From Grads to Nomads

Yesterday, with surprisingly nice weather, we did a round island tour. (Rob, Jason, Chris, and I). First, we stopped at a rocky area by the sea where we could view the "grandfather and grandmother" rocks, which bore a surprisingly accurate resemblance of human sexual organs! From here, we went into the jungle and rode elephants, Rob and I had a massive elephant and were not permitted to try riding on the head of it, as Jason was. We then watched an elephant show, which, while amusing, made me pity the elephants as I am sure it was not easy to teach an elephant to walk on its hind legs holding a basketball in its trunk or to do a headstand. I also got sniffed by the elephant, as we sat in the front row, and so I found my shoulder covered in elephant snot! mmmm. We then got to see a crocodile show, and I think the people who work with the crocs are borderline crazy. It just can't be safe in the long run to poke a croc with a stick and then move away when he whips around and snaps. The ultimate was when the show person put his head in the crocs open mouth! I am sure the day will come when the crocodile will snap his mouth shut unforeseen and there goes the show!! Remember Roy and the tiger....

We walked up to a waterfall after this, lazed by it for 10 minutes, and then back into the jeep for a ride up the 550 Meter mountain, on a road that makes our backcountry roads look like nothing. It was filled with grooves, was very narrow, and the bumpiest ride you can imagine. It was actually kind of fun, and on the way to lunch at the top of the mountain, we stopped at this Magical garden with all these stone sculptures of buddhas and animals, and then we went to lunch on the mountain. It was quite chilly up top, which Jason and Chris liked, as they keep their room at 10 C. I was covered in goosebumps the whole time however.

The last thing was a trip to the giant buddha, where there were also many small buddhas, and I had my fortune read by a buddha machine for 5 baht, which told me that traveling south will yield great fruits, good thing New Zealand is south then!!

It has been pouring rain all day, so we are in town with our umbrellas, about to go for Japanese food. Our hotel restaurant needs some work, as their food is not so good, and the fact that they served us red wine in a chilled glass says it all! So sushi and tempura it is for dinner tonight!