-Boy, am I missing the World Juniors today.

-So we rented bikes, and all there is here are these 1 speed granny bikes with baskets in the front and big handlbars...they even say "Fairy" on them. Talk about feeling like Heath Ledger. I do feel like a little kid again though when I have to stand up and pedal hard to make it up a hill.

-Check out our Christmas accomodation at Thong Bay and our room

-Laos is awesome - but dirt poor. I did a bit of checking and the Gross Domestic Product per capita (PPP...or all things being equal) is $1,900 US per year in Lao as compared to $8,100 US in Thailand and $31,500 in Canada...there is no railroad system in the country and I have yet to drive on a road here on which you can go above 50km/hr for more than 100m.

-I would almost kill for a Sunday afternoon Italian meal.

-We visited an awesome hill tribe school while on our trek in Thailand and I've been thinking about it alot lately. It's just neat to see the whole community come together - there are 5 villages who have their kids in the school. For those that are a distance away, the kids (age 7-12) live in dorms with their teachers. The dorms were built by Red Bull...the school funded by the Princess and the Lions Club, and the students eat food grown in the school garden tended by the parents - all the parents have to contribute a set amount of time to the school in order for their children to qualify.

-Speaking of the Thai people - I love how much respect and pride they have in their country and in their king. The national anthem is played over loudspeakers in the streets everyday at 8am and 6pm, and everybody stops and stands still in the street in respect while it plays. Before every show in the theatre, everyone stands up while a video tribute is played to the king. Pretty cool........can you imagine having a respect like that for our PM?

-While I'm on the topic of theatres (I am, aren't I?) - you can buy some prime tickets to the shows in Thailand - recliner lazy-boy seats in the top row that come with a small bottle of wine

-What is up with all the karaoke in Thailand? At one mall there were over 40 private karaoke cubicles where you can pay your $, pick your songs, then go sing in your own soundproof room with couch, microphone, and music video/karaoke.

-There is also an obsession with weight in Thailand that I don't quite understand - the people eat all the time, yet are slender, but have coin operated scales to weigh themselves all over the place. With all the sweetened condensed milk I've been having lately...

-How 'bout them Memphis Grizzlies?!?

-I hate roosters...more than any other animal alive - I've been woken up before 7am by a rooster crowing at least 12 times since we've been here. There was one in Chiang Mai that had a vocal chord issue so started even earlier in the morning to try and compensate - try 3am - sounding like my old cat "Blackie" (for those of you that remember what he sounded like)

-Ok Vancouver...trade for Roberto Luongo already. Please. I'm begging you.