still alive

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our trek was pretty cool got to ride an elephant for about 20 min, wish it was longer and had better scenery, but never the less i was on top of an elephant. we went on a hike to a couple of villages and learned a bit on how each tribe lived. last we went down a small shallow river on a bamboo raft that i got to help navigate, although i prob didnt do much. the weather is absolutley perfect but the river water is pretty cold. left chiang mai a couple of days ago and pulled in to laos today. from our hostel in chiang mai we took a mini bus for a 6hrs then a schlo boat for 8hrs then another schlo boat for 9hrs. the boat is a few hundred feet long but really narrow, but by far the greatest part of the trip thus far. finally gave us a chance to meet some people to travel with. prob stay here for one more day, then we will go south to vang vieng, hopefully it lives up to the legendary stories i have been told. all of the bars are along the river banks and as you float down you can swing from tarzan ropes and zip lines. because this sounds like heaven we actually cut out going to cambodia and vietnam. something kinda strange about both of these towns is that they shut off all the electricity to the town by midnight, prob a good thing...less of a chance for us to get in trouble if were in bed before the sun comes up. the food is not only cheap but really good as well, mostly noodles and chicken, haven't had the chance to try grilled scorpions or bugs, but hopefully it comes soon.
love and miss you guys
murph

they are coming, i promise!!!

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