Penetrating the Temple's Back Door.

You and Soo-yin continue your way through the jungle, the terrain begins to climb as you head up the side of the mountain. Along the way you find another of the ancient squat stone dicks embedded into the ground. Whenever there is a break in the canopy you look at the mountain trying to discern where the ruins were. Rocky outcroppings can be seen in the side of the slope and there looked to be a major cave entrance at the base. You decide that was as good a place to start as any.

As you get closer however you hear something. You freeze in place and listen. Talking. What you believed to be the language of the tribe you had met was being spoken by a group of men up near the cave. It sounded like there was a large group, perhaps five to ten, and it seemed they were camped out at the entrance. The tribe protected their holy place.

You look to Soo-yin. She says. "We could try to fight our way in. I don't like the odds though. If we take them unaware..."

You shake your head. "No way. They're sure to get one of us. Injure us at least. Besides, I can handle myself in a fight but I've never had to fight to the **** before. The front door is out, we'll find another way in." You look up the slope. "Look at those outcroppings. There's got to be more than one entrance into that mountain."

She scans the mountain's face. "There." She points. "That looks like the best spot."

You nodded your agreement, it was an obvious natural level spot on the side of the mountain. If there was another entrance that the original inhabitants would have used that's where it would be. You began to climb along the side of the steep slope. At one point you had a good view of the native warriors down below. They were currently roasting parts of a wild pig over a small fire. Their spears leaned against the stones near them. By their appearance they looked to be the tribe's elite fighters. Each of these men were visibly larger and more muscular than most you saw back at the village. It looked like it had been a good idea to avoid a direct confrontation with them.

Up here on the mountainside there was still a lot of underbrush to hide within. Now the vines and close set trees actually helped you in your climbing, giving you constant handholds and good footing. The blush of the evening light was just setting in when you reached the outcrop. You look out over the vast endless jungle. You see the glow of the men's fire below and in the distance you see the winding cut through the forest where the river ran. As you continue to survey the landscape you see at the very edge of your vision another cut into the jungle, a short perfectly straight section in the distance. The airfield! Using the setting sun and the location of the mountain and river you did your best to try to try to get a bead on it. Pretty much straight North-East if your calculations were correct. At least you'd know where to go if you were able to rescue your wife and friend.

Soo-yin approaches in behind you. "I need your help."

You turn and follow her back toward a rocky section of the cliff face. She points. At first you don't see it, but after a moment your eyes catch the pattern. An old almost worn smooth design of a penis carved into a roughly circular boulder.

"There's an opening behind there. You can see it you climb up onto it."

You nod. The pair of you position yourself to one side and begin push against it. At first it doesn't move. You try again, this time you feel something give and the boulder moves slightly. You stop and ready yourself once more. You both push with all of your strength and the stone slowly tumbles sideways and comes to rest a couple feet off from where it was. A small opening, just big enough to squeeze through presents itself.

You get down on your hands and knees and wriggle your way into the mountain's other entrance. Plunging into its warm brown earthy interior.