan, we would have to book a guide in advance to accompany us.”

“What do you say, Kate?” Sun asked, as she was the only woman in the group.

“Well, actually, I’m worried about being overtired but since we’re already here and don’t know if we will revisit this place in future, it might be a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to go now. It seems irrational not to go especially when we have put in all the efforts and made the long drive all the way up here, right?” Kate replied.

I didn’t understand why Kate was so sensible on that day, since she was normally a person who loved comfort and really felt miserable when camping.

“Well, for me …” I threw in my bit, “… we don’t have to go because I don’t feel like imposing myself on you. It’s just a personal feeling that I’d really like to see this place, and I honestly can’t tell you why. But if it’s really too troublesome to go, then we don’t have to.”

“But if you ask me if I still want to go: yes, I do. And if not this time, we can come back and try again another time,” I added.

“Well, if you feel that strongly about this, then let’s go!” said Sun.

“I think it’s going to be fun. During my undergraduate years, my friends and I went up Phu Kradeung. Even though the hike was tough and we were so tired after we made it to the top, but, you know, we really felt good that we did it. It brought back fun memories whenever we talk about it,” Kate said supportively.

Having gathered the team’s feedback and the affirmative vote from Sun, Kate and me to go, Orin eventually yielded and went along with the majority decision.

“Okay, guys, let’s meet tomorrow at seven,” Orin said, confirming our decision with the staff.

“So, we have to stay here for two nights because it will be almost dark when we get back from our hike tomorrow,” Orin said, after returning from the reception. “And we would have to cancel visiting one of the other parks that we had planned to go,” he said, with a slight tone of regret.

“We’re prepared to adjust the plan, aren’t we? Don’t forget, our plan is to have no plan,” Kate teased Orin.

That evening, we all felt happy because the atmosphere here was quiet and not as busy as at the other parks that we had visited. Besides, the camping area was a wide grassy slope on top of the hill and we had a lovely panoramic view of the landscape from there. The cooler weather at this time of the year also allowed us to sit around the bonfire, chatting and enjoying the glittering stars in the dark sky above us.

“It’s good that we are staying another night, I really like this place,” Kate whispered to Sun.

The next morning, we got up quite early to get ready for the hike. When I zipped the tent open and looked out, I was greeted by a sea of mist, spreading and floating slowly across the valley. The sun was gradually peeking out behind the hill and the early sunlight painted the clouds in a pale pink colour. With this beautiful view of the morning landscape surrounding the hill, we felt like we were in heaven, standing on white clouds.

The temperature that morning was chilly, and our warm breaths formed misty clouds when we talked.

About twenty minutes after getting up, we gathered in the breakfast room. After packing extra food items as advised by the staff yesterday, and getting our morning nourishment, we all got ready for the trip.

To get to the hiking trail, we had to ride with our guide in a four-wheel-drive truck. As only two people could sit in the front, the others had to squeeze in the back seats which were taken by Orin, Sun and myself. Kate took the passenger seat next to the driver. It was a very old pickup truck with dents all over the car; even on the inside, there was literally no identifiable spot that wasn’t dented. Earth and dirt were in every nook and corner and seemed to have been embedded there forever. Even the wheel caps had lots of holes and I couldn’t even tell which colour they had been originally.

As the pickup was wheezing up the road, every part of the ancient vehicle seemed to be making a noise; from the guzzling diesel engine to the whining of the drive belt, and a cacophony of sounds could be heard from under the hood. The exhaust pipe clearly wasn’t designed for air and noise environmental protection since it didn’t have any filter or pot trap. You could hear all kinds of groaning sounds once the wheels started moving; the squeaking noise emanating from the hood to the trunk, and the incessant banging of the doors as if they would fall off at any time. And every time the truck ran over a pothole, the toolbox in the back would make a loud crash.

“This truck can make every possible sound, but none with the horn or the radio,” our guide shouted out his feeble joke to make himself heard above all the noise.

We drove on for a while until the truck finally stopped at a parking lot, which was actually a small, flattened ground on the side of the road.

“Okay! We have to walk from here,” said our guide after killing the engine.