in paradise

aside from having limited internet access, i have not wanted to sit at a computer and update on my travels. this can only mean that i'm having the time of my life... also, until last night, we had not stayed in one place more than a night at a time.

highlights/lowlights:
1) buying fisherman's pants in a village market for 29B a piece (less than a dollar). they are so comfortable, airy and culturally appropriate (it is inappropriate to wear things higher than the knees or to expose shoulders in Thailand), so my two pairs have just about been the only bottoms i've worn this trip.
2) hilltribe trekking - met with downpours. on the second afternoon of our trek, it started to rain HARD. this was during the dry season, so our group was not prepared. on a shrug, Alan and i had decided to bring our rain shells just because they were light. they saved our packs from getting drenched. even so, our sleeping bags were wet along with some of our belongings.
3) on an elephant in a downpour. we were helpless, wet rats. no cover. just us, on top of an elephant, going through the jungle, in the pouring rain.
4) spending two nights in Karen hilltribe villages. the first was a smaller one (only 200 inhabitants). the second was somewhat larger with a school located in the village (600 inhabitants). regrettably, i didn't try to meet or talk to the local people - as i was tired, wet and slightly grumpy from the unexpected weather.
5) i didn't want to raft back to our pick-up point, but the trails were extremely muddy and slippery. and i was the only one in our group of five who wanted the hiking option, which meant that one of our guides would've been forced to walk with me - for five hours in the mud. so i joined the others, bamboo rafting for 3+ hours, again in the rain. but it was fun, albeit cold and wet. thank God again for the rain shell.
6) swimming and snorkelling in Krabi province. pictures to come. ultimate aquamarine paradise. i've seen nothing like this, and i thought Jeju, Halong Bay and the Three Gorges were incredible. the islands in Krabi are like Jeju and Halong Bay times 1,000. while i went on an island/swimming/snorkelling/caving excursion, Alan spent the day on a rock climbing excursion. though an avid rock climber, he had never climbed outdoors before. i too had never snorkelled. we both had fantastic times in Krabi.
7) now we are spending three nights in a mountain resort, 30 minutes from the town of Krabi. our mountain bungalow looks out to a huge limestone karst in this tropical forest. we are totally isolated from anything remotely touristy, doing absolutely nothing but eating, reading, sleeping and swimming in the natural pool. it is absolute paradise. the food at the resort restaurant is also very good, consistently the best we've had on the trip so far.

Sunny has asked for a food update. um, it's been okay. not the gastromical experience i remember from fall of 2005, but still good. part of it is that we've had only a few opportunities to choose our own places to eat. the other is that Alan has a weak stomach and thus must always be careful where and what he eats, especially in new environments. nonetheless, he's been more adventurous with his eating than i would be in his situation - and so far, his stomach has not revolted against him in any dramatic way.

tonight is our last night here in Phanom Bencha Mountain Resort and in Thailand. tomorrow morning, we hop on a minivan for nine hours into Malaysia.