elephantary my dear watson

it took us a while to shake off those sea legs (the swagger's still with us) but we hit the ground running all the way up to Bangkok, a town our yellow bible describes as a "steamy disco of a city," and it couldn't be more spot on. It didn't take long for us to strap on our dancing shoes and jitterbug our way through the amazing sights, smells, and sounds of thailand's wildest city.

the air of bangkok's china town is damp with prehistoric public transport fumes, frying prawns and spring rolls, and sleazy back-alley massage joints... a great place for an evening stroll or a spring roll eating binge
view from the top of a bangkok lamp post

this ones for you annie... next to one of bangkoks best parks. a park filled with free bitesize snack samples, fantastic flora, arts and craft tables open to the public, thai aerobics, miniature teak homes, fountains, and elderly ladies doing yoga
in thailand it seems like you are always running into a town promoting the 'largest buddha in thailand'. perhaps there is some fine print in thai below categorizing the buddha so the claim is legitimate but who knows. here is one of the worthy guards of 'thailands largest (indoor, gold, mother of pearl adorned, reclining) buddha... shown belowview from the park of the royal palace's stupas
bangkoks rivers are teaming with boat traffic. longtail taxis, ferries, military vessels and dugout canoes all fight for water.

wat views.. the monks gotta do their laundry too

ed's boa

some veranda chilling with the omission of an awesome aussi. there by jeremy's right knee you will see tom robbins' jitterbug perfume... a fantastic morsel of literary goodness which theboys will enthusiastically recommend to all our faithful followers



the following pictures (excluding the unidentifiable blurry ones that may actually be a more accurate representation) show our superbowl halftime festivities in pai. we discovered by trial-and-error that there are still places that will sell booze to a man that is worming his way across the tile floor of an establishment muttering absurdities in a foreign language

quite possibly our favorite lady in thailand and quite positively the cook of some of the best meals we have enjoyed on our entire trip. lovely Na of Na's Kitchen may be the happiest and most passionate culinary genius in the world.

theboys getting ready to put their thumbs out after a wonderful stay in pai

the frog ladies. all those who have been to chiang mai will understand the ladies in this picture and the sounds that are no doubt filling the air. little wooden frogs stroked in just the right way with a small stick set the auditory backdrop for chiang mai's night market.

buddhism built into the hills

and into the caves..

with elephants on the agenda for northern thailand we stopped in an elephant village and somehow convinced the owner to let us camp on the property and hang out with the elephants for a week. we have been recruited as the US representatives of the village. the elephant village and the silhouettes of over 50 elephants at dusk

our hosts, mr bones and kawtoo

perhaps it was the subtle errors in my thai pronunciation but this elephant (not as cooperative as mr bones) is about to mistake 'sit' for 'shake it like a polaroid picture' and dance like a maniac until ive been bucked off like a drunk cowboy on a motorized bronco in wyoming.

quite possibly ed's most badass picture ever... although mr bones looks pretty good too. check out that monstrosity between his legs

recognize the toy mother?

kawtoo with his new buzz. he would referred to as 'my buddha' from this day forth


jer keeping his distance from ton and his pre-american revolution musket (after leaving the phants to feed on jungle shrubbery) on route to ton's home in a tiny village in the hills. a thai meal, as authentic as they come, was to be created in the setting below...

this one goes out to jeff who requested the commandeering of a rickshaw (called cyclos in cambodia) and bringing the driver for a ride on his own rig. this slightly hunchbacked old guy was full of smiles as i whizzed him around phenom penh for about 40 minutes while he waved to all his smiling friends like a king atop a golden steed and gulped down a cold soda i made him accept for the ride... although our only communication was in thumbs-ups, smiles, pointing and a hug at the end, im pretty sure we are best friends forever... cheers jeff