I've had a couple people ask me what our plans are upcoming -- so instead of replying to each one individually here is a global update:
Tomorrow (11/12/2005) - Bus to Chiang Mai
4 nights in Chiang Mai -- climbing and festival of the lights.
11/17/2005 - Bus to Laos boarder.
11/18/2005 - Slow boat into Laos
11/19/2005 - 11/24/2005 - Travel in Laos
11/25/2005 - Fly (?) back to Bangkok. If not flying then we'll leave Laos earlier as it's a 3 day trip back to Bangkok.
11/27/2005 - Travel down to souther thailand and go climb around the islands. Phi Phi island, Phuket Island, etc.
12/15/2005 - Travel back to Bangkok
12/18/2005 - Fly home (*sigh*)

Some things are still up in the air but thats the tentative plan at this moment -- hopefully 3 weeks in souther thailand. We'll see!!

Close your eyes and imagine this...
Wandering through a dense jungle with a rainforest canopy above. Turn a corner and suddenly you are confronted with a mysterious limestone formation with a large hole leading deep into the bowels of the earth.

You head down with a headlamp on that weighs a couple kilo's and are amazed at the stalagtites and mites that line the floor and roof. You go deeper and come across strange mysterious spiders -- with legs fully extended you know they are the size of your forarm in length. Bats chatter above you as you disturb their upside down sleep. The footing is slightly slick from the bat guano on the floor and you just don't want to imagine what your hand is touching as you descend farther into the darkness.

You reach a small cavern near the rear of this pit of eternal darkness and your guide gestures to flip the switch on your light. You and the others you are with do so and are plunged into pitch black.

Your eyes strain to adjust to the darkness. Well your brain strains in the hope that your eyes will adjust. But your conscious brain is telling you that there is NO light down here. There is nothing to adjust TO. You wave your arm in front of your face. Knowing that even in the pitch black "back home" you can make out the movement.

A blacker shape moves in front of your eyes -- your arm? Or just your imagination making up a blacker shape... you realize it's the latter and that there just is NO adjusting to this pitch blackness.

Finally after everyone is quiet for a few moments -- just taking in what it must be like to be blind -- the guide flips his switch and you all slowly make your way back out of the cavern. As you approach the opening you pause to wonder at how blue the sky is. How green the foilage is. How bright the sun is.

-----------------------
For the past couple days we have been near Soppong, Thailand. Staying at the Cave Lodge. We got to meet John -- an Australian who runs the place -- and his friend Steve who also helps in where he can. Plus John's wife and the other staff that kept the ship running smoothly. It was amazing how beautiful it was there -- and the people that visit the lodge were all of the same breed -- adventurers. The food was great -- the tales John told were amazing -- and the caves were spectacular.

We even managed to attempt to find one on our own and got completely lost in the jungle (well we knew how to get back -- but now how to get to where we wanted). A tangle with "Communist Weed" -- a thorny plant which liked to live it's small thorns in your skin and clothing -- was something everyone should experience (NOT!).

Two young Australian women joined us for the walk through the jungle to the two caves and they were both a blast to have along -- Kate had joined us the day before for our adventure and gettling lost in the Thailand Jungle experience (soon to be a major motion picture). But we didn't have to result to cannabilism so I think she enjoyed the adventure -- even if we all ended up looking like mud monsters at the end (it was pouring rain on us -- and the trail was quite slippery).

Now we are back in Pai -- trying to decide what we want to do for the next day or so. Hot springs are on the menu -- and we HAD planned on helping teach at one of the local schools. That is until we realized that today is friday -- meaning tomorrow and the day after that are... you guessed it ... Saturday and Sunday. No school. So I'm not sure what our exact plans are at this point. Possibly heading back to Chiang Mai if nothing else arrises that peaks our interest.

I think that is about it. Hope all is good back home -- don't forget to email and/or call!! It's good to hear from everyone!!

Well -- we did a 3 day trek in the jungles of Chiang Mai and survived the mosquitoes and the crazy people we were trekking with (lets just say that beer and a machette don't mix well) -- and today we acted like the tourists that we are and went to see the "village" (very disneyland-esque) that had the long neck tribe, the big ear tribe, and the black teeth tribe. It was amazing to see the people -- but at the same time the village was just a bunch of their shops set up so you could gawk like a hungry seagull. But I did get some good pictures.

Tomorrow we head off to Pai which was recommended by Brad -- will probably spend 3 or 4 days exploring that area before heading back to Chiang Mai for the light festival. We've definitely met some interesting people along the way -- and done some shopping at the night bizarres. In fact I can say that I am the owner of the Corpse Bride on DVD.

We stopped at a cave along the drive out to the village today -- and that got me super psyched for the caves near Pai. I've never really been into caving -- my thrills coming from exploring the outside rock formations. But these caves were like nothing I've ever been inside of before. 80ft tall caverns linked together with small passageways. The one we visited today had buddah statues inside which were odd --you'd turn a corner and there would be buddah -- sleeping. Just eery since we would just randomly come across them. But it's got me super psyched to see the caves that Brad described. And maybe we'll even rent motorbikes and go drive around. Now isn't THAT a scary thought? Me on a powered two wheeled vehicle? In control (I hope)?? CRAZY I say!

Anywase, I think thats about it from my neck of the woods. Oh wait! How could I forget to mention the butterfly farm? It was pretty awesome. They had everything from monarchs fluttering around to huge ones that had wings that were the size of both of my hands -- they were HUGE. Ok -- thats it from me for now. Catch ya'all in Pai.