Sawatee

Sawatee, everybody.

I am happy to report that I am no longer the pasty redhead you all know and love. I am now the badly burnt redhead you will still love, but with the hope that, after gallons of Banana Boat Aloe Vera gel, I will end up with a nice tan.

We left Ko Phi Phi Don yesterday and are now in Ao Lang (or Long) Bay, near Krabi (pronounced Gra-bee) Town, the provincial capital of... you guessed it, Krabi. It's a really quiet place with a lot of little restaurants, 7 11's, a McDonald's and tons of ATM's, for some reason. It's definitely busier that Phi Phi (the car-less paradise I mentioned) but less than Patong Bay (the civilized hell-hole we ended up in). So, it's just about right. Our hotel (or should I say, our bungalow) is in the outskirts of the little town, so that adds to the relaxing environment.

Today, we decided to rent a scooter. I sent you a picture of my Hell's Angel uniform (you will notice that my huge brain isn't covered by the tiny helmet). Traffic laws are a little weird but they kind of remind me of Mexican traffic laws, so we're cool (the only law that matters is this one: whomever drives the biggest vehicle owns the road... everybody else, better move out of the way). It's a better and faster way to move around, and very cheap, too.

I sent you a picture of the bay (it's beautiful, I know, and there are many beaches around Krabi). We're going kayaking and elephant trekking on Monday, so I'll send you more pictures of the beaches in a few days, and I'll definitely send you one of Lorena and I on top of an elephant. Oh, and for those of you that think the elephants are being exploited, you are wrong. Turns out, a few years ago, environmentalists managed to stop the timber industry in northern Thailand. The timber industry used elephants so they were out of work. Then, someone had the idea to send the elephants south to be used in the tourist industry. So, instead of getting rid of them, they now have a home and work. OK, I rationalized it... but screw it... where else will I be able to ride an elephant through the jungle? Even with all my extra pounds I'm sure it's better to carry me around than to move around logs.

Oh, and the other picture is of Lorena waiting in the lobby of P.P. Casita, our bungalow in Phi Phi island. Turns out that check-out time is at 11:00 am, and the ferry to Ao Long Bay leaves at 3:30 pm.

OK, that's the latest update. We are leaving Thailand in a few days, so if anybody has some requests, let me know.