Frodo partakes of a bucket

This place seems like a Thai version of Disneyland, with "resorts" lining the road leading to the park. The resorts are the same type of places as on the islands with crappy restaurants and travel agents on site. The one I ended up at is a bit crummy and dirty, but a bungalow only costs $5 a night, and I like Spike, the Aussie who runs the place. All the resorts seem to feature an English or Aussie expat.

I wanted to do the elephant thing, so I got Mai, an Israeli girl fresh out of the army who's staying there to go with me. She's been away two weeks and is very homesick. Her sister traveled for a year and went to Tibet, so I was excited to hear travel there is possible. As for riding an elephant, I'm glad I did it, but it's something I'll never do again. Thankfully they don't whip the elephants since they respond to voice commands, but they keep them chained up on very short chains. The ride itself was bumpy and uncomfortable enough to make me sick to my stomach and we felt like we were going to fall out of the chair. On the way back I sat behind our elephant's ears, which was even more uncomfortable. One thing I never realized was how hairy elephants are. I guess they are mammals, after all.

I wanted to go camping in the jungle, so Spike connected me with five Canadian stoners who were sort of interested. After much debate on price, Spike produced a six-inch cockroach marinated in "fish sauce" and offered whoever ate it free camping. Lorn, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Frodo the hobbit actually considered this disturbing offer, so Spike assured him that all Thais eat cockroaches. So Lorn ate the thing, which he said was the most disgusting thing you could ever imagine. After a laugh Spike informed us that nobody eats those things except one crazy guy who lives there. The Canadians will be going camping, though.