Celebrity Encounter

One of the monkeys was gracious enough to take time out from her busy post-performance schedule and pose for a few photos. Unfortunately, nobody had a pen so I didn't get an autograph.

Sawatdee

Not Natural... Volume 4

New animals... but still Not a Good Idea.

Not Natural... Volume 3

This is Not a Good Idea taken to the next level...

Not Natural... Volume 2

Once again, this video falls under the Not a Good Idea category. It also includes an added element of physical danger...

Not Natural... Volume 1

The first in a series of videos displaying the life of a Thai animal. It's not natural and it's definitely... Not a Good Idea.

Poor monkeys.

Smarty Pants

Having the largest brain in the animal kingdom, elephants are among the most intelligent creatures on earth. Competing alongside whales, dolphins, monkeys, and apes; an elephant's brain allows it to solve complex problems and exhibit complicated emotions. Their memory storage space is much larger than that of a human; and the volume of their brain used in cognitive processing exceeds that of any other land animal—including all primate species.

Thought to be highly altruistic, elephants occasionally show concern for the welfare and safety of other animals and humans. Such sympathy and deep emotions are often displayed in their death rituals. As the only other species outside of humans known to have ceremonies surrounding death, elephants often bury their deceased and revisit the site several times for a period of days; all the while whaling and mourning their loss.

Their behaviors surrounding grief, mimicry, the use of tools, self-awareness, compassion, memory, play, and family all suggest elephants are a highly intelligent species capable of learning, processing, and remembering more than we, as humans, might imagine.

Elephant Trekking

Riding an elephant is not like riding a horse, a camel, or a donkey.

It's not like riding a bike, a jet ski, or a go-cart, either.

Riding an elephant is uncomfortable, unstable, and unsafe.

It's also hilarious, fascinating, and exotic.

Some might say, it's Not a Good Idea.

I say, it's worth the risk.

Koh Samui, Thailand

A visit to the Thai Island of Koh Samui marked the half-way point on my trip, and I was grateful for the chance to relax alongside the hypnotic ocean waves.

Thanks to a generous donation from Andrea's family, we booked a room at the luxurious Renaissance Resort, a Marriott property. After almost a month of random hostels and sub-par hotels I was ready to indulge.

A few little things were big luxuries to me at that point in the trip:

Large comfortable unbunked beds with clean linens

Slippers and a robe

The option of a hairdryer

Not feeling the need to wear sandals when showering

The ability to control the room temperature

Little bottles of tropical smelling shampoo and conditioner

TV

Without a schedule, or the need to explore, we sat at the beach for 5 days rarely feeling guilty about our inertia.

The pool and beachside bungalows, which seemed to be exclusively for honeymooners.

For a semi-hefty price, you could enjoy a romantic dinner for two in the open-air bungalow. For obvious reasons, Andrea and I decided against this option.

Tanya, our masseuse/pedicurist/tropical foot scrub guru. She earns a living by walking up and down the beach offering up her various pampering services for a reasonable price. After watching other resort residents enjoy a massage or pedicure, we decided she was legit and began to experience the joys of beachside massages.

If massages aren't your thing, you can also purchase an umbrella, dress, or scarf from one of the various vendors.

A new friend that made his home beneath my beach chair.