The past two days have been amazing. We went tubing down the river yesterday, which was a lot of fun and then today we rented motorcycles (oh, and when I say motorcycle, I mean motobike. 110cc, no clutch, 4 gears) and drove them up to a lagoon near the base of the cliffs. After the lagoon, I left the guys for a while and went far out into the country, steering around cows and stray dogs. I made my way to a bridge that I did not feel comfortable driving the bike over before I turned around. This country is beautiful, and of all the places I have been so far, I like the atmosphere, climate, and people here the most. They are smiling, honest and hardworking. I have made friends with one woman who is a cook at the restaurant we have been eating at, and I get her to choose my meal for me every night. She chooses well.
My ankle is feeling much better now, and I can move around alright. The guys and I are planning on meeting up with Greg, a Canadian we met in Ton Sai in Laung Probong, and I think we are going to rent motorcycles to make the journey there. Should be a good way to see the country on a more intimate level. We are sick of busses, so this method of transportation appeals to us. Thad and I went and cruised at dusk tonight for about 45 minutes and wandered way back on some old roads next to a river. I love the feeling of freedom that having a motorcycle gives me in this place because I can just zip off anywhere whenever.
Driving here is a trip. They drive on the right side of the road, same as in the US, but there are no lanes (on dirt roads how could there be?) but generally you pass on the left, and slower people stay to the right, but sometimes someone will be heading right for you, and you have to go all the way to the other side… when there are busy sections, it is chaos, but somehow it works.
I have been trying to get my laptop online so I can upload a ton of pictures, but no luck.
More Later,
Ben
Rice fields and the Mountains
The bridge I would not cross on the bike
Cows
The LagoonÂ