Sunday, July 30, 2006

Day 80: Secret Agent Men

Wow, can't believe it's day 80. We've been here over 11 weeks. Okay, maybe I can believe it. There's certain signs that one has been in Thailand for that long:

- it doesn't seem to matter what strength of sunscreen you use, you don't burn, peel, or even change colour...but we're trying.
- you don't sweat 24 hours a day
- you don't eat McDonald's because you miss home, you do it to get your bowel movements back on track
- you're on your 4th, 5th, or even 6th Tom Clancy novel

Yeah, we're almost experienced veterans...too bad we can't speak the language at all.

Anyway, the last couple days have brought us some amazing experiences. Friday morning we caught a tuk tuk to a port beside Phang Nga. It doesn't open up onto the sea but dumps you out onto the complicated maze of rivers, side streams, and caves through the limestone islands. The vegetation is mostly mangrove trees which seem perfectly suited for this environment. As the tide comes in and out the soil gets flooded with salt water. Navigating the canals is crazy though. If our driver had jumped ship I think we would have been in trouble driving the longtail boat. With Seadoos though...this place would rock.

The first place he took us a place called Kong Island where he drove the boat into a completely enclosed bay (think a miniature Maya bay with no beach). Nice break from the waves. Next we motored over to an island with a long cave. Who every thought of the word "spelunking" anyway? We were armed with flipflops and flashlights (2 out of 3 worked) but still managed to do some good exploring.

Next was lunch at a small beach on yet another island. We ate rice with shrimp and pineapple and took some time to throw the frisbee. Nevin and Luke had a tough time; injuring their feet on the rocky bottom. Who would have thought that I'd be the twinkle-toes one of the group? My mom sure wouldn't.

After that we hit the highlight island of the area, James Bond Island. I've seen the movie (The Man With The Golden Gun) but I never really paid attention to the setting. This was definitely familiar. We took lots of pictures and explored the caves. The vendors were selling all kinds of necklaces and bracelets but, oddly, no bootlegged copies of the Bond movie.

Our last stop of the day was the floating village. It is not actually floating but is built up on stilts over the water. They've done a good job because when the tide comes in the water level is right up to the walkways. Our guesthouse was built right against the cliff of the island the village is attached too. It's still mostly a fishing community but they do have the regular tourist stalls set up everywhere. These old ladies must be lonely because they really hassle you to buy their pearls and shells.

We ate dinner with the other guests, older couples from Belgium and France. My french skills got a real workout. I understood about a third of their conversations. Luke caught the odd phrase but Nevin had to just sit and nod his head politely. They had just come from Cambodia and had lots of advice to pass on. I think we'll be well prepared for our visit.

The next morning we took another longtail boat back to the port, tuk tuk to Phang Nga, quick call to my youngest brother, Peter, in Montana to wish him a happy 16th birthday, bus to Phuket, McDonald's, taxi to Kata Beach (see map), and a final walk down to the water. It'd only been a couple days but we were really ready for another beach day. The water here is much clearer than Patong and the beach is nicer. Better town too, I'd recommend this over Patong for sure.

Lucky we got our sun in yesterday, today the weather has just switched between raining hard and raining really hard. Guess it's a good day for internet stuff but makes me wonder why we bought all that sunscreen last night.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Day 77: The Best Massage Ever

Like all good stories this one doesn't have much to do at all with the title but it will still all make sense by the time you finish. Yesterday started the way any good day starts...at 11:00 in the morning and not a minute earlier. Since Luke and I'd been up so early the day before (see previous entry) we felt a well deserved sleepin was earned. But once awake our day changed drastically as we were rudely thrown into a world of pain. I almost can't bear to continue...but I must.

Okay, so maybe I lied. After waking our first order of business was breakfast as usual. The sandwiches we get all the time at the bakery are anything but painful to eat. Very cheap too...and they have apple donuts. But then the PAIN.

This day was our climbing day. We picked up our gear and our guides at K.E. Climbing just around the corner from our guest house and trekked off to the limestone cliffs on the west side of Ton Sai. (Ben, you're going to love these pictures) We were sweating buckets by the time we got to the base but at least the cliffs are so steep that by 2:00 pm you're already in the shade. The rocks soak up a lot of heat, though, so you feel like you're standing beside an oven.

I guess if I don't get to the climbing soon I may never get it all in. There are small hooks that are cemented into the rock every 6 feet or so but our guide still has to free climb (lead climb) up the first time to get the rope to the top loop. After that it's our turn. The ledges and holes are pretty easy to hold onto, almost felt like the holds at an artificial indoor wall, but it's still a real workout to get to the top. Luke was usually the quickest up but I still think I had the easiest time with my extra height...lots more options open to me. Nevin...well Nevin had a rough day.

We did five climbs each and could not do another one after. We even tired out the guide. We also took a couple turns on the belaying system. The guide kept reminding us "your friend life in your hand" with a smile. We also took turns fighting off the monkeys tring to steal our fruit. This can be done with rocks and loud noises, we're practiced with both.

The best part of every climb was of course getting to the top. Luke and I dared to take the camera up with us on a couple of acents. I think I know were they got the photos for some of their postcards. The view was amazing from up there. You actually didn't want to rappel down...not because of the view but because leaning your butt out off at 25 m cliff is damn scary.

As the sun really started to set we made the long and painful walk back to the climbing shop. Our legs were stiff but nothing compared to the screaming from our biceps and trapezoids...apparently they don't get a lot of exercise walking to the beach everyday. A couple of chicken and beef skewers replenished the energy and showers removed much of the sweat and stench (oh yeah...we were NOT smelling pretty). Nevin and I took it one step further. OIL MASSAGES!! See, I told you it would all make sense. These "veteran" ladies were incredible. My legs instantly felt better after the first 10 minutes. My back though...I thought I was going to shatter the teeth in my clenched mouth when she started kneading the knots in my back. It was probably the most painful part of the day but also the best. Nevin and I walked out of there feeling fresh, flexible, and really, really oily. Time for another shower.

That's about it for the climbing expidition. I'd say the best thing we did on Koh Phi Phi. One second...I'll take a poll. The others agree with me. We are united.

So, now we come back to the present. The three of us left the island early this morning and we are now in Phang Nga, north of Koh Phi Phi and at the top of the Andaman Sea. This is where the really cool limestone topography is found. We visited a couple caves this afternoon. Pretty cool if you ignore the roving gangs of 16 year olds still wearing their school uniforms. Tough to be intimidated by little people who only come up to your nipples. Tomorrow we're taking an overnight boat tour to see the sights here. Included is a stop at James Bond Island (seen in The Man With The Golden Gun) and our overnight is in a fishing village built on stilts. Much safer than our other recent activities. Ciao!

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Day 75: Maya Beach, and, once again.... risking our lives!

I guess it's my time to make another post. I don't know why, but I seem to get all the exciting posts. Doesn't bother me at all though, it tends to fit my writing style.

First off, this won't apply to the parents probably, but the rest of you have probably seen a movie called the beach, starring a dashing young Leonardo DiCaprio on an idyllic island paradise. Well.... the beach where that was filmed, was where our day trip took us. It was absolutely breathtaking. First off, we had to swim into an opening in the rocks that looked like it was leading to absolutely nowhere. After we were through, there was a white sand path that led onto... Maya beach. This place is absolutely beautiful. It was a bit too windy for us to have our usual frisbee match, but all in all, it was amazing. The beach isn't actually on the main island of Ko Phi Phi Don, but over on a marine park, Ko Phi Phi Leh. The pictures are from the beach, as well as the white sand path leading to it, AND..... three absolutely dashing young men that we just happened to run into on the beach. Usually, we don't put pictures of dudes on our website, but these three were just way too gorgeous to omit. We hear that the one in the middle was still fighting a savage case of food poisoning, but he still looks pretty damn good to me.

After the Maya Beach trip, we had another beach day. All in all, pretty uneventful, but Nevin did manage to scrape up his foot pretty bad on a rock, therefore taking him out of the activities for a while. Don't worry parents, he's just fine, and will still be rock climbing with us tomorrow, whether he likes it or not. Don't worry, some of you may think that rock climbing is dangerous, but it isn't close to as dangerous as the stuff we did today. (I'm actually just saying all this to freak the parents out, so don't worry if you aren't one of the mentioned parties.)

So anyways, after a day of sitting around and getting adequately fried by our good friend the sun, we decided to spice it up a bit today and get a bit more adventurous. Since Nevin was MIA, Mike and I rented snorkels and took off at 7 in the morning to try and catch a sight of some sharks over on a different beach. Unluckily, we were a bit late, and didn't actually see any. We were lucky enough, however, to get pulled around by currents pretty well. Considering how low on energy I was, and the fact that it was horrendously early in the morning, I was contemplating just letting the tide carry me wherever it was going. We came back to the beach after that, and enjoyed a little breakfast, and a little book reading, and a little sleeping, on a relatively secluded beach. We walked back around 10:30 to find Nevin laying in bed still, reading his book. We thought he was pretty lazy, until he informed us that just that morning, he got up right after us, and went on a 10 kilometer run on his hands, since his foot hurt too much.

Since Nevin couldn't snorkel, that obviously also took him out of.... CLIFF JUMPING. I was game for this since we first got to the island. This might have something to do with my level of dangerous stupidity as compared to the other two, but we're really not sure. Mike decided that he would be up for it though, so we booked the trip for the afternoon. I know the parents are probably thinking how stupid we are right at this instant, but if it's any consolation, it was one of the funnest things we've done yet.

They warm you up and gradually get you built up to the tall stuff. The height of the cliffs we jumped: 8m, 10m, 15m, and... 20m. The last one was pretty insane. You look down, thinking that you should have hit the water a while ago, and yet, you still have quite a while to drop. Sorry to say that the camera ran out of batteries, so we don't have much for pictures, really only one of Mike and I climbing on the rocks, but we did buy a DVD, so you can all dazzle at our recklessness once we get home. It was crazy being in freefall for that long.
I wish the video had sound, because at one point on the climb up, you could hear Mike saying, "I think this is one of the stupidest things we've done." There's also the look on his face before he takes his first jump. I must say, it's pretty priceless.

So that's what we've done for danger in the last little while. Tomorrow, rock climbing is one the menu, and after that, we're going to take off to Phang Nga bay, to see James Bond island, and some other pretty impressive sights. We'll be sure to keep you updated on our whereabouts as our trip winds down. It's hard to believe we really only have 15 days left. I know you're probably hoping that we're all really looking forward to coming home, but it's gonna be hard to leave this place.


Oh, I also updated my list of things I want to eat when I get home:


-Steak
-Roast Beef dinner
-dill pickles
-dill pickle chips with dill pickle dip
-kraft dinner
-boston pizza caesar salad
-taco time
-taco bell
-donair pizza
-Duke's donair
-Luke's favourite Chicken (My mom knows what I'm talking about.)
-Pedamini
-Apparently... Banderra Pizza Bread
-Kokanee

Also, the fire picture may seem like it's coming out of nowhere, but with any luck, that's what we should look like when we light those flaming balls that we bought on fire. It was taken at a place called Apache Bar here on the island. They have a nightly fire show, and there's even a couple of 12 year old kids that get up there and start winging fire around. It's pretty impressive. I might bring my camera tonight and try to get a video of it.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Day 70: Koh Phi Phi, I love thee

I guess we just can't get enough of the island life here in Thailand. Yesterday we travelled over to Koh Phi Phi which is in the gulf between Phuket and the mainland. (I know that technically Phuket is an island too but it's too big to have the "island" atmosphere) The first thing I must say about this place...it is BEAUTIFUL.

Our original plan was to only stay here a day or two on our way to Krabi but things have definitely changed. This place has amazing beaches, great food, and we can't really beat the accomodation. We're in a guest house, not a bungalow, with AC for only 600 baht per night. That plus we get a deal on the internet useage on the main floor. Since Koh Phi Phi is a good base for so many activities we're thinking of just camping out here for a week or more and packing the days with as much as we can.

THE FOOD: I'm reminded of our good fortune on Koh Tao with the menus here. There is a lot of variety, low prices, and even a couple all-you-can-eat places. We found a pretty good sandwich and donut place as soon as we arrived yesterday, as well as a great bar last night selling 2-for-1 whiskey buckets.

THE BEACH: The sand here is nice and the water is so warm but, unfortunately, there is a lot of little garbage that washes up from the water. I think they must clean the beaches almost everyday so we think this might still be debris that was carried out when the tsunami hit a year and a half ago. Yes, this is one of the places that was hardest hit.

THE VIEW: A big rain kept us indoors this morning (so we ate lunch and watched The Patriot...yeah, the whole thing) but once it let up a bit we made the hike up the mountain to the view point. A lot of stairs but easily worth it. The view is incredible and I just wish I had a better quality camera to capture it properly.

THE ACTIVITIES: Over the next few days we're going to do a LOT. Tomorrow is our climbing and cliff jumping tour. After that we haven't decided to much but there will be some snorkeling, more climbing, maybe some monkeys, and a trip to Maya Beach (which is where they filmed the DeCaprio movie "The Beach"). Yeah, we're going to need our rest. Sadly boogie boarding will not be part of our stay. We brought them with us all the way from Patong but they don't have much for waves here. So, instead I'll just include a few good pictures from our last boarding adventure.



Monday, July 17, 2006

Day 67: Patong Beach, and we actually arrived

UPDATE: The last blog now has pictures on it from the full moon party. I highly suggest you check it out.

For informations sake: All the pictures in this blog are of us Boogie Boarding today. Fun was had by all, and no further injuries, really just irritating old ones.

Alright, so, I now have another story for all of you. This one isn't as crucial as Nevin losing his passport, but it definitely was more frustrating. Mike was off on Samui taking care of Marie, so Nevin and I were heading off to Phuket on our own. Our boat/bus tickets were purchased and we were all set to go. That's where this story takes a turn for the worse.

Nevin and I made the overly long and up and down hike from our bungalow on the mountain on Ko Pha Ngan down to a restaurant that a taxi could actually get to. The taxi was supposed to pick us up at nine in the morning. Yes, that's right, we woke up at 7 AM, two days after the full moon party. Crazy? I think so. So we're waiting for the taxi, and by 9:20 it still hadn't shown up. I made the walk down to the travel agent that we purchased the tickets from, where she phoned the taxy company and got them to come get us. So we started off 30 minutes late heading for the boat. Made it onto the boat on time miraculously, and journey was officially on the way.

The boat pulled into the pier about 45 minutes to an hour after the projected time, and from there we were shuttled towards any one of about five different buses. There was absolutely no order to which bus we got on, so it was all really a guess as to which one to board. Climbed into a random bus, from which we were driven for about an hour into Surat Thani. The buses all met up again in Surat Thani, and everyone was told to get off in the middle of some big yard. Our gear was offloaded, and we were shuttled onto a Tuk Tuk. The tuk tuk then took about a 10 minute trip to some random restaurant that was apparently the "confirmation office." We ate lunch there, and waited until 4:30, which is when we were told the bus would be coming to get us. At 4:45, another Tuk Tuk arrived, and we were told to board that one. We climbed on, further confused at to exactly what was happening. At least there were some other Canadians to talk Oilers with.

This tuk tuk brought us to yet another restaurant. Only difference from the other one: It was seedier and farther out of town. I'm pretty sure we asked about 20 times when the bus was coming, and everytime we got the same answer: "Five minutes, five minutes." When did the bus actually arrive??? 6:30 PM. In case you were wondering, we were supposed to be in Phuket at 6:00.

The bus showed up, and it already looked pretty full. There was also a very small minibus there. The guides told us that the minibus was going to Phuket and we should get on that. We saw that there was definitely too many people to fit on a minibus, so we waited until it was completely packed, and then we made them put us on a proper bus. Only problem, there was four of us, including the other two canadians we met, and only three seats. This forced the very capable tour guide to grab a stool from the restaurant and put it in the middle of the aisle for one of the other canadians to sit on. A very comfortable journey I guarantee. The bus pulled away from the restaurant around 7:30.

The actual plan from here was to take the bus to Krabi, board a boat, and take that to the island, from where we would grab another bus that would take us into Phuket town. Unbelievably, since obviously this is a very capable bus service, the boat had already left, so we had to detour to take the bridge to Phuket, which added another two hours to our journey. The really great part, which thrilled me straight outta my head, was that the guy I was sitting beside on the bus actually left Ko Pha Ngan four hours after we did, and we ended up on the same bus. I am now the picture of happiness and in no way am harboring any thoughts of extreme physical pain to inflict on the bus staff.

After spending a peachy four hours on the bus, we arrived at another roadside stop, which was, of course, another tour office. At this one, everyone was forced to get off the bus. There was one tour guide, that I guarantee must have almost wet himself from all the people that were two seconds away from pounding him into a pulp. From here, the story gets even better.

The large bus departs, with forty people sitting on the side of the road. Now what's left? one minibus, that can carry a max of 10 passengers. This bus soon departs with the 10 people that are actually going to Patong Beach. The rest of us were told that we were buying tickets to go to Phuket town. The tour guide further tried to screw us around and tell us that more minibuses were coming. What was actually happening? The one minibus that just left would be heading to Patong, then heading back, picking up another load for Phuket Town, and then coming back again, etc. etc. etc. For informations sake, it's a one hour round trip from the place we were stuck to either Phuket town or Patong.

At this, the two Irish guys we were with started getting Furious. It was midnight, and we were stuck on the side of the road, probably for at least another hour or so. The solution, run onto the highway and start flagging down locals. He flags down a truck about the size of a ford ranger, except a bit smaller. The box of his truck has coolers etc. in it already and its pretty full. Still, the guy agrees to take us into Phuket town. Six of us grab our bags, throw them into the back, and climb aboard. I was sitting on the side of the box, holding on for dear life, and Nevin was hanging his feet out the back, and sitting on his bag because we were so crammed in. The driver clearly had done this before, because he had no problem speeding along at about 100 km/h the whole way into the town. The journey was made even beter by the fact that the roads were wet, and my back got soaked by splashes. We arrived in Phuket town, and found a relatively seedy piece of accomodation for about $8 for one night. All in all, if you dont count the cockroaches, or rotting wood in the door frames, it was alright.

So that was our journey. We spent one night in Phuket, and then came down to Patong. Looked around for a place, and found one that you had to walk through a couple bars to get to. It didn't seem like the worst idea ever...yet. At night, the street that our little piece of heaven was located on turns into the biggest palace of sin you could imagine. Nothing but bars with less savoury girls, and guys slightly presenting themselves as girls, peddle their wares. We decided to spend that night pretty much sitting in our place playing cards, taking walks, and chilling out. The next day, Mike was coming in, so we moved into a three person place in a different part of Patong. Much better place, and still really cheap. Neven and I spent the day on the beach body surfing and getting bashed around by the waves. I probably shouldn't be partaking in this, due to the whole rib situation, but I couldn't help myself. They don't really start stinging until the walk back to our place anyways.

Mike arrived that night and joined us at a little pub for a pint or two. We spent today on the beach again, and we bought boogie boards for $13, which we are far from mastering. We're going to stay here for another couple days, and keep hitting the beach and boogie boarding. After that, it's off to Phi Phi to chill out for a while.

One last thing, the waves on this beach are pretty insane compared to all the other beaches we've been on. You really get thrown around on that boogie board. That's about all for now, but remember to check out our last blog, as it now has some fantastical pictures.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Day 65: Full Moonin': Part Deux

Highlights

-our second full moon party
-tans
-healthy friends

I have a few things to get out here before I tell you all about our wonderful second Full Moon Party. First, Marie is well again and is minutes away from being discharged. It was not dengue but something bacterial and really nasty. Her cousin left on Wednesday (and is home by now) and Marie will be leaving soon too. Second, I'm writing this from the hospital in Bandon, Koh Samui and I can't post pictures so those will have to wait but they're worth waiting for. Third, I actually have a tan. Finally saw myself in a mirror in good enought light to almost blind myself looking at my upper legs. Must mean the rest of me is dark.

FULL MOON PARTY: I helped Anne-Marie and one of the nurses move Marie to Samui on Wednesday so I didn't get back to Koh Phangan until 10:30 pm. I bought my first bucket on the way back to the hut and get myself into the mindset to party it up. I found Pam all dressed up and Luke and Nevin covered in paint. Before long Luke had me all prettied up too. I'd like to describe what we drew on ourselves but I don't think it's fit for all readers...also the pictures may be strangely absent.

With buckets and camera in hand we moved onto the beach around midnight. The party was going strong by then. At one of the real bars (has a building, not just a table set up in the sand) we ran into some Edmonton people we'd met up in Laos over a month ago. That's also the time where Nevin and I lost Pam and Luke. They'll have to fill you in on their where-abouts since I didn't see them for the rest of the night. Didn't matter though, Nevin and I were on a mission...

By 2:00 am we started to notice that there were already people dropping to the sand and passing out. We thought it was pretty funny and then it hit us...why don't we take pictures...with US IN IT!! Genius! For the next two hours Nevin and I walked around finding the poor drunks who were face down in the sand and made it into a photo op. We actually used up all the batteries on Pam's camera but were having so much fun that we made the 45 minute walk back to the bungalows to get my camera.

On the way back to the beach we stopped at an internet cafe so that Nevin could call Kyla (I think she was at work). I don't remember much of the phone call...Nevin might not either...but I'm sure it was memorable for Kyla. We also had a couple helpings of schnitzel before taking more priceless pictures on the beach.

I turned in around 4:30 or so and Nevin stayed up with my camera to take some pictures of the sunrise. He did run into Luke later but I only know this because of the picture evidence on my camera. I left early the next morning for Samui so I didn't get a chance to visit with the boys and Pam to piece the night together...we'll do that on Patong Beach.

I've been around the Bandon Hospital ever since. Will be back in Chaweng tonight and on the road to Phuket as early as I can tomorrow morning. Luke and Nevin will be trying to find a three person bungalow for Sunday night and then I think it'll be time for a Reunion Party. (I almost forget what those boys look like but the monkeys I see on this island are a good reminder).

Monday, July 10, 2006

Day 60: Fishin', Full Moonin', and Chillin'

Well, I guess it's time for me to add my usual comedic brilliance to this parent-pleasing writing machine. Actually, probably won't write anything funny, but that's something that all of you may have to deal with for a little bit.

I'll just get right into it. We came back to Ko Pha Ngan. Full Moon Party part Deux is on wednesday, and we decided that we couldn't miss this one either. We found an absolutely amazing place to stay this time however. We got two huts on a cliff that overlooks the full moon party beach. They're both only $12 a night, and the view is worth every penny. The hut comes with a hammock as well, which makes our tough life over here even tougher. It's a bit of an up and down hike from town to get here, but all in all, it's pretty fantastic. We get all the party, but still we're so secluded from the main road that we don't get many of the drunken fools stumbling around in our neck of the woods, unless those drunken fools happen to be us. There's even a restuarant, again with a stellar view, that has an elevated deck looking out over the whole bay.

A bit farther down the road from us is another place called secret garden. The place is pretty nice, built up on rocks. It even has stairs leading right into the ocean, so you can go for a good swim if you want to. Nevin insists that if it's a secret garden, they shouldn't have all the advertising signs leading you right to it. If anything, I would say he's unbelievably disappointed in the secretness of this secret garden.

Last night, we had an honorary stampede party. Pam, a girl that worked with Mike and I at Talisman last summer, met us over here for this party, so we sat on the deck playing Drenga (drinking Jenga) and listening to country music, in honour of us not being there for the real thing. Headed down to the beach for 1 AM in order to watch the World Cup of Soccer Final. France lost a nail biter in a penalty kick shootout. I personally think they would have had a better chance if their captain didn't lay a mean headbutt into an opponents chest and get red carded. Got to sleep a bit late obviously, so we slept in this morning.

Nevin, Pam and I went fishing today. Ocean fishing is pretty easy over here. Drop a hook, and more times than not, a fish will just jump on the end. Our guide said it's the least fish hes ever caught, and I think the four of us got 13 fish. Mostly, we got White Snapper, and White Sandfish. The fishing was a great experience, and a great way to spend an afternoon. The best part about it is that you get to eat your catch. Somehow makes the whole thing more manly knowing that you eat something that you caught with your 'bare' hands. I kind of felt like Steve Irwin, or maybe even Crocodile Dundee, minus the horrible Australian accent.

Ate our catch at a beachside restaurant, and even got treated with an amazing sunset. Don't mind the fact that the sun actually sets on the other side of the island. It was still pretty nice seeing a lit up sky, and the moon there as well.

Medical Update: Mike spent all today in the hospital with Marie. The Irish girls followed us to this island also!!!! Marie is feeling pretty much the same symptoms Mike was when he got the DamnGay Fever, so it's a tense situation on that end. We're not yet sure how she's doing etc. My ribs are still feeling poor as ever. The clicking sound persists. It keeps popping on it's own, and I can also pop it when I push on it. All in all, I've had better feelings.

That's about all for now. Full moon is in two days, so we're gonna take er easy till then. We'll actually take some pictures of this one for your viewing enjoyment. Until we write again, wish everyone all the best on the home front, and to all of you tuning in at work.......



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GET BACK TO WORK, YOUR BOSS IS LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER!!!!!