A blog by Marc

A couple of days ago we had some issues with our toilet. The water was rising and so were the toilets contents. We panicked and needed some help quickly. I went to get the owner, Thor. Yes, I chose our residence based on the scene out of the 1980's classic Adventures In Babysitting. And no it is not the same Thor in the movie. This Thor is a lady boy that dresses like a gay pirate, don't they all? Thor knocked on our door and he stood there holding his plunger rather than a hammer and a silk scarf wrapped around his head as opposed to the vintage silver helmet with wings. Thor was focused and skipped the pleasantries, he was heading for the washroom. He walked into the washroom, took a look at the toilet and decided he needed to let us in the know. "There is a trash can in the washroom so you don't have to throw the toilet paper in the toilet". I felt like we were a couple of kids being scorned for doing something wrong. How backwards is that? Why don't I use the trash can to do my business in and only throw the toilet paper in the toilet?

The day after Thor's visit, we had the same problem with the toilet. We informed the lady at the front and she told us by the time we came home from dinner the toilet would be fixed. Sure enough the toilet wasn't fixed and I had to get to work. I somehow figured out a way to fix the toilet so it wouldn't completely fill up with water and it wouldn't run for 10 minutes after flushing. I know that when I get home I can be a plumber if I choose now. Vince are you hiring?

We rented a scooter yesterday and wanted to tour the island but first we needed some breakfast. We went to a German cafe across the street from Thor's Palace and saw a familiar face. This person's face was found on the menu, on the cooler for the drinks and on a poster for the wall. Who is it you ask? First guess would be the media whore Peyton Manning but it is actually a face that hasn't aged a day since I was a kid. Ronald McDonald. I wonder if Ronald decided that he couldn't take anymore of corporate America and he terminated his life long contract with McDonalds? If that is true then he didn't wait long before he jumped into bed with the German Cafe business.

Our day was to be highlighted by a trip to a waterfall about 25 minutes from our place. On our way to the waterfall we stopped by an elephant farm. We pulled up to the elephants, there was three of them. Each of them had their own shelter in what looked like a 4 car garage. They were eating branches and Veronika wanted to feed them. We paid for a basket of banana's and pineapples and she went over to feed the beasts. The elephants didn't take the time to peel the banana's the same way the monkeys did and they just shoved whole pineapples into their mouth. I felt that these glutton's didn't appreciate what Veronika was trying to feed them and as a result didn't get to enjoy the taste of the fruits. I didn't feed the elephants, they freak me out. Veronika forced me to take a picture in front of them. So take a look at the pics on facebook and my face will say it all.

After a few minutes we were back on track and heading towards the waterfall. On the way Veronika read a street sign to me and it read Elephants Crossing. Are you friggin serious? Sure enough right around the corner we had to stop because an elephant was crossing the street. And no he didn't look both ways. We finally arrived at the national park where we were to find the waterfall. At first we had to pay an admission which was equal to $4 Canadian. At the exact same time two Thai people came and payed $2 Canadian. They explained to us that foreigners had to pay more. I wonder how something like that would go over back home. If the CN Tower should charge non Canadians more money for their visit, they would cry bloody murder!

Now we are on our way to the waterfall and it is quite the hike through the forest. About 5 minutes into it, Veronika stops to grab my hand and starts pulling me along the path. I know what she saw but I want to hear her say it. After a few minutes of me asking over and over again, "what did you see?" she finally answers. She saw a snake in a tree. Lovely, I walked the remaining 500 metres through the forest holding my breath. I figured that would help me go undetected by those disgusting creatures. What purpose do snakes serve anyway? They are ugly, gross and make for stupid pets.

We get to the waterfall and make our way to the highest rock so we can have a seat. On our way up we see some locals swimming and laughing it up in the pool of water underneath the waterfall. I'm sure they are laughing at all the foreigners for paying double their admission. Laugh it up you little jerks! We get to the rock and sit down. After 15 minutes I was ready to go. But we hung out longer to eat some mango's and to swim. I had absolutely no desire to go into the water but had a great time watching three Thai kids jump off rocks anywhere from 15-25 feet into the water. There was a skinny kid, a fat Thai boy and a chubby Thai girl. The fat Thai boy was really scared and almost didn't jump but was left no choice after he saw the chubby girl dive in. You were left no choice my friend and I'm proud of you.

I'm pretty sure that's it

P.S by Veronika: we are leaving to Cambodia on Monday, we were informed that the Cambodians are pretty technologically behind, so as soon as we can... probably by Tuesday or Wednesday we will post a new blog.