Laughter

Hi,

We're back from an incredible weekend at Anantara Resort. We had a beautiful room, enjoyed 'cocktails' by a rice paddy, dined at a baby elephant camp, and rode elephants. It will probably take me two days to tell you everything, so hang on for the ride.

The 'Old School' song was "I Only Have Eyes For You" by The Flamingos. 'Easy Monday' is here and it's a good one:
"Yeah (Sunrise) there's a new sun risin', (In your eyes) I can see a new horizon, (Realize) that will keep me realizin'
__ __ __ __ __ __." Hint: This song from 1980 was has to do with the magnitude of the person in the singers life. It's six words that proclaim his devotion.

Saturday morning I went and got the car washed. I didn't want to show up at a five star resort with a dirty car. (Ha) While I was waiting I had coffee at Doi Chaang with my friend Eddy, the benefactor of the 'Kid Band'. Then it was back to the house to pack the car. The trip to the Golden Triangle took about an hour, and the weather was perfect. Just as we got there it started raining, but at least we arrived in a clean car.

We were greeted by a friendly staff that made us feel very special. While we were checking in, Bodo, the General Manager came out and met us. Once we had our keys we were led up a path through the garden that kept going higher and higher up a hill. Our guide told us we just had one more hill to go but we told her we didn't want to go any higher. We finally got a room at the second level. Teak floors, wood cabinets, and a giant, double sized bathtub were waiting for us. As we were getting settled, a man brought us a small tray with gardenias, and exotic soaps. A little later someone came with a fruit tray that came with instructions on how to eat it.
We were liking this place.

The weekend was an annual gathering of an organization called Skal, for people in the travel, and tour business here in Thailand. Most of them came from Chiang Mai, with a few from Bangkok and Chiang Rai. Before dinner we were taken to what they call the Rice Paddy. It was a clearing next to a real rice field. The first thing they did was spray us with insect repellant, which was a good thing. Then we had drinks and snacks. The real treat was three young elephants that were on hand for picture taking. We also got to give them bananas. One of them was a real clown, playing with some of the guests, and rolling on the ground. As the sun set, the glow of fire lanterns in the rice field gave the whole thing a very exotic mood.

At the close of the cocktail hour we were led up a path through the forest to the baby elephant camp. It was too dark to even know where the babies were, but we entered a shelter with a long banquet table, and lots of traditional decorations. There were a few presentations, and then we had a wonderful buffet dinner. We met many interesting people, and made some new friends. Thankfully, we were taken back to the hotel in a van. It would have been a long walk in the dark.

Tomorrow I'll tell you all about our adventures at the Mahoot Training. A mahoot is the driver of the elephant. You won't want to miss this thrilling episode.

Have a Great Week.

Peace,
Danny

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."
~Victor Borge

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
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