Critters

Okay, this post goes out to anyone who is jealous of me, I think it will make you feel pretty good.

We pretty much follow the suggestions of our two guidebooks for accomodation. They do a good job of telling us what a place is like and how much it costs. In Mae Siriang we stayed in a place that the guidebook referred to as "the best budget choice." We had hike a mile or so with our heavy packs in the heat so we barely looked at it. It appeared to be clean and it was in a nice location by a river. Unfortunately, the guidebook was way off (we'll be contacting them upon our return). There was gum on the wall (chewed already), the sink was just a trickle, the shower's hose had so many holes that hardly any water came out the proper place, the bed was as hard as concrete (it may actually have been) and we shared the room with the biggest cockroach I've seen since Mexicali, Mexico.

But this is the worst. This morning, our guesthouse manager brought us a tray with coffees and a pot of tea, for that is how it is done here. I had two small cups of tea after my coffee. Scott noticed the reflection of a bug in the glass of the teapot. He took the lid off and looked in the tea strainer. He saw only tea, but he could still see the reflection of the bug. He took the tea strainer out and discovered the biggest cockroach dead in the bottom of the pot. I almost threw up. Needless to say, we hightailed it out of there. I was quite homesick at that point. Can't upload pictures here, so I'll post pictures in the next internet cafe with capabilities. For now, you'll just have to use your imaginations.